A Kemble-based construction company has been sold, nearly 60 years after it first started operating.
Harold Sutherland Construction Ltd. has been bought by Niagara-based Walker Industries Holdings Ltd., according to a news release sent out by the companies.
The sale price is not being disclosed.
Sutherland says in a statement the family's decision to sell the company came with the recognition that additional resources are needed to continue its growth — including human resources and management expertise, and support in navigating the complex regulatory environment for the aggregates and construction industries.
“I've known the people at Walker for most of my working life and always thought that if I were to sell, I would approach them first,” Sutherland says. “We share the same values. We're both family-owned Canadian businesses that care about our employees, communities and the environment. I know that Walker will treat our employees very well.”
According to a release, all employees of Harold Sutherland Construction will be kept on as an operating unit of Walker's Aggregates division. Approximately 200 people work for Harold Sutherland Construction in all its divisions.
Harold Sutherland will assume a consulting role.
Walker Aggregates executive vice president Ken Lucyshyn says the acquisition will provide their company with a larger geographic footprint.
“And strengthens our trucking, asphalt and construction businesses while entering into concrete manufacturing,” Lucyshyn says in a statement.
Walker owns pits and quarries in nearby Simcoe County, as well as in the Niagara Region and Essex County. It says the purchase of Harold Sutherland Construction will allow Walker to expand its construction projects to include sewer and watermain work, as well as local government infrastructure contracts.
Sutherland started his construction business in 1960 at the age of 16, initially hauling gravel from his parents' farm to nearby properties.
The company grew rapidly and now operates more than 20 licensed pits and quarries in Grey and Bruce counties.
Harold Sutherland Construction also includes asphalt and concrete manufacturing operations, a construction division and a trucking company.
