U.S. & Canada Toll Free 1.800.663.8858 • International _+800.627.78337
World Leading Manufacturer of Event Tents, Party Tents and Fabric Structures since 1970
Malcolm Parry, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, June 12, 2008
OVER CANVAS: The half-dozen or so marquee-style tents in front of Dueck's Marine Drive dealership came from a five-acre "business park" facility in deeply rural Surrey that looks more like a mare-and-foal operation. It could be, too, since Tentnology® Co. proprietors Gery and Suzanne Warner house some of their horses there, including the "ponies" Gery (say Gary) and son Dylan ride in the punishing game of polo.
But the Warners develop their peak horsepower in the international fabric-structure market, where they expect to have sold $9-million worth of product by year-end July 31. "It could even be $12 million," said Gery of the products on which they reportedly own 25 patents, 10 trade names and sell to 2,000 clients in 25 countries. That's up from the $8 million the 37-year-old, 67-employee firm reported last year. "And we should be doing $20 million in two years," said Gery, who co-founded the firm with a since-moved-on brother Kurt in their native Manitoba. Part of that income would come from providing tents for Whistler and Vancouver components of the 2010 Winter Olympics, for which Tentnology® submitted a bid as one of eight pre-qualifying firms recently. Other bidders are based in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with the sole other Canadian in Ontario.
The Warners are reluctant to endanger their bid by discussing it. Still, assuming they can handle the work at a fair price, it would be rewarding to see local entrepreneurs demonstrate their know-how at the 2010 event.
And they can handle the work. The firm – www.tentnology.com – has supplied tents to Olympic events since Montreal in 1976, and had a major presence at Athens in 2004. Tents up to 4,500-square-feet each went to World Cup soccer events, the Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, and Peter Gabriel's wedding to Meah Flynn in Sardinia, where Suzanne Warner danced with guest Sir Richard Branson. They covered 75,000 square feet in Saudi Arabia for another wedding, 35,000 square feet for the Disney Corp., almost five hectares for an auction in Seoul, Korea, and furnished 600 yellow marquees for a Scientology powwow.
Their tents have covered folk at celebrations and memorials in New Orleans and New York, including the World Trade Center site. Mechanical engineer Gery has designed a new 4,500-square-foot unit to be erected and or dismantled in 60 minutes. It's a development of a type he accompanied for use in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He got there in the unwindowed cargo hold of a huge Russian Antonov aircraft, and recalls a Ukrainian chef cooking mutton soup from scratch atop an open-flame range.
The Warners say they've been offered $5 million for the five-acre property they bought for $570,000 in 1990. They acquired a same-sized lot nearby for $3 million in 2006. An inducement to relocate would be that Surrey's Neighbourhood Concept Plan for business-park development requires same-zone neighbours to unanimously agree on improvements. "But it would cost us more than $5 million to move on," Gery said.
Not only that. "I like living here," Gery said in the Warners' comfortable home steps away from their mainly tented production and warehousing facilities. Referring to Tentnology's light footprint and avoidance of any environmental degradation, he said: "If you actually live where you work, you have to be careful. Besides, I can look out of the window, and see my horses in the paddock."
We really think so! We are proud to announce the launch of www.tentnology.jp coinciding with the increased activity of Tentnology® in Japan. Check us out!
The Herriott Group, special event rentals in Champaign Illinois, hosted the Tentnology® Sales Gals for a wonderful day at training camp! Every year Brian and Deb Stump of Herriott's put up over 70 Tentnology® Matrix-Marquee™ at the summer training camp for the Chicago Bears football team. Tentnology® Matrix-Marquees™ covered everything from exercise tents, autograph tents, food service and kiosk tents, sponsors hospitality tent to "hot and cold tub tents". The Herriott Group has been a customer of Tentnology® since 1999.
The Ultraman Exhibit in Hang Zhou China was housed in a large selection of Tentnology® tents. The S5000 TriSpan™, as well as assorted Matrix-Marquees™ where showcased with these colourful cartoon characters.
Lorna Murphy, Marketing Manager with Hire All Ireland sent us this spectacular image of the Tentnology® SaddleSpan™ at this famous event held in Kerry western Ireland.
A year ago the Canadian Military ordered 3x60'x200' insulated Tentnology® TSpan™ portable barracks to house the troops in Kandahar. This year we are happy to report that one of these structures is being converted into social and recreation centers for the NATO personnel.
