A local company that operates more than 20 licensed pits and quarries in Grey and Bruce counties has been sold to a Niagara based company.
Walker Industries Holdings has purchased Harold Sutherland Construction. Both are family owned businesses. Sutherland Construction is based in Kemble, north of Owen Sound.
Harold Sutherland and his family have run their business for nearly 60 years. Beyond the quarries, Sutherland includes asphalt and concrete manufacturing operations, a construction division and a trucking company.
About 200 people work for Sutherland and in a release, the companies state that the employees will be kept on as an operating unit of Walker’s Aggregates division.
Further in the release, the Sutherland family said the 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 said. “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.”
“We’re happy to be bringing Harold Sutherland Construction into the Walker group of companies,” said Ken Lucyshyn, executive vice-president of Walker Aggregates. “This acquisition provides us with a larger geographic footprint for our aggregates business, and strengthens our trucking, asphalt and construction businesses while entering into concrete manufacturing.”
Walker owns pits and quarries in nearby Simcoe County, as well as in the Niagara Region and Essex County.