A Lifetime of Experience Working in Windsor aids the CEO of the Windsor Detroit Tunnel
Story by Matthew St. Amand
Photography by Syx Langemann
Often, it’s the simple wisdom learned early in life that has the most lasting impact.
Many of the lessons Tal Czudner learned working his first job in the early 1980s have guided his steps through a resume of increasingly high-profile jobs. Today he is CEO of Windsor Detroit Border Link and President of the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association. He credits his godfather, Sid Walman, with helping him form the foundation needed to succeed in business.
“My first job was washing dishes at the Dominion House,” Tal says. “The owners were my god parents. My Uncle Sid taught me about the ‘people side’ of things, and that you always have to manage your books, too. Those lessons remain, particularly today in managing the Windsor Detroit tunnel: looking at revenue, percentage of traffic, cost/management and the people-management side.”
Tal was born and raised in Windsor, a student at Prince of Wales Public School and then John L. Forster Secondary School on the city’s west side.
“Afterward, I attended the University of Windsor,” Tal explains, “where I earned degrees in Psychology and Business.”
If there is one consistent philosophy guiding Tal’s professional progress and his belief in community involvement, it is this: We are stronger working together.
“I’ve always been a community-minded person—something I learned from my family at a young age,” he continues. “There are people who can build homes for people in need. I am not that person. I can help raise a bit of money, or assist from a governance or communication perspective. I think it is incumbent upon people to help their community where they can.”
Tal’s work experience, going back four decades, has seen him take on increasingly important roles in area companies. How did an ordinary boy from west Windsor hone the business and people skills needed to succeed?
“I began in the hospitality industry,” he says. “I spent sixteen years running private golf and country clubs. Also, I’m a people person. I have a high social battery.”
And he is always up for a new challenge.
Tal certainly found that when he joined the team that launched Casino Windsor in the early 1990s.
“Being part of the opening team for Casino Windsor, that was a significant, spectacular learning experience,” he recalls. “There are people whom I knew from that time that I still have contact with. The casino played such a big role in our community. At one time, it employed almost six thousand people. And there were many challenges leading up to opening day. After I went through that gauntlet, I found there were very few challenges I couldn’t overcome.”
Along with his experience at the casino and the many years spent working at private clubs, Tal spent time working in Windsor’s manufacturing sector, as well.
Underpinning Tal’s professional success and community involvement is his bedrock: his family.
“I’ve been married to my wife, Daniella, for thirty-one years,” Tal says. “We have two extremely smart and dynamic children: Alexandra, twenty-four, and Isaac, twenty-two.”
Always open to a new horizon, Tal accepted the role of CEO with the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation in the summer of 2023.
The Windsor-Detroit Tunnel has been a conduit to the United States for the past ninety-five years, traversed by generations of travellers, shoppers, sports fans and concert goers.
“The tunnel is a municipally owned corporation that contributes financially to the city’s coffers,” Tal says. “It’s a unique structure and has been an important part of life in Windsor for almost a hundred years.”
As a major manufacturing hub, Windsor is accustomed to its fortunes being affected by the vicissitudes of world politics and economics. The city endured some tumultuous times through the twentieth century, but few moments measure up to current events. Pondering this unique time, Tal reveals his gift for understatement: “This is probably the most challenging time to be in charge of an international crossing with the United States.”
In the midst of trying times, vision, discipline and endurance are needed to weather the storm. Having a great team helps:
“We have so many people working for the tunnel, who make a difference,” Tal says. “We’ve got Dennis who just celebrated his forty-second anniversary at the Windsor Tunnel. He is there at 7am every day, working as a traffic attendant in all weather. There is Jim, who has been with us for the past twenty-one years, and is one of the top trivia players in Essex County. And our HR expert, Zuzana, wears a lot of different hats. Our entire team is essential and the reason for our success.”
If this is not quite enough of a challenge, Tal is also Board Chair of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce.
“One of my jobs is to help answer the tough questions people have regarding the border,” he says. “If we have a group coming to Windsor for a conference, or a group needs help figuring out the border logistics, I can reach out to get answers to questions.”
He continues: “Some rules change by the day. For instance, the Snowbird Association needed assistance with the new I-94 form that the American government requires for Canadian snowbirds. I was able to explain the process to help their members.”
In his time away from the Windsor Tunnel, Tal can be found on early mornings at area tennis courts where he and a small group play their version of the game they fondly call “prison rules.”
“I have a unique energy level, I like to be busy,” Tal says. “That’s how I’m wired. My family finds this exhausting at times.”
He adds: “Playing tennis is a great way to start the day. I get some exercise, but even more importantly, I get opinions from the people with whom I play. We need to have sounding boards and to get advice on different things.”
Tal also finds time to co-host a sports podcast with his son Isaac, called The Truth With Tal & Isaac.
“My son and I are huge sports fans,” he says. “We’ve recorded 165 episodes. It’s heavily focused on Detroit sports, but we also talk about hard-hitting issues like the all-time best breakfast cereals and greatest movie villains.”
Another part of Tal’s personal philosophy comes from an assignment his wife, a high school English teacher, gave to one of her classes.
“My wife asked the students to tell their story in six words,” he says.“That really got me thinking and I came up with my own: “‘Do the right thing. Have fun.’”
For more exclusive content, go to
Published in the Summer 2026 Edition.
Add comment