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Joe Comitale, executive vice-president of M-D Building Products and the president of the professional flooring division, M-D Pro and Canadian consumer division at M-D Canada will be retiring as of Dec. 31.<\/p>\n
Comitale, trained in mechanical engineering, began his industry career in 1977 in Mississauga, Ont., at Drummond Metal Products, a Benson Group company. He was a part-time machine operator as well as a shipper\/receiver, all while working his way through school. By 1982, he was working full-time for the Benson family and promoted to assistant plant manager at Drummond Metal Products. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Bengard Manufacturing, another Benson Group company, known for their aluminum extrusion fabrication, finishing and packaging expertise and was promoted to plant manager in 1985.<\/p>\n
He spent most of his early years at Bengard revamping the machines and changing the business model to focus on flooring trims as the core business. In 1991, he became the vice-president of sales and by the age of 34 he was named president of Bengard Manufacturing by his mentor, Bill Benson Sr. \u201cMy affinity for tinkering with bikes, motorcycles, cars and just about any type of machine, as well as my education in mechanical engineering, served me well in my career, \u201cJoe Comitale states. \u201cEspecially in the early years when the rudimentary equipment we had needed to be upgraded, and the processes streamlined,\u201d he continues. \u201cThe work we did in eliminating non-value-added labor and the switch to a JIT production system allowed us to compete with much bigger companies and win market share.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comitale\u2019s quick advancement and extraordinary leadership earned him a nomination to the Young President\u2019s Organization where he later graduated to the World President\u2019s Organization. He has also been a participating member of many industry associations. He was an active board member for the former Flooring Installation Association of North America (FIANA), was an integral part of the Flooring Institute of Ontario (FIO) and is the current chairman of the board for the Canadian Home Products Trade Association (CHPTA) as well as being on the board for M-D Canada.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cDuring my time at Bengard, we grew the company both organically and through acquisition. We expanded the product line to include vinyl, wood and MDF moldings as well as the aluminum trims we were best known for,\u201d Comitale states. \u201cIn 1999, we combined Bengard Manufacturing with the flooring portion of Drummond Metal Products, and the combined entity was sold to The Loxcreen Company in Columbia, S.C., in 2000.\u201d<\/p>\n It was during Comitale\u2019s time at Loxcreen where he dove in headfirst into product development and there, again, he used his engineering background to develop Prova tile installation products with his team. What started with a single tile underlayment product has now grown into a complete line of tile underlayment, shower waterproofing and building accessories. \u201cI eventually became the COO for The Loxcreen Company\u2019s entire business in both Canada and the U.S,\u201d he continues. \u201cIn 2012, M-D Building Products acquired The Loxcreen Company where I have been ever since as executive vice-president of M-D Building Products and president of M-D Canada and M-D Pro.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThe dedication, time and consistency Joe has invested over decades has resulted in thousands of employees and their families enjoying wonderful lives \u2013 all because of his hard work\u201d states Ryan Plotkin, president and CEO of M-D Building Products.\u00a0 \u201cHe has mentored many people over the years and created pathways for their professional growth and development that they may not have had without his investment in them,\u201d he continues. \u201cThe strong relationships that he has fostered with all stakeholders have transitioned to the current leadership team and create a springboard for the company to continue forward successfully in the market for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Comitale will continue to offer his expertise to M-D Building Products on an as-needed consulting basis and will help his successors transition into their leadership roles. This transition plan is set to ensure the business continues to move forward while maintaining the tenets of the M-D Pro flooring business and M-D Canada consumer business.<\/p>\n Comitale also plans to carry on utilizing his expertise in business strategy and consulting services as the founder of the newly incorporated Dark Horse Business Strategies Inc. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed working with small businesses and plan to find some fledgling companies to work with to pass on some of my experience to help them scale.\u201d<\/p>\n The entire team at M-D Building Products thanks Comitale for his years of outstanding leadership, service, dedication and loyalty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n