VINYL INSTITUTE OF CANADA TO HONOUR MANUFACTURING ICON VIC DE ZEN WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

An Innovator, Entrepreneur, and Gentleman Who Continues to Advance Canadian Manufacturing

VAUGHAN, ON, Sept. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- From a single extrusion line to building some of North America's most successful manufacturing businesses, Vic De Zen's career has been defined by entrepreneurship, innovation, and an unwavering belief in manufacturing in Canada. The Vinyl Institute of Canada (VIC) will recognize that remarkable career by presenting De Zen, Founder and Chairman of the Vision Group of Companies, with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Vic De Zen

De Zen arrived in Canada from Italy in 1962 with his wife, Angelina. A trained tool and die maker, he founded Royal Plastics in 1970 with a single extrusion line and a determination to find a better way to manufacture. Under his leadership, the company grew into Royal Group Technologies, a vertically integrated international building products company with operations around the world and annual sales exceeding $3 billion.

Following the sale of Royal Group in 2005, De Zen returned to the industry and built the Vision Group of Companies. Today, Vision is the largest PVC extruder in North America, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Canada and the United States serving more than 500 customers across North America. For more than five decades, De Zen has followed a simple philosophy: invest in people, embrace technology, and continually find better ways to manufacture. That approach has driven advancements in PVC extrusion, automation, vertical integration, recycling, and manufacturing technology, while creating thousands of jobs and demonstrating that Canadian manufacturers can compete successfully on the global stage.

"Vic has received many well-deserved honours, but perhaps his greatest achievement is the person he has remained through it all," said Aiñe Curran, President & CEO of the Vinyl Institute of Canada. "For all his success, Vic is genuine, approachable, and remarkably down to earth. Behind the companies and numbers are thousands of people and families whose lives and livelihoods have been touched by the businesses he built. That human legacy is every bit as important as his extraordinary business success."

De Zen's contributions have been recognized at the highest levels in Canada and the United States. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and, in 2019, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vinyl Institute in the United States for outstanding service and contribution to the North American vinyl industry.

His impact extends beyond manufacturing. De Zen and his family have been longstanding supporters of healthcare and organizations serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their philanthropy includes a $10 million contribution to Mackenzie Health Foundation toward the development of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, as well as significant and longstanding support for the Meta Foundation and the Meta Centre.

More than 50 years after founding his first manufacturing business, De Zen remains actively involved, continuing to champion new technologies, greater automation, and more efficient manufacturing. The Vinyl Institute of Canada's Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an innovator, entrepreneur, and gentleman whose leadership and unwavering belief in manufacturing in Canada have created businesses, opportunities, and livelihoods, while leaving an enduring mark on Canadian manufacturing.

About the Vinyl Institute of Canada

The Vinyl Institute of Canada advocates for and advances sustainable development and innovative circular economy solutions, while building partnerships that strengthen environmental stewardship, resource recovery, and a more sustainable future for Canada's vinyl value chain.

About Vision Group of Companies

The Vision Group of Companies is a privately held, Vaughan based group of manufacturing companies serving the window, door, and building products industries. Vision is the largest PVC extruder in North America, with manufacturing facilities in Canada and the United States serving more than 500 customers across North America.

SOURCE Vinyl Institute Of Canada

Aiñe Curran, President & CEO, Vinyl Institute of Canada, Email: [email protected], Phone: [phone]