Kari Yuers, Kryton International — Keynote speaker

Kari Yuers, President and CEO
Kryton International Inc.

When Kari Yuers joined Kryton International in 1991, the economy was in a slump and Kryton was going through a major transition to revamp its product line. The company had been founded by her father, so you could say that it was in her genes. She’d grown up spending summers at the plant sweeping floors, cleaning out the drums, and putting labels on barrels before leaving for university and various stints in the construction industry.

“I came back mostly so I could show my dad that I could do it better,” she says. “Except, I found out that he’s a lot smarter than I gave him credit for.”
For the next ten years, Kari worked her way through various departments, including manufacturing, research and development, engineering, and sales, gaining valuable hands-on experience and eventually taking over the reins from her father in 2001. “The title changed in that I went from Vice-President of Technical Services to CEO,” she says. “But I’d already been doing the job for the past few years, so the transition wasn’t too difficult.”

Based in Vancouver, Kryton International develops, manufactures and distributes concrete waterproofing products and technologies. It was founded in 1973 by Kari’s father, Ron Yuers, who had come up with an idea for a better, more cost-effective concrete water proofing system. When Kari first joined the company in 1991, it had about six full-time employees in Vancouver with a handful of distributors across Canada and the U.S. “I wore a lot of different hats back then,” she says. “I would go out and do sales calls all day, and then come back to the office and help mix the product and ship it out that night.”

Under Kari’s leadership, Kryton consolidated its operations from eight different companies into one main organization, phased out older products to concentrate on its core competencies, and solidified international sales.
Her hard work paid off. Today, Kryton International has grown to become a multi-million dollar company with 75 people worldwide and offices, manufacturing facilities, distributors and sales in more than 40 countries, including Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania.

In recognition of her achievements in building a successful business, Kari received an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2003. More recently, the company was recognized by BC Business Magazine as one of the top 10 best companies to work for in British Columbia. The award is based on the results of an employee survey which measures employee satisfaction in four key areas – talent systems, employee engagement, leadership dynamics, and organizational culture.

“The people who work here are what really sets this company apart,” she says. “This is the best team I’ve ever seen.”

I t didn’t happen overnight. For years the company didn’t have an official Human Resources department. “We didn’t have any money,” says Kari. She started by hiring a part-time Human Resources consultant who worked eight hours a week. She finally hired a full-time Human Resources manager two years ago. It was one of the best decisions she’s made.

“I have become one of the biggest HR fans ever,” she says. The company now has three people working full-time in its HR department.

Kari is currently President of the Leadership and Management Development Council of B.C., a not-for-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for improving the leadership and management capabilities of business owners and managers. She is also a member of several key industry associations including American Concrete Institute International (ACI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) among others where she has been recognized for her contributions to the construction industry.
About Kryton International

Founded in 1973, Kryton International is a Vancouver-based company that develops, manufactures and distributes a wide range of concrete waterproofing products and technologies to the industrial market.

Kryton pioneered the development of the integral crystalline concrete waterproofing system, now accepted industry-wide as a superior method of concrete protection. It turns porous concrete into a permanent, waterproof barrier, thus eliminating the need for expensive physical waterproofing membranes.

For more than 30 years, the Krystol concrete waterproofing system has been successfully used in the construction and repair of office towers, condominiums, parking structures, reservoirs, water/wastewater treatment facilities, swimming pools, aquatic centres, subways, pipelines, bridges and dams.

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