Reimer Overhead Doors in Steinbach is celebrating 80 years in business this year. Owner Kurt Enns says the company was originally founded by the Reimer family in 1937 to fill a need for garage doors on Hutterite colonies and on local farms. He adds Reimer Overhead Doors became famous for the counterweight balance system which made the large doors easy to operate.

"It involved some weights that were beside the door. It was through a series of cables and weights, that counterbalance the door, that it would operate fairly easily."

Enns says his dad purchased the business from the Reimer family in 1987 and he bought it from his dad about five years ago. He notes the business has evolved considerably.

"In 1998 we shifted over to doing less manufacturing and purchasing the panels and stuff like that from the factories. It really has changed in the last 10-15 years. There are so many more custom options for garage doors, residential and commercial, lots of colour options and different wood tones and windows. It's amazing what's available today. It's really changed. Business has really grown for us in the past 10-15 years as well."

Reimer Overhead Doors does business in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Northwestern Ontario. It has 20-25 employees, depending on the time of year. Enns shares some of the secrets as to what it takes to stay in business for eight decades.

"Continued hard work, keep your nose to the grindstone. We go hard and try to service our customers as best we can. It also takes, good, good crews and employees to get the jobs done."