Awards, as simple as applauding an athlete’s success in a game or winning Olympic gold, are an important centuries-old tradition. This tradition is always based on recognizing some form of excellence.
SAMSSA believes in this tradition and annually recognizes the contributions of its entrepreneurial members. In 2007, SAMSSA board of directors supported a proposal that established a Sudbury Area Mining Supply & Service Association (SAMSSA) Hall of Fame to recognize significant member successes.
Choosing candidates is a serious business and rigid standards apply before someone is acknowledged as an honoree at our annual meeting in December.
SAMSSA has welcomed 16 distinguished honourees into its Hall of Fame since 2007 and each one has reflected the core values that make someone special - vision, dedication, hard work and risk taking.
The mining cluster in Northern Ontario is vibrant and led by industry leaders in over 500 companies specializing in all mining products and services One of first winners was Fred Castron (now deceased) who co-founded Cast Resources based on sheer determination and hard work. Another was Conrad A. Houle (retired) of Tracks & Wheels Brokerage Inc. who is remembered for his famous quote, “Getting bigger is not the most important thing in life, but getting better in serving the client’s needs is the most important aspect of a business.”
A full list of honourees is available at http://samssa.ca/about/hall-of-fame/ on December 4, 2014 at its annual meeting two more honourees were recognized for their contribution: Paul Marcotte (posthumously) of Marcotte Mining, and Douglas Smith, president of Manitoulin Transport, now one of Canada’s largest private logistics companies. Paul Marcotte´s contribution was profiled by his daughter Alicia Woods who credited her own success to her father’s support and stature in the industry. He co-founded Marcotte Mining with his father and brothers in 1979, developing it into a well- established mining machinery manufacturer.
“As the business grew, the company went from repairing and rebuilding equipment manufactured by others to becoming a successful original equipment manufacturer,” said Alicia. Marcotte Mining went on to design the side shift feature on the scissor lift which became an industry standard and today is a feature commonly found on scissor lifts of other OEMs.
Alicia went on to say “What I remember fondly about my father is that he always showed his appreciation for the work that his employees gave Marcotte Mining.
Paul was thankful for their contributions and most of all their commitment.” Paul Marcotte died in an accident at the age of 37, but Marcotte Mining still operates in Sudbury under new ownership.
Eighty-one year-old Douglas Smith is an amazing man and entrepreneur. He took a company from nothing and made it into one of the largest and most powerful logistics companies in Canada and all from tiny Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario.
His 54 years of hard work has paid huge dividends to the Island in employment and the multiple industries he serves with his 66 terminals across the country. The Manitoulin Group of Companies offers warehousing, air and ocean freight forwarding, fuel servicing through New North Fuels, custom brokerage services and hand carry services through Expedite Plus, which has offices in Hong Kong and Mexico.
Doug was born in 1933 and started his adventure in business in Toronto but came back to Manitoulin to assist his father in Smith’s Wholesale, which served general stores and grocery stores across Manitoulin Island.
Facing stiff competition in the food business, Doug sold to National Grocers and acquired Hills Transport for $18,000. The business had three trucks and four tractor-trailers, and hauled turkeys. In 1965, Doug teamed up with Coopers Transport and two years later the companies merged to serve multiple sectors including mining suppliers who needed to ship equipment. Doug was invested into the Order of Canada in 2008 and last year received The Diamond Jubilee Medal.
