‘A Good Name is Desired Above All Riches’
The owners, Peter and Wendy Knoop, come from hard-working, “salt-of-the-earth” backgrounds. Peter grew up working for his father at a small local pizza shop, which he ended up owning and running. When he was in his early-twenties, he decided he wanted a change and started a Plumbing apprenticeship with a Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical contractor. This led to Peter becoming a licensed Sheet Metal Mechanic and Gas Technician with the newly started local company, Priority Mechanical, in 1996. Wendy grew up working on her parent’s dairy farm, where she started milking cows at the age of 10. That’s where she learned her strong work ethic and has never been afraid of getting her hands dirty.
After working for Priority for ten years, and running a large portion of the workforce, Peter was approached by the previous owner to see if he was interested in purchasing Priority. The prior owner of the company wanted to make sure that Priority would continue to be known for – and live by – our founding values of “A good name is desired above all riches”.
Because Peter was known for his hard-work and strong character, he was asked, and Peter and Wendy took over ownership of Priority in 2006. Since then, we grew out of a small sheep barn in Drumbo to a much larger shop and office, centrally located to the tri-cities in Ayr. Our workforce has also grown to 100+ employees with over 60 service vehicles, and so has our expertise. We offer everything from new furnace installations, Indoor Air Quality solutions all the way to fixing clogged drains and much, much more.
In the Community
We’re proud to support a wide range of local organizations, including MADD, DeafBlind Ontario, Ayr Minor Hockey, North Dumfries School Fair, Cambridge Ice Hounds, Waterloo Wolves, Ayr Minor Softball, Ayr Centennials, Hike for Hospice, Ayr Community Theatre, Autism Dog Services, Movember, Kindness Day, and many community-led initiatives and fundraisers. Our largest ongoing commitment is to the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Our community means everything to us. It’s the reason we’ve been able to grow, and it’s something we’re committed to supporting in return.
In recent years, our healthcare system has faced significant challenges. Many of us rely on it every day, and we recognize the pressure placed on healthcare workers due to staff shortages, burnout, and limited resources. As a family-owned business, we’ve committed to donating 10% of profits from our Service and New Installation departments to the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation to help support the people and care our community depends on.
We also run our Priority Gives campaign throughout the year, donating a portion of every service to local charities such as The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, the KWSP Humane Society, and KidsAbility.
Testimonials
SEE WHAT YOUR NEIGHBOURS ARE SAYING ABOUT Priority Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
Areas We Serve
We’re based in the heart of Southwestern Ontario and proudly serve homeowners listed on our map. We are also proud to support the many surrounding towns and rural communities throughout these regions. If you're nearby and unsure if you’re in our service area, just reach out, we’re happy to help.