Yvonne Irnich and her husband Johannes found this out when they were promoting their Summerland-band manufacturing business at a recent business fair in Summerland.
The Green Business Expo, held last April at the Odd Fellows-Rebekah Hall on Main Street and the Lower Library in conjunction with Earth Week, showcased businesses that try to combine ecological sustainability with economic profitability.
This framework certainly fits Euroworx Ltd., a producer of elegant but energy-efficient custom-made windows and other building elements such as stairs and doors with customers across Canada.
Yet this showcase event confirmed to the Irnichs — who came to Canada from Cologne in Germany four years ago — that they and their products are still trying to find a local clientele.
Not that they are necessarily complaining about a lack of recognition as Euroworx has developed an established presence on the trade show circuit in larger urban communities such as Calgary and Vancouver, where clients might be more aware of environmental issues, not to mention wealthier.
This said, the Irnichs believe that their products will continue to make in-roads, here and elsewhere.
“I’m a little bit more expensive, but the client will get more at the end,” said Johannnes, who holds two certified master degrees, one in carpentry, the other in cabinet-making and millwork, from his native Germany. The additional benefits available to clients include not only the ability to custom order products, but also to cut down on energy costs.
For more than two decades, the Irnichs operated a construction company in Germany that specialized on energy-saving buildings. During that time , they also built so-called PassiveHouses, homes whose energy demands are substantially below traditionally designs.
This experience continues to inform the work of the Irnichs in their new home country. Yvonne said the “wasteful” use of energy by Canadians initially shocked them. But it also alerted the couple to a business opportunity. They realized this ambition by opening their business in Summerland, where they had admittedly arrived “by accident.” The reason? It was the only place where they and their two sons could find housing. Operating out of what appears to be a modest but well-kept shop in the industrial district around Alder Street, the Irnichs are not aiming low. Far from it.
The Irnichs plan to expand their operations to include a showroom, where customers can get a first-hand look at the range of available products. Prospects for this future growth appear to be promising. Their current location is expandable and the introduction of a new provincial building code that stresses environmental sustainability will boost demand. This anticipated growth process is already underway as the company recently hired two additional workers, who are now learning the finer skills of carpentry.
As an added benefit, the workers are also picking up some German along the way as many of the trade specific terms lack an English equivalent.
But the Irnichs are not just interested in passing on their technical know-how, along with some Deutsch für Anfänger. They also want to import European sensibilities about the environment during a time of growing concern about sustainability.
It is certainly starting to pay off as orders for their energy-saving products continue to come in.
“We never thought that there would a demand (for our products) here,” she said. “It’s only at home that we are still a little bit unknown.” That may be about to change.