A Winkler family business celebrated a major expansion and a passing of the torch this week.

"It has always been my desire... to transfer (the business) over to family or a special employee like John (Heinrichs) to manage this," Parkside Home Building Centre Owner Henry Enns says.

He will be moving into a more part-time position, passing the leadership to son Jimmy, son-in-law Jonathan Peters and employee John Heinrichs.

Heinrichs has been with the company since 2002. He says each expansion has been exciting with the latest addition adding space for hardware and kitchen supplies.

Parkside's original location started out with 2,000 sq. ft. before Enns built their current 10,000 sq. ft. location on PTH 14 and added 3,000 sq. ft. shortly after. The latest addition adds 6,000 sq. ft. bringing the total facility to 19,000 sq. ft. The store's shipping warehouse was also moved to a location in the industrial park to free up more space.

The latest expansion adds space for hardware and kitchen supplies.

During Wednesday's celebration, Enns was lauded for his character; a family man, embracing the community as home after immigrating from Paraguay. Starting small, Enns had big dreams and followed the maxim: take care of your customers with integrity and enthusiasm.

He says the business community in Winkler is unlike any in the world; a place where a handshake still means something.

"We still have the old system where we can trust each other, where you can build a house, order the materials, without a single signature... there are very few places in the world you can still do that," he says.

Parkside continues to expand to keep up with the booming construction industry in the Pembina Valley.