Meet Dan....
My Story
Since a very early age, I have been fascinated by the world of electric science. My first recollection of interest was when at 3 years of age I requested an electrical lamp for Christmas. It was a sad day when shortly thereafter I had taken it apart to figure out how it worked. Like many other children, I went through periods of interest in other areas but eventually like a closed-circuit I came full circle back to electricity.
I thoroughly enjoyed science and math throughout elementary and secondary school. My grades were very good right up to final graduation and everyone pointed me towards a university education in science or engineering. The Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario accepted my application and so I was briefly to become a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. The program was intense and I did well with the challenge. Unfortunately, the structure of the academic program was not what I was looking for. I moved on to a civilian university and continued my pursuit of engineering. The problem I found with the curriculum was the same as it had been at RMC. There was just way too much theory and not enough practical examples of engineering and science. I was rapidly becoming disappointed and disillusioned with my whole idea of what education meant.
My eureka moment would come while sitting in the living room of my family’s home. I noticed a textbook sitting on a coffee table. It belonged to my brother who had been attending a local community college at the time. The book was about practical physics from the point of view of designing and building roof structures. I picked it up and before I knew it had eagerly read three chapters. Until this time, I had never considered a local community college as a post-secondary education choice for me. Soon after I was registered with the Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technology program offered by the local college. It was a three year full-time program that was intense. Many hours were spent after class in the laboratories doing tests to confirm theories learned in class. The course was amazing and I often compare it to trying to “drink from a fire hose”. There was just so much to learn but I loved it and never looked back.
My future was finally on a path that I could follow...
I completed my diploma in EE Engineering Technology and did not even have time to attend my graduation ceremony. A local electrical engineering company had been patiently waiting for me to complete my schooling but they quickly whisked me off to work after my last exam. My first years were spent traveling between Germany and Mexico on job projects. My tasks were to strip down CNC machinery and retrofit them with new electrical controls. I was able to design and implement many of my own circuits.
Eventually I moved on to a relatively new company offering a variety of electrical contracting services to the Windsor-Essex County, Ontario area. I remained there until, in early 1994, a friend encouraged me to become an entrepreneur and start my own business. I began my company, Teklor Controls in March, 1994 and focused on providing CNC service and support to the automotive manufacturing industry based in Windsor-Essex County. My business rapidly grew via word of mouth and soon I was being flown all over North America by companies looking for solutions to problems.
In 1997, I married my lovely wife and began a new adventure. Soon thereafter we purchased our first home and began renovations that only a young couple might be foolish enough to endure. Building a home and managing a small business proved to be a bit too much for me at the time. For the next two years, Teklor Controls took down it’s ‘shingle’ and I returned to working as an employee with a couple of local companies. In 2000, Teklor Controls was re-opened for business and was soon very busy again. The year 2002 presented my wife and I with the gift of the arrival of our son. We were now an official family. It motivated me to strive to be a fine example of what it means to be a good man. Whenever I might stray from what is right all I have to do is ask myself if this would be something that I would wish for my son to see.
