Power-Tek recently purchased Tackle Plumbing and Capital Backflow, which serve residential and commercial customers, primarily in Ottawa’s west end. Terms of the deal, which was finalized in late July, were not disclosed.
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A fast-growing Stittsville construction firm has scored another M&A deal to fuel its ongoing expansion, buying a pair of businesses led by a former professional football player.
Power-Tek recently purchased Tackle Plumbing and Capital Backflow, which serve residential and commercial customers, primarily in Ottawa’s west end. Terms of the deal, which was finalized in late July, were not disclosed.
Former CFLer Scott Gordon is the founder of the two brands, which operate as one company. The Ottawa native spent eight seasons in the CFL, mostly with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and was part of the Riders’ Grey Cup championship squad in 2007.
The University of Ottawa alumnus, who won a Vanier Cup national title with the Gee-Gees in 2000, began training to be a plumber while playing in the CFL.
Gordon launched Tackle Plumbing more than a decade ago and later added backflow testing and prevention to his company’s service lines. The businesses’ growing customer list includes the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo.
Gordon, 48, is now heading up Power-Tek’s plumbing division. His six employees have also joined the Stittsville firm, which previously had two plumbers on staff.
“This really allows the company to build out its plumbing presence from a much stronger position,” Power-Tek vice-president of corporate development Joseph Pamic told OBJ on Monday.
“Trades in general, you need the right people in place to really make things work. Scott is a great leader. Having someone like Scott who can really train and mentor the next generation of plumbers and really allow us to grow that division is critical.”
The deal is Power-Tek’s fourth acquisition since Pamic, whose father Walter co-founded the firm with business partner David Lindsay in 1996, joined the company five years ago to spearhead its expansion push.
Originally an electrical contractor, Power-Tek has added general contracting, HVAC, refrigeration and plumbing services to its list of offerings in the decades since.
A pair of deals in 2021 added HVAC and refrigeration expertise to the company’s offerings, and Power-Tek started a plumbing service the following year. In late 2022, the company acquired Carleton Place-based Steric Design and General Contracting, which specializes in designing and fitting up restaurants, mainstreet businesses and stores in retail plazas.
With the acquisition of Tackle Plumbing and Capital Backflow, Power-Tek has more than 130 employees, up from 75 in 2021. Meanwhile, the firm’s annual revenues have more than tripled in the past five years and now exceed $30 million.
Pamic said beefing up Power-Tek’s plumbing expertise is part of a long-term strategy to make the firm a “one-stop shop” for its increasingly diverse customer base, which includes residential developers, government organizations, tech firms and other businesses.
“There really is an opportunity to cross-sell across the (customer) group, which becomes quite interesting,” he said.
The latest deal helps round out Power-Tek’s service offerings, Pamic explained, adding the company will continue to look at other M&A transactions when they make business sense.
“We’re always going to be opportunistic if the right thing comes up,” he said. “We’ve got a great team in place, so this kind of is a nice cap to what we’ve done.”
