Headquartered in Beamsville, ON, Ferguson Neudorf Glass is one of North America’s premier building envelope companies that offers their clients a single source from delegated design, through drafting and engineering, through manufacturing and site installation. The company is run by Jeff Neudorf (President) his three brothers John, Bill and Peter Jr, along with their cousin Danny Neudorf (Senior Vice President), Ferguson Neudorf’s work can be found across Canada and the United States.
The history of Ferguson Neudorf Glass extends further back than its 1984 founding. Before the second generation of Neudorfs took the reigns, their fathers spent over 20 years working together at Ontario Glass. When that firm closed, Peter Neudorf, Sr. started Neudorf Glass. Years later, Peter Sr. connected with Keith Ferguson of Ferguson Glass and the two’s partnership resulted in the companies combining into Ferguson and Neudorf Glass.
From its start, one of the core tenants of Ferguson Neudorf Glass has always been to embrace change and never be afraid of tackling a new challenge. It was with that mindset that Peter Sr. and Keith Ferguson immediately opened an aluminum fabrication shop when aluminum frames and curtainwall hit the market and became a cornerstone of architectural glass and metal.
That constant embrace of change and tackling new challenges was instilled in Jeff, Bill, John, Peter Jr. and their cousin Danny by their fathers. They credit it for the company’s continued growth and success, and it has helped foster their passion for the glass industry. However, that mindset isn’t the only reason for their success. After all, without people and collaboration, they wouldn’t be able to tackle the new challenges the industry faces.
Ferguson Neudorf heavily focuses on their people and fostering collaboration with every member of their team. Every Ferguson Neudorf employee knows they have a voice, and their ideas and concerns will be heard. That focus leads to a high level of trust among Ferguson Neudorf team members.
“[Our] employees know if they make a decision they feel is in the best interests of the company, we’ll support that,” Danny explained.
One result of Ferguson Neudorf’s culture is engaged workers who stay with the company. From the team members in their engineering/drafting departments, to the team members performing the fabrication and construction of curtain wall in their plants all the way to installers in the field, Ferguson Neudorf has engaged employees who are proud to work at their company and who want to spend their careers there.
“I’m proud to say that we have a lot of guys who are still working in the field that are almost my age, and their sons are now working for us as well,” Jeff said.
Ferguson Neudorf doesn’t just apply their focus on people and collaboration to their internal team, they apply it to their customers and industry partners as well. For their clients, Ferguson Neudorf owns the delivery from start to finish. They do all the engineering, fabricate their own systems, take design requests and work with their clients to meet (and often exceed) expectations. As a second-generation family privately held business, their clients know they can call the Neudorfs up directly at any time. And with their company not being afraid of change or challenges, their clients appreciate that they embrace any challenge instead of pushing back against it.
As a signatory contractor, Ferguson Neudorf’s labor partnerships help them provide the quality result they pride themselves on. The open-minded approach their fathers instilled in the company drives them to always look for a solution instead of butting heads, and they treat their unions as true partners.
“It’s important to always hear our labor partners out first,” Peter explained. “We also help out with the apprenticeship program.” As Director of Field Operations, Peter spends a lot of time at the training center with apprentices and trainers, and Ferguson Neudorf frequently takes apprentices and trainers on tours of their facilities. Peter also partners with the industry at the international level as an FCA International board member.
The ideals of embracing change and running towards challenges Peter Neudorf, Sr. and Keith Ferguson instilled in Ferguson Neudorf has helped the company achieve massive success. And with the second generation of Neudorfs embracing that ideology and focusing on collaboration, they are poised to continue that growth and success for many years to come.
Visit www.fnglass.com to learn more about Ferguson Neudorf Glass
Get to know Ferguson Neudorf Glass: Jeff, Peter Jr. and Danny Neudorf
- Where is your hometown? The Niagra Peninsula
- What is your favorite hobby or leisure activity? Golf, hockey, cycling and spending time with the family.
- How long have you been at your company? Jeff – 31 years. Danny – 20 years. Peter – 34 years.
- What sports, clubs or activities were/are you involved in? Golf, hockey, soccer, tennis, and all three have coached all kinds of minor league sports.
- What’s your favorite place to vacation or travel to? Las Vegas and Nashville
- What intrigued you about the industry you’re currently working in? It was the family business. Constantly evolving challenges in the performance of the walls. There’s a global commitment to achieving Carbon Zero. Also finding out how high we can build buildings.
- What’s your favorite holiday? Christmas. Peter Neudorf, Sr. established an annual trip every Christmas to somewhere warm that continues today.
- Are you an early bird or night owl? Early birds.
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Invisibility and flight.
- What’s one of your “bucket list” items? Nice European trip.