Our History

In the 1950’s, Winnipeg was a dynamic community with a promising future. The city was reverberating from the effects of two booms – baby and house – and there were plenty of opportunities for trades-people to succeed in residential home construction.

When Frank Derksen struck out on his own in 1957, there was plenty of work to keep a young journeymen plumber busy. But Frank’s entrepreneurial spirit spurred him to look for even more profitable ways to ply his trade.

In 1966, Frank was successful in bidding for contract work in the first phase of construction for the Courts of St. James, a mammoth apartment complex in west Winnipeg. As a result, Derksen Plumbing & Heating entered the world of commercial contracting, and the demands on Frank’s time prompted his brother, Henry, to join the burgeoning firm.

Spirited Partnership

By the early ‘70s, the Derksens had followed the housing boom west and expanded their business to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. When the boom went bust a few years later, they would up their western projects and focused on the firm’s Winnipeg operations.

The two brothers retired in 1984 and Frank’s sons, Brian and Kurt, took over the business. The Derksen brothers’ first major contract was for expansion work at Winnipeg’s International Airport in ’84.

Henry’s son, James, joined his cousins as a full partner in 1990 and their spirited collaboration took Derksen Plumbing & Heating to the next stage of its development.