Grain leads to gravel, tires then a good fit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/04/2003 (8517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES – Back in 1927, the father of Gilles and Andre Collet bought a family homestead in Notre Dame de Lourdes to pursue his interest in rearing cattle and growing grain.

At the time, he little realized that the property would one day lead to an entirely new business, which in turn would spawn yet another.

Collet Gravel, started in 1978 by brothers Andre and Gilles, is now a thriving supplier of sand, gravel, clay, slate and sewer stones.

The family homestead has about 20 acres of the materials and the company supplies them to construction companies, municipalities and individuals within a 40-mile radius of Notre Dame.

Both brothers, joint partners, still live in the town.

Gilles, now 61, says the property has about 10 per cent of the volume of gravel pits in the well known Bird’s Hill Park area. He used to work as a crusher for BACM, but decided the assets of the family property could form the basis of a sound business.

Today, half a dozen Collet trucks haul the crushed product to major construction sites and the company has been a sub-contractor to such firms as Maple Leaf Construction, Borland Construction and Nelson River Construction.

Technological revolution

Collet Gravel employs about 20 and is a major supplier to the provincial highways department, local governments and asphalt plants. It was also a major supplier of sand and gravel when the new Simplot fertilizer plant was built in Portage la Prairie.

Gilles’ son, Denis, is also active in the company, which has seen a technological revolution in cutting, crushing and sorting equipment over the past quarter century:

“A lot of the equipment now is computerized and quite sophisticated so I’m glad my son, who is more savvy in these things, is involved,” Gilles says.

“Once gravel is crushed we have equipment now that automatically sorts and stockpiles it. Technology is very different to the old days.”

Another son, Claude, also works in the business, so it’s likely to stay in the family for some time. Gilles says finding good staff is always a challenge, but another is pricing. The market for gravel and crushed rock is highly competitive and bidding for contracts is keen.

“Transportation is another challenge,” he says. “We have been pressuring the government to upgrade Highway 305 between Highways 1 and 2. We need a good road there because we often have to detour around Elm Creek or Glenboro.”

Circuitous delivery routes add to gasoline and overhead costs so he plans to keep up the pressure for improved highways.

“Good roads are essential for our business and the government needs to invest more in them.”

His brother Andre was also involved with the gravel business and the two realized a dozen years ago that they were constantly seeking sources of new tires for their fleet of trucks.

That led in turn to an interest in the tire business and in 1991 they both became partners in West End Tire, a Winnipeg company on Dugald Road, originally started in 1956.

That company, operated by brother Andre, now has the original store on Dugald plus a new one on Brookside, opened in 2000. It employs 60 people, including two sons of Andre, who is now 58.

West End Tire sells new and retread tires and was a logical fit for a gravel business that wears out truck tires at a pretty fast rate.

Though the two tire stores are in Winnipeg, Andre still lives in Notre Dame de Lourdes and is fond of his rural roots.

“The fit between a gravel business and a tire retailer may seem tenuous to some, but it was a logical move for us,” he adds.