Tracks and Treads - Finning Canada

A Sharke Tale
A central B.C. company proves that
there’s more to the logging industry
than the numbers would suggest
Story by Shannon sutherland
photography by RICK tolhurst
Kelvin Arndt and Wade Elliot are
sitting in the office of the Safety
Mart, a grocery store they own,
talking, as usual, about business.
Banter flows between these men about as easily
as the water from the Murtle River over the
spectacular, 137-metre high Helmcken Falls
in the provincial park just a few kilometres
down the road.
They are taking a rare break from tending
to business to talk about their longevity, losses
and their love of logging, a mainstay in their
town of Clearwater, B.C. Meanwhile, Safety
Mart staffers continue to serve the customers
that drift in and out as the busy summer tourist
season approaches.
The men, along with a third partner, Rob
Sunderman, have owned the independent
grocery store, which employs more than 50
people at its peak, for several years, and it has
served town residents as neatly as it has served
its owners’ goals in that time.
Elliot, a lifetime resident of the scenic forestry
town, has an extensive history in the logging
industry. A few years back he opted for a
change when he and his partners decided to
give the grocery business a go.
“We were doing pretty good with the grocery
store, but there were always rumours of
other grocery stores coming to town,” Elliot
says. Seeing the need to spread their investment
dollars around, they decided to tap their
own expertise. “We got back into logging,” he
says. “It never hurts to diversify.”
And so MW Sharke came to be.
MW Sharke has been engaged in stumpto-truck
logging as a contractor for Vancouverbased
Canfor Corp. since 1997. Its expertise
covers almost every aspect of the industry.
MW Sharke became the name of the company
after the four original owners (one has
since left) scrambled the initials from their
names to form an anagram. The contracting
company employs as many as 12 people at
its peak and relies on between nine and 10
pieces of heavy equipment throughout the
year to support its operations, which now
includes building roads.
The men behind MW Sharke have purchased
Caterpillar equipment for the company’s
five most recent machine deals. They own
a Cat buncher, skidder and processor. For log
skidding applications, Cat builds a full line of
both track and wheel skidders, and Caterpillar
feller bunchers provide rugged, reliable
harvesting operations with easy maintenance
and low operating costs. Finning is the world’s
largest dealer of Cat equipment.
“When we decided it was time to purchase
some equipment, we did a lot of shopping
around,” Elliot says. “And after a lot of
research, we decided on Cat. We have been
happy with the equipment, but even more
importantly, we have been happy with the
service. If we have a problem they’re right
there to try and fix it with a solution or even
an upgrade.” The central B.C. company deals
with Finning customer service representative
Guido Claudepierre. “Guido is the best salesperson
I have ever dealt with,” Elliot continues.
“He’ll do anything to help us, and when
we have a problem, he tries to help us take
care of it as quickly as possible.”
Claudepierre says he almost instantly
shared a rapport with the guys behind MW
Sharke.
“MW Sharke has had a very good relationship
with Finning since first coming on board
www.finning.ca Fall 2008 • tracks & treads 39