As part of Alumicor’s ongoing succession planning initiatives, Steve Gusterson, FCSC, CTR, will retire the end of July after 52 years with the company. Working closely with Gusterson for the past decade, Julian Blaise has been promoted to manager of pre-construction services for Canada.
“We congratulate Steve on a career filled with many accomplishments,” says Slavko Sehovac, Alumicor’s general manager. “We thank him for his dedication to building excellence both within our company and throughout our industry. As a leader and educator, Steve has imparted his knowledge, transferred his network and soon, enters retirement with our greatest respect and appreciation.”
“I’ve had a long and rewarding career, the vast majority of it with Alumicor, and I’m truly grateful for the people, experiences and relationships that made it so meaningful,” says Gusterson. “As I step away from the industry, I do so with complete confidence that, with Julian’s knowledge, expertise and passion, the transition will be seamless.”
Blaise's experience
Blaise joined Alumicor in 2015 and draws from more than 20 years of experience working with aluminum fenestration and framing systems. Reporting to Gusterson, he held progressively impactful roles with Alumicor, including as product development specialist and most recently, as product applications specialist. He has contributed to notable projects such as the Port of Montreal Tower.
In this new role, Blaise will focus on strengthening relationships within the architectural design community and further enhancing Alumicor’s national specifications presence. This includes direct engagement with architects, engineers and specification writers, as well as providing technical guidance and strategic support to Alumicor’s sales team across the country.
Gusterson's career
Gusterson has spent more than 50 years in the glass and metals industry. It began with Alumicor in 1974 with a summer job in the manufacturing facility. He soon committed full-time to the trade.
From those beginnings, Gusterson has contributed to nearly every department at Alumicor. From installation to drafting to project management, he gained skills and experience. He worked as Alumicor’s contractor manager for the window division during the late 1980s before moving into sales.
In 2015, Gusterson was promoted to vice president of sales for Ontario. In the 2020s, he moved into the role of vice president of pre-construction design in Canada. He worked most closely with design teams and customers located in Ontario.
