After 37 years serving customers in the plumbing and HVAC industry throughout Canada, Dan Kirkpatrick has reached his next career milestone: retirement. His journey with Uponor—and now GF—began in 1988 when he joined the company, which originated as Canapex followed by Wirsbo, as a design technician. He has held various roles since then with his primary title being technical field representative.

His nearly four-decade run made him a cornerstone of the company and a steady presence anyone could count on for technical support—capable of creating a radiant design in a fraction of the time—and ensuring customers were set up for success from installation and beyond.

“Dan is known for going the extra mile to make sure folks are taken care of, whether it’s for a customer, colleague, friend, or, most likely, someone who fits into several of these categories,” says Nicole Miller, sales representative at GF who has worked alongside Kirkpatrick for 28 years and will forever consider him a close friend. “He’s incredibly humble, generous, deeply encouraging, and never misses a chance to celebrate others. Dan has the biggest heart and is among the best people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Some of my most cherished memories at work include Dan, and anyone who knows him would agree that you always hope gets the best things in life—because he deserves that.”

“I’ve known him for close to 25 years,” says Jean-Claude Rémy, business development manager at GF Building Flow Solutions Americas. “He’s a very intelligent person—full of knowledge, always willing to help, and often with a great dose of patience and the intent to really understand the other person’s point of view. Most people are not aware of the volunteer work he’s done over the years for his community—helping in different ways and building wooden furniture and Christmas ornaments in his shop as gifts to others. He will be sorely missed, but I hope he gets the best out of his retirement.”