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The iconic Cinderella Castle has a few more peaks. Portable Tentnology® peaks that protect the entertainment. Disney Imagineering and Tentnology® Tentgineering came together to create a spectacular setting for the Night of Joy celebration. With less than 2 weeks to create a totally new and original structure, Gery Warner, P. Eng & President of Tentnology® flew to Orlando to meet with the Disney team. Bringing back some Pixie dust to sprinkle on the Tentnologist, miracles happened when design, engineering and manufacturing came together with almost impossible deadlines to create these magic tents.
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The Surrey Mayor's Gala was selected for the "Best Use of Tenting" at the Canadian Special Events Awards held in Toronto in March 2006. Five thousand sq. ft. of hexagon, diamond, and triangle shaped Tentnology® Matrix-Marquees™ welcomed 800 guests for cocktails in clustered pavilions set up to let the guests meander, meet and greet.
A grand entrance was created for the Gala Ballroom that surprised and delighted the guests with the laufting ceilings of the spectacular S5000 Tentnology® TriSpan™ featuring 17,000 sq. ft. of free span space for the dinner, entertainment and dance. Only days before this gala event, the site was a barren construction site without power or any utilities or facilities, once again proving that with Tentnology® special event tents you can create award winning instant function space, anywhere, anytime!
Diamonds are your best friend... Tentnology® has received a patent on the Diamond and Triangle shaped Matrix-Marquees™. These specially shaped structures are free standing or connect to other Marquees. The angles allow these tents to go into challenging situations, unusual floor plans, and even turn corners.
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Tentnology's Matrix-Marquee™ tents provided a perfect backdrop to the RBC Olympians Tour, which traveled across British Columbia this spring.
The MQ5m square Matrix-Marquees™ and Hexagonal 10m Matrix-Marquees™, customized with graphic images, cluster together to provide a snowy peaks' backdrop for the fantastic winter sport displays being performed by Canadian Olympians and Paralympians during the event.
Olympic fever has truly arrived and we feel privileged to be part of the exciting journey to Vancouver 2010!
INITIA Event Managment purchased the Tentnology® TriSpan™ S5000. See the incredible job they did setting up this structure on the shores of Dneipre River...they write: "We would like to thank you for all that great job you did and your kind assistance during this transaction. We are always pleased to work with you."
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In the heart of Manhattan, September 11, a phoenix-like new fabric structure rose above Ground Zero.
Tentnology® created this tensile structure as a dramatic sculpted canopy for the World Trade Centre PATH Subway entrance, located directly in front of the Millennium Hilton Hotel. Tightly scheduled to be erected right on time for September 11th memorial services, this high-tech structure conveys optimism & a new departure.
Briefly erected at Tentnology's Cloverdale premises, a few invited guests got a sneak preview while Tentnologists poured over the test-bed structure during last minute inspection just prior to New York delivery. The canopy with the signature Tentnology® aluminium truss system measures 60 feet wide x 85 feet long x 37 feet high.
Tentnology® was short listed at proposal stage last November, securing the contract with its curvaceous original design and computer-centric ability to comply with the extreme engineering requirements of the job, explained president Gery Warner.
Challenging? Yes. The soaring canopy's apex, combined with New York snow made for many design challenges. But, when I asked the client why not a normal product which we or any of the other competitors could supply without skipping a beat, they replied "We don't want a disaster relief thing, we want something a tad more up-lifting. And that's what your structure represents." It may look simple & that is its essence, its concept. But that look of simplicity belies an intricate design involving the most sophisticated engineering, analysis & fabrication."?
No stranger to the international spotlight, Tentnology's trademark Saddle Span and other structures have featured around the world from the 1976 Montreal Olympics, World Cup Soccer, Seoul Airshow, 2004 Athens Olympic Summer Games, Pan Am Games, Walt Disney Orlando, Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, World Fleadh Music Festival Ireland, to name a few.
The huge, international presence of Tentnology® is managed from their rural Cloverdale property where they've designed and manufactured tensile fabric structures for more than 17 years.
Tentnology® is a world leader in tent structure design, and has received countless awards, including the Canadian Special Event Award 2005 for the best use of tenting, Special Event Gala Award winner, 2000 for best international tent installation, and the Premiers Award of Engineering Excellence.
Big tent bound for Big Apple
Vancouver Province, Canada - 30 Aug 2007
B.C. tentmaker to cover WTC site
Montreal Gazette, Canada - 3 Sep 2007
Tentnology® Unveiled in Big Apple
Langley Advance, Canada - 14 Sep 2007
copyright © 2008 Tentnology® Co. | Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.
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