Curtis Lemieux is at the helm of his successful family-owned and operated business of Econo Lumber and Econo Timber Mart in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Econo Lumber and Econo Timber are one-stop locations for a wide array of building and home improvement project needs. They carry a wide variety of quality and economical building supplies, power tools and home renovation products.

Since 1971, the business has undergone three major expansions, growing from the original 1,130 square feet to today’s 40,000 square feet on 10 acres.

Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan after Saskatoon and Regina. It’s situated near the center of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the “Gateway to the North” because it is the large major center along the route to the resources in northern Saskatchewan, which borders on Montana and North Dakota.

Lemieux recently completely renovated his 70-foot by 70-foot hangar at Prince Albert Airport Glass Field. It’s there that his Cessna Citation C510 Mustang makes its home and where Lemieux can depart on his plane for pleasure and business, or just hang back and enjoy what he describes as his fully decorated and furnished mancave.

The renovation entailed ordering two Schweiss Doors hydraulic doors. The larger of these doors measures 54 feet by 16 feet, 9 inches (1,646 cm by 515 cm). It has four windows to take advantage of available light. The smaller adjacent door measures 13 feet, 3 inches by 8 feet, 11 inches (405 cm by 247 cm) and is used for a storage area and where both hydraulic pumps are located, out of view. Both doors are equipped with remote openers.

Lemieux decided on the Schweiss hydraulic door style because it was going to be mounted on an existing building and he needed the extra clearance for the tail of his Citation C510 Mustang.

“It’s a beautiful door,” Lemieux says. “Even if I didn’t need the height, I prefer the mechanical simplicity of the hydraulic door. The quality of the door is excellent. I spray-foamed the inside of the door and put a white metal liner on the inside. Since the door was installed, I’ve had zero issues with it. The people at Schweiss were very helpful and very good to deal with. I had a little bit of damage, probably caused by a forklift, that required a small repair. They were excellent and looked out for the cost of the repair.”

The door was installed by Pineland Metal of Prince Albert. Lemieux says they did an excellent job despite not having installed a Schweiss hydraulic one-piece door before. Pineland Metal had installed other bifold hangar doors.

“I’ve been flying since I was 16-years-old, 41 years ago, and have now been flying my Cessna Citation C510 Mustang for the past three years,” Lemieux says. “I actually had my pilot’s license before I got my driver’s license.”

The interior of the “mancave” hangar is decked out with a pilot’s lounge, a unique photo wall and a bathroom.

Lemieux says he first learned about Schweiss Doors from a friend from Ontario, who had purchased Schweiss doors.

“We were at the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition) in Orlando where we visited the booth and met the owner, Mike Schweiss,” Lemieux says. “My friend told me Schweiss was the only way to go, so I didn’t look at any other door companies when it came to choosing a hangar door.”

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