Performance is the biggest qualification at Patlon

With just 40 employees, Patlon Aircraft & Industries can feel a little like a family.

“Everybody knows everyone,” says chief financial officer Marilena McGowan. From the owners on down, there’s a sense of including and looking out for each other. The company’s frequent social events, from monthly birthday celebrations to attending a baseball game together or a barbecue with wagyu beef, are something employees really look forward to.

The Halton Hills, Ont., distributor and service provider shares its success with employees, too, in the form of an annual pay-for-performance bonus worth up to 15 per cent of salary. Half of it is based on the company’s performance and half on how far the employee progressed towards goals set out in twice-annual performance reviews with their manager.

“Patlon is unusual in the fact that it has this bonus that runs through the entire company,” McGowan says. It’s not reserved for employees on management track.

And though it lacks the detailed diversity, equity and inclusion policies common to large employers, the company has nonetheless created a culture where the entire board of directors is composed of people from visible minorities, and two-thirds of the leadership team are women. Parneet Kaur, a bid and program manager hired just two years ago, feels inspired by their example.

“We have two strong leaders of two different departments who are women,” Kaur says. “For me as a female employee, they understand where we’re coming from, right?”

“Patlon looks at and promotes based on skill sets, and so if you’re a woman with a strong skill set, you can advance just as quickly as a man can. It’s not as if we’re focusing on women,” McGowan adds. “It’s just how it is at Patlon.”

Patlon also makes a priority of promoting people from within its ranks. Applicants are hired on the basis of skill sets, experience and fit — the last of which naturally favours internal candidates.

“If someone is lacking qualifications, we might look at how we can support that person in developing their skills for that role,” McGowan says. “And if not, we will look for outside candidates as well.”

Managers double up as mentors, helping map out employees’ career advancement, offering advice and recommending courses of training.

“I have weekly meetings with my manager,” Kaur says. “Whenever I have a question, she’s always there to help.”

Patlon allocates each employee $1,000 a year to spend on education and training outside the workplace. If the program costs more than that, employees can apply for further funding. Plus, there is mandatory training for all employees in the workplace, such as cyber-security training typically required by clients in the aviation sector.

Outside the workplace, employees can take advantage of a $600 wellness subsidy that may be spent on fitness centre memberships or equipment, nutrition or daycare. Employees receive service awards after five, 10, 15 and 20 years of service. Recently staff gathered at the nearby Milton Banquet & Conference Centre for a company-paid banquet and send-off for an employee who was retiring after 38 years.

“It’s these little things, along with all the programs we have at Patlon, and the fact that everyone is tight knit, that makes this a really nice place to work,” McGowan says.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers winners, published April 8, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.