Wood Country is a Saskatchewan success story that came to Estevan. The lumber and hardware company started small in McLean, consistently growing to the point where it eventually moved on to open locations in Tisdale, in 1997, and Estevan, in 1998.
Though it started in another part of the province, Wood Country in Estevan, which will celebrate its 18th anniversary this coming June, quickly grew to become a successful and pillar of the local business community.
Wood Country is known for helping people get the job done, no matter the size of the job. The business boasts a large variety of lumber, building materials and hardware, all with a mind for price-conscious buyers.
Bev Jensen, an employee at Wood Country's Estevan retail stores said,"We sell what you need to build fences, and everything. We can help you do everything, from hanging a picture to building a house."
Wood County provides an assortment of materials and services for all aspects of home construction. By the time the business moved to Estevan, it had begun to build ready-to-move homes and the contracting of the construction of homes on-site. Wood Country, on that note, is a member of the Home Warranty Program of Saskatchewan, with a Level 1 Builder classification – the highest level a business can achieve.
Materials that Wood Country offers include the different kinds necessary to help renovate or beautify any home, in a variety of styles. Drywall, wood, paint and products that are more elaborate, like kitchen counters, cabinets, doors and appliances, and packages for any sized project, are all available.
Jensen described Wood Country's approach to meeting the needs of its many customers in a straightforward manner: "Someone comes into our store wanting to paint their house, and we can sell them the paint, brushes, rollers and everything. We can give advice on how to paint, and off they go," she said. "And then the next person will come in and say 'I want to change all my baseboards. What kinds of styles are there?' So we show them the styles available, they pick what they want, we order it in, or they take it off the shelf, if it's already here."
The versatility of Wood Country and what it can provide is evident by simply looking around the Energy City. The business sells the materials necessary to build many structures, from sheds and barns, all the way up to major commercial construction projects, such as Microtel and the Estevan Diversified Services building.
"We supplied the lumber to do the Microtel hotel, and we've done business with (the Souris Valley Museum) on Hwy. 39, on the way out of the city. That was one of the first buildings we helped put up. We supplied that one," said Jensen. "Part of our business is that we sell pole sheds to farmers; those big sheds they put their tractors and equipment into. We've sold sheds into the United States, and even sold a pole shed all the way out to B.C."
Jensen noted that Wood Country will also be helping out with the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games, this coming July. The business is contributing material to build the small garages and buildings going up for the event.
Jensen says the company’s style when it comes to their work is straight to the point: "We help every customer that walks in the door who needs help here, from the little old lady who wants a pound of nails to someone who needs a quart of paint to paint their walls."
