Old School ODL

Sherk Lumber Company, Port Colborne, Ont., dates back to 1810, two years before this part of Upper Canada became a bloody battleground against invading Americans. This business is 57 years older than Canada.

By Steve Payne

Current owner and president Guy Sherk— representing the seventh generation of his family—is the great-great-great-great grandson of David Sherk (1782-1828), the founder of the first Sherk sawmill. The Sherks, Mennonites who came north from Pennsylvania in 1792, founded the village of Sherkston, now an eastern part of Port Colborne.

Guy Sherk took over after his father, industry legend Ron Sherk, passed away in October 2021, just a few weeks shy of 90. Ron had worked in the business for over 70 years.

Hardlines went to Port Colborne specifically to do an interview with Guy Sherk about the outdoor living market, but we got so much more. We came away with an appreciation for the history of mills and lumberyards as the most important business sector in the development of Canada.

The store, a TIMBER MART dealer, is an essential business in the Port Colborne region. But it is also a museum of artifacts, tools, and general ledgers recording the history of modern building supply retailing.

Founder David Sherk only lived to see his 46th year. He passed the business to his son Christian, who in turn passed it on to Charles Sherk, who pioneered selling coal to the community. When coal become scarce during World War II, the building materials business stepped into the breach under Guy’s grandfather, Arthur Sherk.

The business was heavily based on milled lumber at that time; Sherk’s prefab cottage packages and sheds were sold throughout Ontario. The milling business was supported by two railway spurs and shipped lumber across Canada and into the U.S. The Sherks logged up in Parry Sound, Ont., at one point. The last railcar delivery occurred in the 1990s.

When Ron Sherk took over, he concluded that

LBM manufacturer giants would soon swamp his comparatively small milling operation. So, he switched fully into retail, while keeping the cottage and shed businesses.

A devastating fire occurred in the late 1960s— children playing with matches was the probable cause—but the facility rose from the ashes.

Guy, who had grown up in the business but then went to work elsewhere, rejoined his father around 13 years ago. But Guy had actually received his first Sherk paycheque back in 1974,

Like when he was only 11 years old.

Along the way, Guy has done almost every kind of job in the industry. He worked for local LBM wholesaler Green Forest Lumber in the ’80s, managing it for eight years. The remanufacturing operation produced 10 to 12 million board feet a year by the time Guy left. Green Forest was shipping up to 10,000 truckloads a year across the Peace Bridge into Buffalo, N.Y. For 10 years, Guy drove a tractor trailer and operated heavy equipment. He’s currently on his fourth stint at Sherk

Dealer Profiles

Lumber , but this time as president.

When it comes to outdoor living products, Sherk Lumber does it the old-fashioned way as befits an operation that is 213 years old. For example, don’t look for synthetic deck material here.

“All of our artificial decking, we just order job lots from Taiga,” Guy says. “We have samples, but there’s so many flavours of this stuff. If you’re going to compete with the boxes, you’re going to have to have it in-depth. We’re into wood products, including manufacturing.”

Sherk Lumber has been big into sheds (usually eight feet wide and between six and 20 feet in length) for over 40 years, offering a display of them along the Welland Canal, a few minutes’ walk away.

“It keeps us busy in our downtime, in the winter,” Guys says. “When we transition in the winter, the shop is really busy.” But the business stays away from “the big stuff” (houses) “because we’d be stepping on our contractors’ toes.”

Also in the outdoor living category, Sherk Lumber sells reclaimed railway ties and guardrail posts. On the day Hardlines visited the yard, they had about 3,000 railway ties in stock.

“It gets to be more and more of a challenge to get them,” Guy says, because the railways have ripped up so many spur lines, like the ones that used to run into Sherk Lumber. “I have about 20 sources for them. And I keep them pretty close to my vest.” He estimates he’s sold about 30,000 railway ties over the past 15 years.

The other part of Sherk’s outdoor living offering is concrete slabs and pavers—and a big sand and gravel business to support it. “We deal with Triple H north of Toronto We get a lot of landscapers in here.”

The pandemic lockdowns created a perfect storm for lumber dealers, especially those catering to contractors. Shortages were a problem, with many dealers on allocation. “But I was able to stay ahead of it,” Guy says. “Instead of going to your first two or three suppliers, maybe you have to go to your fourth or fifth supplier.”

Now 60 years old, Guy says he still enjoys the business. “It’s not like we owe a lot of money to anyone. But it’s not a hobby. You’ve got to be present, too, to make money at it. Unless you have someone great to run your operation for you.”

With no natural successors in the family (Guy’s four brothers predeceased his father, Ron), Guy—who doesn’t have children—says he’s “always on the lookout for that person” who wants to run his operation for him, so he can slow down a bit. “But I’m not going anywhere for the next 10 or 15 years,” says the seventh-generation owner.