Breaking down barriers: diversification has been a boon to growth for the Bucket Shop in Timmins, says Brian Blahey, marketing manager.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Timmins: Special Report - Ontario - Brief Article

A 10,000-square-foot addition has enabled the Bucket Shop, a Timmins-based manufacturer and repairer of excavation equipment, to expand not only its shop space, but its workforce, capabilities and coverage area.

If the news is all doom and gloom in the mining and forestry industry, it is not evident in the dynamic planning of its parent company, United Supply, and the direction set out by owner Ross Woodward, who recently created a metal fabrication and engineering division known as Steeltec.

In catering to major mining, forestry, welding companies and contractors from across northeastern Ontario, marketing manager Brian Blahey says the company is seeking to diversify into all aspects of structural steel manufacturing.

The expansion, which tacked onto their pre-existing 20,000-square-foot building at Riverside Drive and Government Road, was completed in December 2001 and done entirely in-house.

An open house was held in late January to showcase the expansion to clients from across Northern Ontario.

Both businesses, the Bucket Shop and Steeltec, share staff and are operated by United Supply, which also operates a full-line industrial, commercial, institutional and residential cleaning and supply division called Swish.

"We were starting to get into steel fabrication and were doing more field work," so the company simply formalized the service with Steeltec and hired 15 extra tradesmen to bring the workforce at the joint Bucket Shop-Steeltec facility up to 30, says Blahey.

"With three or four buckets on the floor, we were getting jammed up and running out of room.

"There's more...