Building for Generations:
The History of Building Products of Canada Corp.

Building Products of Canada has been producing quality home building and home renovation products for generations. The BP brand reflects an almost legendary craftsmanship that goes back nearly 100 years. They continue to be the product of choice on literally hundreds of thousands of new homes and home renovation projects across North America each year.

The company was originally incorporated as Building Products Limited in 1925, with the merger of two respected manufacturers, Bird and Son and Ruberoid Company. Founded in 1795, Bird's Canadian roots included a roofing plant in Hamilton, Ontario, built in 1905, and a paper mill in Pont-Rouge, Quebec. Ruberoid started life as the Standard Paint Company. In 1906, it opened a roofing plant in LaSalle, Quebec and, in 1918, purchased a felt mill in Portneuf, Quebec. The company brought its roofing and paper making capabilities to the West with the construction of a roofing mill in Edmonton in 1951, followed three years later by the installation of a paper mill.

In 1964, the company was acquired and taken private by Imperial Oil. In the two decades that followed, it expanded into new product categories and extended its reach geographically, introducing the ESGARD brand of shingles into the U.S. In 1969, 10 years after it created the first vinyl siding, the company began to produce vinyl siding commercially, dominating the business for decades to come. It also manufactured and distributed a range of insulation products through its extensive distribution facilities across Canada.

In 1987, the company was purchased by Emco Limited, Canada's largest distributor of plumbing and other building products to the residential, commercial, industrial and municipal construction markets. It refocused its attention on its core roofing business and, as one of the continent's largest producers, on its diversified line of wood fibre products. Its penchant for product innovation appeared in many forms, from its revolutionary use of colour in roofing to its introduction of the patented Enermax acoustical panels, now the leader in its category. The company has also been recognized for innovative marketing, including award-winning merchandising systems and leading-edge e-business initiatives. Its DreamRoofs.com is widely considered the leading consumer website for roofing information.

2002 was a watershed year for Building Products of Canada. Strategic alliances, manufacturing joint ventures and other forms of partnership with some of the industry's most important players, among them Johns Manville, enabled the company to significantly expand capacity, introduce new technologies and new products, and enter new markets. For example, it has become an important player in the commercial roofing business. In 2003, Emco Limited was acquired by Blackfriars Corp. of Chicago, Illinois.

Blending integrity and innovation, partnering and performance, the future indeed looks bright for Building Products of Canada Corp.