Milani named to Burnaby Business Hall of Fame

Always keep improving, Demitrio Milani told his son Vern, you can always do better.

Vern took those words to heart and transformed his dad’s drainage and plumbing company from a one-man team to a business that employees more than 100 people and serves customers across the Lower Mainland.

On Thursday, Milani Plumbing, Drainage and Heating was inducted into the Burnaby Board of Trade Business Hall of Fame. The accolade is the culmination of decades of hard work by the entire Milani family and their employees, Vern told the NOW.

“It’s an honour. I’m very proud of it and I’m very proud of my team, and my family for all working toward that goal,” he said.

The company was started by Demitrio – the Milani patriarch – back in 1956. Demitrio, who had emigrated from Italy to Vancouver, worked as a sewer line installer in between shifts at the local railyard.

For Vern, the family business is all he knew as a child. By 10 years old, he was already helping out in the shop. Every day after school, he’d head over to Milani Drainage and Plumbing Supplies at McKay and Kingsway to help his dad, and on Saturdays, he’d spend the whole day there, pitching in.

He thought that’s what all kids did, he said.

By the time he was 17, Vern had graduated high school and was beginning his formal training as a plumber. Because of his on-the-job experience, what was supposed to be a five-year program was reduced to a two-year program when he skipped the first three years.

By 19, he was working full-time for the family business.

By then, the company had grown by leaps and bounds – but Vern knew it had even more potential, and in 1986, he bought Milani Drainage and Plumbing Supplies Ltd. from his father. A short while later, he bought a new property (the business’ current home at 5526 Kingsway) and built a new store and work yard. Milani also went through a final name change, becoming the company folks know today: Milani Drainage, Plumbing and Heating.

Growth over the years was part of a natural transformation, Vern said. When he took over as president, he was more interested in plumbing than retail, which was his father’s passion, and today, the company has a fleet of 60 vehicles that serve the Lower Mainland

“To build a company with good, quality service it’s a long, hard road, and it takes persistence, it takes basically being able to put a lot of time into it,” Vern said.

It’s not always been easy, he admitted, but “he always knew it was going to work.”

“There’s been some times when it’s been very difficult to work through it,” he said.

On top of running a successful company, Vern has also raised three kids with his wife Nicole. One son, Alexander, is already working in the family business, while the other, Christopher, is working on his business degree, which will serve him well when he joins his father and brother. Vern’s daughter, meanwhile, is on her way to a PhD in psychology.

When asked what his dad would think about being inducted into the Burnaby Business Hall of Fame, Vern said he’d be proud. (Demitrio passed away 13 years ago at the age of 90.)

“My dad would be very happy; he’d be very proud of me,” he said.

When Demitrio spoke at Vern’s wedding, he told his son that it was up to him now to forge his own path in life. He had taken him this far, he said.

“It’s up to you to improve, and do better than I have, he said, ‘Otherwise I’m going to be coming back,’” Vern recalled.

In 2010, six years after his father died, Vern was named Businessperson of the Year at the Burnaby Business Excellence Awards.

“We’re very fortunate and blessed to be living here,” he said of the city he’s called home since he was five years old.

With the success the business has seen over six decades, Vern said he’s never considered leaving the city that he grew up in.

“I kind of like it here,” he laughed.

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Helping others has always been an important part of Milani Plumbing, Drainage and Heating starting from day one with Demitrio Milani.

“He was always good about helping people,” Vern Milani said. “That was important to him.”

Vern kept his father’s philanthropic side going long after he died. The family business has been supporters of the Burnaby Hospital Foundation for many years. Vern even sat on the board of directors for a time. In past years, the company has organized Christmas luncheons for patients at Burnaby Hospital. They also support B.C. Children’s Hospital and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The company is now focusing its efforts on its sustainability practices. Initiatives include propane-powered vehicles, using environmentally friendly products when possible and conducting energy audits for other businesses and residents.

“It’s always good to give back and try to be a leader on things like preserving our environment,” he said. “We want to be leaders for the next generation.”