Wanted Tour - Finning Canada

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GROUNDBREAKERUp, Up and AwayGerry Baron is a man who knows what he likes.And for the past 20 years, that’s meant climbingaboard his trusty T70B Cat forklift to haul stacksof plywood. Baron and the Cat have somethingin common – durability. While the soon-to-be 65year old has been a fixture at Kelowna Lumberand Kelowna Plywood for nearly 35 years, theT70B has put in a few hours, too. About 70,000of them.Which begs the question, who can you rely onmore, Gerry or the Cat? “The forklift,” the affableBaron says with a smile.The crew at the mill might beg to differ. Baronrecently retired after three and a half decades ofservice, the last 20 of which were spent workingspecifically on the Cat. It’s been a gem, and likethe guy who runs it, pretty much trouble-free.“I figure it’s been serviced over 100 times,”says Baron. “We had a little problemwhen it was brand new and the coolerleaked one time. But we’ve never had towork on the transmission.“If I were to take a picture of it,” headds, “it would look great.”Baron admits that he’s a bit of an adventuroussoul. Growingup north of Edmontonin the Barrhead area,like many Albertanshe could have endedup in the oil and gas business. But instead hetravelled west and landed the job in Kelowna.Baron started out on the sawmill side of the TolkoIndustries-owned operation but says he eventuallymoved over to the plywood mill, where hefound both his niche and a work buddy. “I likethe little guys,” he says about the T70B.Baron is openly nostalgic when it comes tothe machine he’s been operating since the dayswhen Chilliwack’s original lineup still playedgigs together. Though he’s now moved on fromthe job, he recognizes that different generationsof workers have varying opinions on which forkliftswork best.“The younger fellas prefer the new ones,”Baron says, referring to the T70D model. “Theolder hands prefer the T70B – they like that hydrostatictransmission.”To remember his time at Kelowna Plywood,Baron was recently given a very appropriate partinggift: a black wood plaque sporting, what else,a Cat forklift. It’s a source of pride for the reliableBaron and a constant reminder of the good workboth he and his Cat did.“I’m ready for retirement but I’m gonna kindamiss the little problems we had,” he says. “Thetroubleshooting, that made things interesting.And I’m gonna miss the fellas – the jokes, thekidding and the ribbing. It’s been a really goodplace to work.”PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLEN DURRELL8 TRACKS & TREADS • Spring 2006 www.finning.ca
GROUNDBREAKERBy the NumbersPercentage oflodgepole pine treesexpected to fall victimto the mountain pinebeetle infestationby 2008 and2013 respectively:50 and 80Numberof years it takesmountain pine beetlesto chew an area the sizeof New Brunswick:1Age of the schoolnurse who willcoordinate “faketanning lunch-hourlessons” for Scottishschool children as ahealthy alternative totanning beds:33Ratio of cost to clean upchewing gum compared tothe cost to buyit: 3 to 1Rank of “negativemedia reports”among thebiggest issuesfacing tanningPercentage increase inthe risk of developingmelanoma associatedwith regular tanningbed use, especiallyin women betweenthe ages of 20and 29:55salons:240Number of yearschewing gummanufacturershave been workingon developing abiodegradablechewing gum: 18Biodegradablechewing gumproducts now onthe market:0Percentage of oilsandsworkers expected toretire by 2010:20Percentage of Canadian miningindustry workers expectedto retire in the next 10 years:www.finning.ca Spring 2006 • TRACKS & TREADS 9
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