MEMBER CELEBRATION
CELEBRATING HIS TH 60 ANNIVERSARY IN OUR INDUSTRY Chris Allinotte, WRLA
“I’ve always enjoyed going to work,” says Syl, speaking from his office at C. A. Fischer Lumber in Edmonton. “Ever since the start.” That start came at age 18, when Syl got his first job unloading boxcars for the M.D. Muttart Lumber Company. He remembers the first day clearly down to the day. “June 4, 1962. Two of us jumped into the boxcar, climbed up to the top of the stack and flat on our bellies started unloading.” The family-owned company by then had made a name for itself in Alberta, western Canada, Ontario and the northern USA and building over 400 homes per year in the Edmonton area. By the time Syl joined, the company had dozens of companies that encompassed everything from supply to manufacturing, to retail sales. At the time, Syl was happy to be working but was also eager to learn and try new things. He hadn’t been unloading at the railroad boxcar long before he was chosen by the drywall delivery driver to work on a
crew that delivered drywall to building sites. In remembering those days, Syl chuckled, “those drywall sheets weren’t as light as they are today, and we carried four sheets at a time, up to 10 footers. We were delivering four houses a day, too!” Of course, most of the houses were 1100 sq. ft. bungalows and bi-levels. His strong work ethic led to a job working in the Planer Mill and then later to a place in the lumber yard, plywood warehouses, truck driving as well as a period of time at the plant that manufactured windows and doors. These places were much more agreeable to working during the long Edmonton winters! Still, there was more to learn, and different things to try, so when the opportunity came for Syl to take advantage of a retail training course offered by the Edmonton Retail Lumber Association, he took it. “We went to school at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) every Friday from January to May.” During this course, he learned more about building materials, as well as sales techniques, estimating and blueprint reading.
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED PHOTO:
S
ixty years ago, Syl Haisan jumped on the lumber train, and as of today, he’s still going strong.
Left: Home Hardware 50 Year Golden Hammer Award 2012. Above: Grande Prairie Home Hardware Building Centre (Hardlines 2022 Store of the Year). 52
YARDSTICK MAGAZINE
Winter 2022