by Sydney Philpott
BKB Cedar sent out their first truck on Friday, March 9th. The BKB Cedar mill is back up and running, but not without some challenges. After insurance was settled, owner Raj Basran wasn’t left in a position to contract a team to rebuild, leaving Raj and his crew the daunting job of cleanup and reconstruction.
While there is still evidence from the fire in the building, stacks of finished product show the progress that’s come from the hard work of Raj and his crew. In the next year the goal is to get a staff room with a washroom built at the side of the main building, and on a recently purchased adjacent lot Raj plans to build an office and scales. Right now, the machines at the mill are running at 50% of their capacity. Raj said further investment will depend on log supply, but the progress that’s been made is inspiring.
Raj said that going through the rebuilding process has been an advantage in some ways. The process has provided them with a better understanding of how the machine and hydraulic systems are set up, giving them the opportunity to really know the mill inside-out.
Local people had a huge hand in getting the mill running this spring. Raj’s philosophy was that if he knew guys that could do the job, there was no need to hire out. Peter Caputo, who was hired to take care of electrical work, and Mike Savarella who handled the hydraulics for the mill, are both locals.
