Price’s ever-growing team is made up of extraordinarily talented individuals from different backgrounds. We periodically profile a “person of Price” to give you a glimpse at the person behind all those emails or the voice at the end of the phone! This post: JP Pelletier.
Price Industries: What is your current title and role at Price Industries?
JP Pelletier: Currently, I am the General Manager of SolutionAir, Price’s mechanical equipment division based at the Egesz facility in Winnipeg, MB. My role in the simplest form is to keep SolutionAir up to Price’s standard of service for our customers, which is first class, and to build the foundation necessary to scale up the SolutionAir business. This includes implementing our Operational Excellence program in our factories as well as updating our products, systems and processes so we can provide the level of service our customers expect.
PI: How long have you been with Price Industries, and what other roles have you worked in since you started?
JP: I joined Price in October of 2020 as GM of SolutionAir.
PI: How did you find yourself in your current area of specialty – was it a lifelong interest and aptitude, or did it evolve later in life?
JP: When I was finishing high school, I realized my NHL career was not looking very promising (cue laugh track), so I needed a fallback. I have always had a knack for all things mechanical and enjoyed physics and mathematics, so I decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering – you know, in case professional hockey didn’t work out. Who knew that decision would lead me to where I am today?
PI: What was the career path that brought you to Price, and what was it about Price that inspired you to join this team?
JP: Before joining Price, I worked for over 22 years in a variety of roles in engineering design, product development, quality, operations and project management. Most of my career was spent designing and building motor coaches; my last role before joining Price was Vice President of Engineering, Quality and Warranty. I have been so fortunate to have worked at two leading-edge companies with so many great people and leaders whom I’ve been able to learn from.
My current role at SolutionAir is a perfect fit for me. My background and prior experience made it such an exciting challenge, and meeting the Price leadership team prior to joining and learning about the culture and values (and the 13 tenets) made it an easy decision.
| JP provided an update on SolutionAir to a crowd of more than 700 attendees at Price’s National Sales Meeting in November 2023 |
PI: What are some industry developments that you’ve seen in your time within the field that have changed the way you think and work?
JP: The mechanical equipment industry is changing rapidly both in North America and globally, with regulation changes, the focus on the environment and shift away from our reliance on fossil fuels, and the emphasis on indoor air quality. Price is in an excellent position not only with its current products but also with the foundation in place for the development of new products and a relentless culture of innovation. Having said that, our ability to automate our systems and processes, to provide our customers with the best level of service in “the Price way” and to be the easiest partner to do business with will be the constant in everything we do.
PI: What is your favorite project you’ve worked on in your time in the industry?
JP: One of the most exciting projects I have worked on not just at Price but during my entire career has been the development of the AirWolf Data Center Exhaust Unit. What started as some sketches and rough 3D CAD models has turned into such a tremendous opportunity for Price and SolutionAir.
The best part of this project is how it shows off Price’s ability to help solve complex challenges for our customers, leveraging unmatched talent across different areas of the Price business. This is truly a game changer for SolutionAir, and it’s the operational foundation we put in place in 2021 and 2022 that has allowed the business to scale up so quickly to serve our customers. And with such a cool name (for those of us who grew up watching the show in the 1980s), it had to be a great project!
| JP and team tour visitors from Buckley Associates around the SolutionAir factory in Winnipeg, June 2022 |
PI: What do you feel is the biggest contribution you have made to the professional community?
JP: For almost my entire professional career, I have worked in businesses that design and build products – either buses moving people safely and improving accessibility for everyone while reducing emissions, or air handling and energy-recovery equipment that help people in buildings breathe. I love being a builder, solving problems and overcoming the challenges that come with that. Being a registered professional engineer is not a responsibility I take lightly, so I do my best to provide the safest possible products and solutions that make our lives better.
I also love the fact that I was once an engineer-in-training and had several great mentors help me become a professional engineer, and now I have been able to do that for several engineers-in-training myself. That, I feel, is my biggest contribution. To see the skill and talent the young engineers entering the workforce have now is amazing. It has been such a privilege to work in the engineering profession and to have had the opportunities to do this throughout my career. It has never felt like a job or work.