CADORATH - A LEGACY LIVES ON
When Gerald & Blanche Cadorath founded their plating company in their garage in 1954, they had a simple vision: to establish a reputation for quality work. They wanted their customers to leave, after dropping off a job at the shop, with the peace of mind that comes from knowing it would be done well, done on-time and done with care. From these humble beginnings the Cadoraths have grown their plating business into a group of companies which collectively is a global competitor in the cluster of world-class manufacturing, repair and overhaul, and service firms.
Building upon the success of their pioneering years in the plating industry, the Cadoraths expanded in 1975 and created Cadorath Uniflyte to provide helicoid flighting to the agricultural market in Western Canada. Expansion into the US followed naturally thereafter and for 15 years, Cadorath built a reputation for manufacturing and plating services. The company continued its expansion in 1990 when Cadorath Aerospace was founded to perform repairs to turbine engine components.
Since its conception, Cadorath’s focus, to deliver ‘peace of mind’ to its customers, has consistently been applied to each one of the Cadorath companies. The 57-year success is directly attributable to quality control systems, lean manufacturing and most importantly to the long-term employment and career development opportunities that Cadorath is committed to offer.
The senior vision of Gerald Cadorath (retired in 2001) is a legacy that is carried forward from one generation to the next – Gerald and Blanche’s son serves as President and CEO today. “The company’s goals and objectives haven’t changed. They have been passed from employee to employee, and everyone has left a mark”, explains David Haines, Senior VP of the Cadorath Group, who has been employed at Cadorath for 20 consecutive years. “The majority of our workforce is long-time employees. Our career development plan promotes growth from within, from the shop floor to management, which ensures the company values of integrity, problem-solving and customer satisfaction are always with us…and that they are lived out in meaningful ways day in and day out.”
Not a lot of companies in today’s day and age have the ability to grow in a family-owned environment while providing as much training and development to their people. Gerry Cadorath, current President and CEO, attributes their success to the loyalty and passion of their people. “At the end of the day, the work gets done around here by people who care. Our employees take pride in what they do. “Good enough” is not in their vocabulary and it’s that attitude that makes me most proud and quite frankly, grateful.”
Among the largest of companies in the Cadorath Group, is Cadorath Aerospace. With locations in Winnipeg in central Canada and Lafayette in the Gulf of Mexico, Cadorath Aerospace is the only authorized Rolls-Royce repair facility with two locations in North America. In fact, Winnipeg is ranked the third largest aviation manufacturer in Canada, in which Cadorath has become one of the lynchpin players among the 23 regional and 4 multinational firms that make up the $1.6 billion, 5300 employee aviation industry in Manitoba. Cadorath Aerospace’s second facility is strategically located in Lafayette, in the Gulf of Mexico, which is home to the largest helicopter operators in the world.
For employees in Winnipeg and Lafayette, the Cadorath name is as much a reminder about staying true to the values of the founder as it is about manufacturing and repairing. The combination of using unique approaches to special processing and manufacturing challenges and the commitment to quality and reliability has transformed the Cadorath Group from a one man shop to a thriving, growing competitive force that straddles two nations and serves a global customer base.
