About us

A Brief History of N.C. Pestill Limited
By Nick Pestill, C.E.T.

N.C. Pestilll Limited was formed on January 1st, 1967 as a proprietorship with a friend whom I worked with for 10 years in the Survey Department of the Department of Highways. Initially, we provided a survey drafting and computing service for Ontario Land Surveyors, to provide the necessary computing services and preparations of the final plan for registration in the local registry offices.

The original partnership ended in 1969. It was at this time the company purchased its first computer. It was an Olivetti 101, the same computer used on the early Apollo Missions for navigation. By today’s standards this computer was antique, but in 1969 it was a gift from heaven as all our mathematical formulas were programmed on magnetic cards and the computer automatically calculated all trigonomic functions. We entered the knowns and the computer spit out the answers on a small tape, not unlike today’s adding machine tapes.

Everything went along fine for about 10 years, then the great recession of the early 1980’s hit. It started at the pre-engineering and planning stages in 1978. All of our customers pulled their drafting and computing needs in-house. Our workloads dried up almost overnight. As I laid off draftspeople, some of my former customers hired them.

The writing was on the wall even then ~ when the economy improved, the workload would not come back. The obvious observation was our major customers would keep their in-house staff, which I had trained over a number of years. This was the great transition into the services we see N.C. Pestill Limited providing today.

We purchased our first “Fully Synchronized” Blueprint Machine in 1971. With The “Speedmaster 2500”, we established a customer base for blueprinting. The drafting tables, Leroy lettering equipment and computer system were advertised for sale. Everything sold in about one week. The change was unstoppable. A new modern automatic separation print machine was purchased and an inventory of drafting supplies for resale was brought in.

In 1981, our largest financial commitment was made to Xerox Canada for a Plain Paper engineering copier which would enlarge and reduce to 24” wide and any reasonable length. During 1981, we also took over a failing competitor in Kitchener, “In the Heart of the Depression”.

My son, Dan Pestill went to Kitchener at 20 years old to manage the new branch. The first week sales were $8.00. Dan hired a person and hit the sales road. He never looked back. The Kitchener branch is alive and well today.

In 1986, we purchased an “old building” in Waterloo and established our Waterloo branch. My son-in-law, Bill Daw, headed up the Waterloo branch and brought it on stream. In 1989, we sold the building on King Street in Waterloo and re-established the branch in its’ present location on Columbia Street.

Since then we have upgraded our technology dramatically to keep up with the ever changing demands of the Print Industry. Throughout the past years, the operations of the Company have moved from father to son. Dan Pestill is now the Chief of Operations with competent managers in each branch.

As founder of the company, I officially retired from the company in 1997. The company is now in very competent hands with the next generation in command. I know the management and staff will carry on the traditions of complete customer satisfaction together with quality products and services.

We have always had pride in our business ethics, and will continue on the road to further success.

Nick C. Pestill – President