Recognized as one of BC's Top Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Feb 11, 2025)
Here are some of the reasons why Longboard Architectural Products Inc. was selected as one of BC's Top Employers (2025):
- Longboard Architectural Products recognizes years of service during the company's all-hands meetings and hosts an annual lunch for employees celebrating milestones in five year increments -- long-serving employees may also have an opportunity to donate to a charity of their choice, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, based on their tenure
- Longboard Architectural Products encourages employees to lend a helping hand in the community with two paid days off to volunteer, and generously matches charitable donations made by employees, to a maximum of $10,000 per event
- Longboard Architectural Products takes a thoughtful approach to supporting employees who need to care for loved ones, providing compassionate leave top-up of 85 per cent of salary for up to four weeks
Volunteering is a key part of the Longboard culture
In July, 26 employees of Longboard Architectural Products took a massive leap of faith – as in, out of an airplane from 10,000 feet above ground.
The leaps were for an annual tandem skydiving fundraiser event for the Cyrus Centre Ministries, a Fraser Valley organization that provides youth with emergency shelter and support services, which Longboard sponsors. The company also provides employees who sign up to jump with $400 of the $800 in donations they need to raise to participate.
Tricia Harrison, community and events coordinator, kept her feet firmly on the ground this year to assist with day-of event needs, but says with a laugh that she’s committed to taking the leap next year. For Harrison, who joined Longboard a year ago on a maternity leave contract and is moving into a full-time position, the event exemplifies what’s special about the Abbotsford-based company.
“The company really wants people to get involved, make a difference, and ideally encourage them to keep doing it,” she says.
A large portion of her role is aimed at doing just that, by promoting fundraising and volunteering opportunities for the non-profits and charities Longboard supports and seeking out new community partners. “My biggest focus here is to make it so that people can get out there and feel what it feels like to make an impact and how much a small gesture really matters.”
Founded in 2005, Longboard manufactures premium woodgrain-patterned aluminum products used for cladding, siding, walls, ceilings and more. The company’s first few years were a “journey,” says owner and CEO Mike Heppell, as the then-small team figured out the market for its products and then got walloped by the 2008 recession.
When the company reached profitability after those early hard-scrabble years, Heppell gathered employees to identify the company’s core values. The first one was that the people come first. Another was a commitment to “compassionate acts and human flourishing.”
“We started identifying organizations where we could be involved with them and volunteer our time and effort to make life better for people in our community,” says Heppell.
The company encourages volunteering by providing employees up to two days of paid volunteer time per year. Staff members have spent that time in a variety of ways, including donating plasma with Canadian Blood Services; building homes with Habitat for Humanity; helping out at Zajac Ranch, a summer camp for children and adults with medical conditions and disabilities; and packing up Starfish Packs, a weekend’s worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for children in the Fraser Valley who otherwise wouldn’t have enough food at home.
As part of Longboard’s commitment to putting its people first, it invests in professional development and fosters a culture of psychological safety, respect and kindness. It’s had an impact: in the company’s 19 years, its employee ranks have swelled to roughly 170, Heppell says, and many have racked up long tenures.
“No question, it’s nice to be on the black side of the ledger,” he says. “But I would say the most fun part for me as an entrepreneur has been seeing the team come together, develop, and grow their areas of expertise.”
Harrison says she’s felt Longboard’s “people come first” culture in her first year at the company.
“It’s unlike any place I’ve ever worked before. It’s very welcoming, a really encouraging and social environment,” she says. “And that means a lot coming from a new person – in your first year, you’re full of questions no matter what the job is. It’s nice not to feel like a hindrance and to be supported.”
Recognized as one of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Apr 7, 2025)
Here are some of the reasons why Longboard Architectural Products Inc. was selected as one of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025):
- Longboard Architectural Products supports mothers-to-be with maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 85 per cent of salary for up to 21 weeks and maintains an academic scholarship program for employees with university or college-aged children, to $1,000 per year per child
- Longboard Architectural Products recognizes long-standing employees during all-hands meetings and offers a charitable donation to the organization of their choosing as a reward, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on years of service
- Longboard Architectural Products invests in ongoing education with tuition subsidies for job-related courses as well as options for in-house and online training -- additionally, the company covers subsidies for professional accreditation
Volunteering is a key part of the Longboard culture
In July 2024, 26 employees of Longboard Architectural Products took a massive leap of faith – as in, out of an airplane from 10,000 feet above ground.
The leaps were for an annual tandem skydiving fundraiser event for the Cyrus Centre Ministries, a Fraser Valley organization that provides youth with emergency shelter and support services, which Longboard sponsors. The company also provides employees who sign up to jump with $400 of the $800 in donations they need to raise to participate.
Tricia Harrison, community and events coordinator, kept her feet firmly on the ground this year to assist with day-of event needs, but says with a laugh that she’s committed to taking the leap next year. For Harrison, who joined Longboard a year ago on a maternity leave contract and is moving into a full-time position, the event exemplifies what’s special about the Abbotsford-based company.
“The company really wants people to get involved, make a difference, and ideally encourage them to keep doing it,” she says.
A large portion of her role is aimed at doing just that, by promoting fundraising and volunteering opportunities for the non-profits and charities Longboard supports and seeking out new community partners. “My biggest focus here is to make it so that people can get out there and feel what it feels like to make an impact and how much a small gesture really matters.”
Founded in 2005, Longboard manufactures premium woodgrain-patterned aluminum products used for cladding, siding, walls, ceilings and more. The company’s first few years were a “journey,” says owner and CEO Mike Heppell, as the then-small team figured out the market for its products and then got walloped by the 2008 recession.
When the company reached profitability after those early hard-scrabble years, Heppell gathered employees to identify the company’s core values. The first one was that the people come first. Another was a commitment to “compassionate acts and human flourishing.”
“We started identifying organizations where we could be involved with them and volunteer our time and effort to make life better for people in our community,” says Heppell.
The company encourages volunteering by providing employees up to two days of paid volunteer time per year. Staff members have spent that time in a variety of ways, including donating plasma with Canadian Blood Services; building homes with Habitat for Humanity; helping out at Zajac Ranch, a summer camp for children and adults with medical conditions and disabilities; and packing up Starfish Packs, a weekend’s worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for children in the Fraser Valley who otherwise wouldn’t have enough food at home.
As part of Longboard’s commitment to putting its people first, it invests in professional development and fosters a culture of psychological safety, respect and kindness. It’s had an impact: in the company’s 19 years, its employee ranks have swelled to roughly 170, Heppell says, and many have racked up long tenures.
“No question, it’s nice to be on the black side of the ledger,” he says. “But I would say the most fun part for me as an entrepreneur has been seeing the team come together, develop, and grow their areas of expertise.”
Harrison says she’s felt Longboard’s “people come first” culture in her first year at the company.
“It’s unlike any place I’ve ever worked before. It’s very welcoming, a really encouraging and social environment,” she says. “And that means a lot coming from a new person – in your first year, you’re full of questions no matter what the job is. It’s nice not to feel like a hindrance and to be supported.”
The Career Directory
Longboard Architectural Products Inc. has been selected for The Career Directory, our guide to entry-level recruitment for recent college and university graduates.
