Robert Minialoff
Entered
January 16, 2022
from Ovilla TX
Hey guys:
Please see a brief tribute below to Joe Minialoff. As someone who got to know Joe, I felt compelled to write this tribute and send to….someone! As the voice of the industry in Canada/Ontario, I thought I would share with you guys. Feel free to use any or all of this….or not. Your discretion is fine with me. Either way, I feel good about sharing what I thought about this man.
In the context of more than a half century of the Roofing Industry landscape across this country, Joe Minialoff was a legend.
Tribute to Joe Minialoff:
Our industry lost a legend this past week. I met Joe Minialoff in 1997 when Flynn acquired Peerless Enterprises of Toronto. Even growing up in western Canada, I was aware of Joe’s highly respected reputation in the Canadian Roofing Industry, which he was involved in for so many decades. He was the very first President of the OIRCA in 1964, and was ever present, and a significant contributor at the CRCA level since it’s inception, in addition to building and leading one of the, if not THE, premiere Roofing Contracting business in the country with close to 400 employees.
When I got the opportunity to spend time with Joe, it quickly became evident to me why he had such an iconic reputation. I found Joe to be humble, entrepreneurial, professional, very driven and above all innovative. He did not TRY to be any of these things, he just was. It was easy for me to see why he was an icon in the Roofing Industry, and it was my pleasure to be able to spend time with him and learn from him.
Up until I met Joe, I thought that leaders in construction businesses either came from the field and then learned the front end of the business, or they came from a sales background, and learned the back end of the business. My perspective changed when I met Joe. Although he certainly was seasoned with all aspects of the business, it seemed to me that his default core competency was neither sales nor production. My observation was that Joe was happiest in the shop, tinkering with equipment to find ways to do the job more efficiently, and finding ways to build equipment that made the job easier on the men in the field.
Joe was an innovator!
When I think of all the lessons we have learned as a company in our journey, I cant think of a time when we learned more about innovation, efficiency and best practices, than when we got with the folks at Peerless in 1997. And leading the charge on these innovative practices was Joe Minialoff himself, often in a shop coat.
Many businesses in the landscape of Commercial Roofing in Canada can be traced back to roots at Peerless, long before I ever met Joe. I know I speak for many in our industry, in acknowledging that we have lost a legend and a pioneer.
Joe Minialoff will be missed, but he leaves a legacy and will always be remembered by the many people that he positively influenced in this industry.
RIP Joe.
Doug Flynn
Flynn Group of Companies
