Everyday Heroes: Meet Finning's service ... - Finning Canada

TECH SAVVY EARLY ON: Marsolais’ old Cat 933front end loader, prepping a shipment in 1960REMEMBER WHEN…Vancouver Headquarters, 940 Station StreetThe family’s black lab cross, Ford, outfittedwith his own safety vest, often accompaniesCalvin into the bush.After Calvin and Karrey bought intothe business, MMS’s ties with Finning continued.“We tried other product lines overthe years, but we mostly opt for Finningbecause of the support they offer,” saysCalvin. “If there’s a problem in the field,they can help. And they offer financing.They’re the closest thing around to a onestop-equipmentshop.”Calvin gives equal credit to Karrey, wholeft the business in 2004, for helping to growMMS to its current capacity and, equally important,to navigate the numerous downturnsand cutbacks that have plagued the industry.“In the past, the busiest day we ever hadwas hauling 53 five-axle loads out of thebush, but today we routinely haul between 21and 35 seven-axle loads daily, depending onthe season,” says Calvin.Helping to fulfill MMS’s daily dutiesis Calvin’s son Jayme, 22, who works thebutt ’n top for his father. He’s the third generationof the Marsolais clan, which is cominginto its own with Calvin steering the companysteadily into the 21st century.But it seems like the company won’t letMartin go. “We still view Martin as the boss,”says Debbie. “He still comes in every day tolighten our load, and he has a wealth of practicalexperience that we all rely on.”For his part, Martin pays little attention toprotocol or the passing years. To him, work isperpetual, and so are new business opportunities.“Put it this way, I don’t feel good lyingaround doing nothing, never have,” he says.“Working hard has been such a big part of mylife that it’s second nature. And even thoughthe market isn’t so hot right now, I still lovethe industry. Always will.”Rakes and knucklesAdapting equipment to suit on-siteconditions is nothing new to the loggingindustry, but Martin Marsolais & Sonshas a 40-year history of innovationunder its belt.One of the earliest brainstorms Martinhad as president of MMS was to weldrakes on the blade of a skidder to helptake limbs off of trees. “We were oneof the first companies to do that in the1960s, and later we improved the processby hanging chains onto a drum andliterally beating the limbs off,” he says.MMS is also noteworthy as beingone of the first logging contractors inWestern Canada to use the Tanguayknuckle boom stroker. “We first usedit in the field 23 years ago, and it spedproduction to the wheel loaders to suchan extent that we wound up buying asecond unit,” recalls Calvin, adding thatcompetitors in the bush initially didn’tknow what to make of the rig. “We werequite a sight, coming along the road withour boom 30 feet in the air,” he laughs.MMS has adapted everything fromLoewen rotate bunching heads andLimmitt delimbers to Waratah danglerdelimbersto their Cat equipment, butall the adaptations are underscored by asimple philosophy shared by Martin andCalvin. “If it works well,” Calvin says,“we use it. It’s that simple. And thankfully,we’ve enjoyed great performancefrom our equipment over the years.”www.finning.ca Spring 2008 • TRACKS & TREADS 25