Born in Yugoslavia from Hungarian parents, Arpi Berdin fled his home in 1953 to come to Canada. He says that at the time he was only looking for a way to experience freedom and a comfortable standard of living.
On August 20th, 1963, Arpis Heating Ltd. began in a double car garage with only one assistant and his Germen Shepherd Chief, who guarded the equipment and "tools of the trade" in the back of his pickup. The work load soon took Arpi out of his garage and into an 8,000 square foot facility, growing to a 30,000 square foot area and then finally, to the 100,000 sq ft operation in Calgary, Alberta that the company fills today.
Seizing the potential to expand his business base, Arpi began doing commercial installations and also saw an opportunity to move into the plumbing business to compliment his sheet metal operations. With two very significant and qualified partners to help lead the way in the commercial field, along with steady growth in the residential field, annual volumes have recently reached the 70 million dollar level, calling on a work force that often exceeds 500 in its numbers.
In the 1970’s Arpi's expanded its operations to Edmonton, Alberta to work on such notable landmark projects like the Heritage Mall, and West Edmonton Mall. Due to the enormous size of these projects, a branch office was established and with the hard work of many committed employees, the Edmonton office prospered.
Over the years many employees have contributed to the company’s success and as a result, both Arpi and Arpi’s Industries Ltd. have been recognized time and again for both there quality and community contributions by the Pinnacle Award group, the Private 100 Club, Lennox Industries Annual Awards, to name just a few.
In 2006 Arpi, looking to spend more quality time with his family and wife Melvina Berdin, offered to sell the Edmonton operation to Edmonton’s senior management, Don Grundy, Todd Grundy and Ted Trainor. After negotiations were concluded on January 1, 2007 Arpi's North Inc. was born, bringing with it 185 employees, many of whom have worked for Arpis Industries for over 25 years, who continue to bring the confidence and recognition Arpis employees have earned in the past.