ATCO Wood Products

that it’s the people that make any business successful.” Complementing a team-oriented culture is a singular focus on sustainable growth. As Semeniuk reports, “We are very much in a growth phase as a company, and we’re currently looking for new opportunities and turning over all the rocks.” This growth has not always been easy. When the Weatherfords took the reins in 2007, they did so just when the 2008 recession was about to hit, a situation that turned an optimistic moment into a fight for survival. “The first couple of years in the business found us in the heart of the recession between 2008 and 2010,” shares Weatherford. “It was a very challenging time to acquire the business and move it from the second to the third generation, so our focus at that time was on survival.” However, as the economy rebounded, ATCO found itself buoyed by rising demand for its products. This favorable situation has led to the firm’s current growth streak, including acquiring the short rail and additional forest lands. Reinvesting drives ATCO’s success and is a major reason for consistent double-digit annual growth. “The company has for many years plowed back much of its revenues and profits into continuous upgrades, including investing in an eight-foot lathe machine and ten-foot veneer production capabilities,” explains Semeniuk. The firm has also invested in a state-of-the-art steam conditioning system, the first of its kind in the country, allowing it to process larger logs and produce ten-foot veneer. These investments are geared towards creating a more specialized niche for the company, which may translate into a stronger market position, higher revenues and more jobs. These optimistic times were, however, interrupted when COVID-19 hit. “Just as we were becoming confident that the business was improving, the pandemic hit in February and shut everything down by April,” Weatherford recalls. “We were struggling to operate on a day-to-