cardinallaser.com About Us

About Us

Cardinal Laser was founded in 2009 by owners John Carlsen and Keith Drinkwater. With extensive knowledge and many years of work experience in the field, John and Keith opened shop, ready to compete with other established laser companies.

John Carlsen is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, with a BA in Economics. He began his career as an apprentice rigger with Stelco in Hamilton. He was transferred to the sales office and was trained in flat rolled, fasteners and rod-bar sales. John left Stelco for Russel Metals, and became Sales Manager at the Vantage Laser division of Russel Metals. An opportunity to open a new company presented itself in 2004, and John and two partners established Laser Metal Profiles in Cambridge. They built a business from the ground up, to $8.5 million in sales in 5 years. In 2009, John and Keith founded Cardinal Laser in Guelph.

Keith Drinkwater graduated from Trafford Technical College in England and began his career as a tool and die maker. After moving to Canada he supervised the engineering department at Blount Canada, as the Project Engineer for over 10 years. He was responsible for developing laser welding and laser cutting processes for the production of the 'Oregon' brand chain saw. Keith left Blount to start his own company, Symtec Laser Processing Inc., which he grew to over $6 million per year in sales. After over 20 years of dedicated work for his company, he joined with John in creating Cardinal Laser.

After many hours of hard work and dedication John and Keith have made the company what it is today. Cardinal Laser currently has a staff of 12 employees and continues to grow. We operate 7 days a week to keep pace with market demand. With a strong team and dedicated owners, Cardinal Laser is a company that you can count on.

Cardinal Laser look forward to producing your parts requirements.