Honesty and trust spell success: new inductees into Sudbury mining suppliers hall of fame.

• Author: Larmour, Adelle
• Position: SUDBURY

Being honest, being yourself and treating everybody equal are qualities that Ivan Beljo and Bob Rappolt support and live by.

These traits that have led both men down their respective roads of success were recognized by their peers as the 2010 Sudbury Area Mining Supply & Service Association (SAMSSA) Hall of Fame inductees.

Their sons proudly shared their fathers' stories with humour and affection at the association's annual general meeting in December.

Ivo Beljo, son and business partner of Ivan, talked about the daily demands of running Rematech Industries, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of conveyor belting, rubber and urethane moulded products and linings.

Like many other supply and service companies, Ivan and Ivo have felt the challenges of a cyclical mining industry, lengthy local strikes and global economic downturns.

Ivan learned about hardship and hard work growing up on the family farm and vineyards in Croatia after the Second World War.

At 15, his father's death prompted him to work construction during the summer months to help support his mother and 12 siblings. Three years later, Ivan escaped from the communist regime of Yugoslavia to Austria and eventually Canada. He spent the next seven years learning English while working as a house painter.

Then it was on to Rema Tip Top - the predecessor company to Rematech - where he was hired on as an apprentice before being promoted to shift boss five days later. A year later, Ivan's skills and work ethic advanced him to a partnership position, and eventually branch manager.

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"He always had a gift of simplifying massive belt installations and complex rubber lining projects," said Ivo. "He needed to be the best at what he did, which I think was a survival technique from his early working years."

What began as a four-man crew, with some part-time helpers working in a small shop, has flourished into a new 20,000-square-foot facility with a workforce of 60. He has earned the respect of his employees, suppliers and customers by treating everyone equally and setting the bar for quality products and service. It's resulted in loyalty from long-time suppliers and low staff turnover.

His pursuit of quality earned him the 2009 Canadian Croatian Business of the Year award.

"It wasn't always easy" Ivan said, referring to the changes in his diminished forestry and mining customer base and past contracts with Elliot Lake's Denison and Rio Algom, Temagami's Sherman Mine...