A must-attend Alberta business gala dinner, the Signature Event is ABFI’s annual celebration of the history and success of outstanding multi-generational business families. With an attendance of over 600 people combined in Edmonton and Calgary, it is an opportunity to gain insight into the inner workings of some of Canada’s most successful businesses and the families who own them.
Featuring an intimate discussion with a prominent business family, this event showcases real life examples and the history and lessons learned from some of Canada’s leading business families. It provides a unique opportunity for the business family community to learn, socialize, and celebrate success with business family luminaries. It’s also an important fundraiser that helps ABFI grow, develop, and provide educational opportunities to ensure family-run businesses and enterprises have a solid future.
The Alberta Business Family Institute and the University of Alberta are proud to honour the Sunner Family of Durabuilt Windows & Doors at our 2024 Signature Event in recognition of their remarkable journey of entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth.
The Sunners’ Alberta story began in the mid-1990s, when Joe Sunner and his son, Harry, then 19, immigrated to Canada and jointly acquired a small PVC window manufacturing shop. Under their visionary leadership this modest operation has evolved into a leading enterprise with nearly 700 employees and facilities across Western Canada, comprising three generations of the Sunner family.
Harry Sunner, President & CEO, and Joe Sunner, Chairman, have led Durabuilt’s growth by combining cutting-edge technology with their deep commitment to their employees and family values. This balanced approach has not only expanded their business but also earned them recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.
The Sunners have redefined their business from a “window business to a people business.” This commitment to valuing people and the community has fostered a strong culture of innovation, caring, and accountability, evident in their contributions to causes like the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, CASA Mental Health.
By celebrating the Sunner Family at ABFI’s 20th Annual Signature Event we are not only honouring a leading name in the window and door manufacturing sector; we are also recognizing a legacy of multigenerational entrepreneurship.
We look forward to sharing the Sunners’ story of how they transformed their family business into a business family at our 20th Annual Signature Event.
Signature Event 2024 Tickets
Our Signature Event 2024 Partners
To become a Signature Event 2024 partner, please contact us.
The Rayner Family Story
Alberta Business Family Institute was proud to celebrate the Rayner Family of VETS Group for our 19th annual Signature Event on October 3 and 4, 2023.
VETS Group began its development in 1921 when the company’s founder, World War I Veteran Fred Rayner, began installing his own patented gravity furnaces in post-war bungalows around Edmonton. Today, the company is led by 4th generation President, Sean Rayner, and has become a progressive group of mechanical, sheet metal, and service divisions that are leaders in both industrial and residential HVAC systems fabrication, installation, repair, and maintenance.
VETS Sheet Metal services the Western Canadian industrial HVAC market from offices in Edmonton, AB and Burnaby, BC. A team of over 130 tradespeople and engineers complete complex work in the wood fibre, oil and gas, power generation, mining, institutional and water treatment industries from Vancouver Island to the Yukon, and as far east as Manitoba. VETS Facility Services offers proactive maintenance for building owners, property managers, and multi-unit residential throughout central Alberta.
In addition to its emphasis on quality and integrity, the company upholds a focus on community as part of its core values.To celebrate their centennial in 2021, the VETS leaders launched an ESOP (Employee Share Ownership Plan) as an innovative succession and transition plan. Their broader community outreach efforts also include supporting local associations and charities, like Valour Place and Little Warriors.
For over a century, the Rayner Family has guided VETS to become a recognized leader in Canadian family businesses, while always maintaining the “get-it-done attitude” that Fred Rayner exemplified.
Video Insights
Our 2023 Partners
2024 – To Be Announced Soon
2023 – The Rayner Family of VETS Group
2022 – The Hay Family of Scandinavian Building Services
2019 – The Koeller Family of Calvert Home Mortgage Investment Corporation
2018 – The Rosenau Family of Rosenau Transport Ltd.
2017 – The Gupta Family of Rohit Group of Companies
2016 – The Forseth/Bacon Family of Swimco
2015 – The Price Family of Sunterra
2014 – The Hutchinson Family of Daytona Homes
2013 – The Mullen Family of the Mullen Group
2012 – 10th Signature Anniversary with the Richardson Family
2011 – The Stanton Family of The Running Room
2010 – The Brewster Family of Brewsters Adventures and Sightseeing Tours
2009 – The Fuller Family of Earls, Joey Restaurant, Saltlik Steakhouse
2008 – The Martin Family of Horizon Capital Holdings & Canada Steamship Lines
2007 – The Asper Family of CanWest Global Communications Corp.
2006 – The Shaw Family of Shaw Communications Inc.
2005 – The Melton Family of Melcor Development Limited
2004 – The Ganong Family of Ganong Bros. Limited
2003 – The Richardson Family, James Richardson & Sons Limited
Help ABFI celebrate the history and success of outstanding multi-generational business families by participating in the Signature Family nomination process.
Criteria
- Family-owned business (private or public companies, organizations, or holdings)
- Based in Canada and operating in Alberta
- Employs multiple family members and is or will be multi-generational
- Demonstrates the core values and principles of the Alberta Business Family Institute
- Possesses a compelling story, featuring a major challenge or recent success.
Process
To nominate our next Signature Family please fill out the Nomination Form online or contact abfi@ualberta.ca. 2025 nominations must be submitted by no later than 11:59 PM MST, December 15, 2024.