聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 It was a day to commemorate in Stoughton on Wednesday, Sept. 23, as Coderre Construction celebrated 70 years of business and the grand opening of their new shop and offices.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As a young man Wilf Coderre joined the Canadian Air Force which worked alongside Britain鈥檚 Royal Air Force, during World War II. On his 13th mission the bomber plane he was on was shot down. Wilf was captured outside of Berlin by German forces and spent 17 months in a prison camp, being released when the war ended.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Upon returning to Stoughton, Wilf bought his first truck and would begin the 70 year legacy of Coderre Construction with a three-tonne truck: 鈥淎fter the war I bought a three-tonne Ford truck,鈥� Wilf explained.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 His wife, Lucy, added, 鈥淭he trucks weren鈥檛 available to just anybody; the guys coming back from the war were given special allowances.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen Dad was released from the camp, he had back pay coming, and it was with that money he bought the first truck,鈥� Kim Coderre, one of Wilf and Lucy鈥檚 sons, explained.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 At the time trucks were hard to come by because the war effort had put a strain on metal and rubber for civilian use. Military personnel returning home were given the first opportunity to buy these trucks as a way to help them reintegrate into society.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Shortly after returning and purchasing his truck, Wilf met Lucy: 鈥淚 had been teaching in Forget,鈥� Lucy remembers. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know him before he left, but when he returned everybody knew him. He was the local hero.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The pair fell in love and married, starting their family of three sons and two daughters soon after, the sons 鈥� Del, Kim, and Randy 鈥� now operate the business which has reached seven decades of service to the community.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 started hauling fuel out of Regina for four or five years, along with cattle and grain for farmers, and then I got into the gravel business,鈥� Wilf explained. 鈥淭hings just got bigger; I bought my second truck maybe three years after and then we added more trucks and more loaders over the years.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hen I first started hauling gravel, it was cement gravel, all I had was a shovel. I shovelled the load on the truck and then off, it was very hard work.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kim, another one of Wilf and Lucy鈥檚 sons, spoke of how hard Wilf worked stating, 鈥淒ad is the perfect example of how hard work won鈥檛 kill you.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the beginning Wilf says there was one gravel pit north of Forget where he worked out of, but as time passed and the business grew, he explained his sons are now have multiple gravel pits they work out of.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The family business quickly grew, Lucy said, 鈥淚 looked after the books, and I think we had 12 hired men by the time we retired.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Wilf and Lucy both retired in 1985, but remained involved with the business that was dear to their hearts.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e were very lucky to have three boys to continue on the business for sure,鈥� Wilf and Lucy both said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 All three boys are involved with the company and enjoy working together, watching as their hard work builds on the hard work of their father.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud and humbled at the same time, and very happy,鈥� Del Coderre explained. 鈥淭ime flies. I never really imagined something like this as a teenager.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Del has been with the company since he was 18-years-old and has loved every minute of it saying he grew up learning from his father: 鈥淚 was in the vehicle with Dad since I was about two. I worked summer holidays, probably since I was about 12, loading equipment out at the gravel pit. You see your Dad doing something and you become interested, I suppose if he had been a farmer, I would be interested in farming, it鈥檚 just one of those things.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 have no plans of retiring, I love it,鈥� Del explained. 鈥淚 love what I鈥檓 doing.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It was the same for the other boys, Kim and Randy, although they both worked in Alberta for a time, they realized their hearts were in Stoughton with the business their father started.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 returned in 1984, I was in Alberta for seven years then decided to come back,鈥� Randy said. Explaining that helping his brothers and father reach the 70 year milestone is a great thing.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kim returned in 1996 and has enjoyed every minute of being back as well, 鈥淭his is a real milestone and my hope is to be able to do this in another five years on the 75th anniversary of the business and celebrate Dad鈥檚 100th at the same time.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he most awesome part about today is that Mom and Dad are still here with us to celebrate, there鈥檚 probably one chance in a million that a business gets to celebrate its 70th year with their original shareholders,鈥� Del said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 want to thank everyone for coming out, we appreciate the great show of support by the community,鈥� Kim said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Del added, 鈥淲e appreciate the town and surrounding area for coming out and we want to thank everyone here today because where would we be without our customers and staff?聽 We have many long-term employees.聽 All our staff is loyal and dedicated and we appreciate their contribution.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Today Coderre Construction employs 18 individuals including members of the Coderre family: Del, Kim, Randy, and Randy鈥檚 wife, Jean, who works as the office administrator, having taken over Lucy鈥檚 position when she and Wilf retired.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Not only were the Coderres celebrating 70 years of business with the community, but they happily cut a ribbon marking the official grand opening of their new shop.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e needed more room,鈥� Del said of the decision to expand. 鈥淲e were in a 50 by 80 foot shop and needed more shop space and office space. We talked for about three years about how we should put something up鈥� We finally decided we needed a new building鈥︹��
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Half a year was spent on blue prints and having soil samples analyzed before winter arrived, from there it took two years for the building to come together.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he other building has been converted into the welding shop and we got moved in here in early December of 2014,鈥� Del explained. 鈥淓verything鈥檚 worked out really well.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see everyone out here to celebrate the milestone of this business, 70 years,鈥� Chelsea Schindel, councillor for the Town of Stoughton, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have Wilf and Lucy here with us, I bet they never would have thought to have seen their business reach the 70 year milestone. On behalf of Mayor Bill Knous and the Town of Stoughton, congratulations.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An anniversary of great proportions the Coderre family was ecstatic to be able to share their success with the community and surrounding area.
