It was a day to commemorate in Stoughton on Wednesday, Sept. 23, as Coderre Construction celebrated 70 years of business and the grand opening of their new shop and offices.
As a young man Wilf Coderre joined the Canadian Air Force which worked alongside Britain’s Royal Air Force, during World War II. On his 13th mission the bomber plane he was on was shot down. Wilf was captured outside of Berlin by German forces and spent 17 months in a prison camp, being released when the war ended.
Upon returning to Stoughton, Wilf bought his first truck and would begin the 70 year legacy of Coderre Construction with a three-tonne truck: “After the war I bought a three-tonne Ford truck,” Wilf explained.
His wife, Lucy, added, “The trucks weren’t available to just anybody; the guys coming back from the war were given special allowances.”
“When Dad was released from the camp, he had back pay coming, and it was with that money he bought the first truck,” Kim Coderre, one of Wilf and Lucy’s sons, explained.
At the time trucks were hard to come by because the war effort had put a strain on metal and rubber for civilian use. Military personnel returning home were given the first opportunity to buy these trucks as a way to help them reintegrate into society.
Shortly after returning and purchasing his truck, Wilf met Lucy: “I had been teaching in Forget,” Lucy remembers. “I didn’t know him before he left, but when he returned everybody knew him. He was the local hero.”
The pair fell in love and married, starting their family of three sons and two daughters soon after, the sons – Del, Kim, and Randy – now operate the business which has reached seven decades of service to the community.
“I started hauling fuel out of Regina for four or five years, along with cattle and grain for farmers, and then I got into the gravel business,” Wilf explained. “Things just got bigger; I bought my second truck maybe three years after and then we added more trucks and more loaders over the years.”
“When I first started hauling gravel, it was cement gravel, all I had was a shovel. I shovelled the load on the truck and then off, it was very hard work.”
Kim, another one of Wilf and Lucy’s sons, spoke of how hard Wilf worked stating, “Dad is the perfect example of how hard work won’t kill you.”
In the beginning Wilf says there was one gravel pit north of Forget where he worked out of, but as time passed and the business grew, he explained his sons are now have multiple gravel pits they work out of.
The family business quickly grew, Lucy said, “I looked after the books, and I think we had 12 hired men by the time we retired.”
Wilf and Lucy both retired in 1985, but remained involved with the business that was dear to their hearts.
“We were very lucky to have three boys to continue on the business for sure,” Wilf and Lucy both said.
All three boys are involved with the company and enjoy working together, watching as their hard work builds on the hard work of their father.
“I’m very proud and humbled at the same time, and very happy,” Del Coderre explained. “Time flies. I never really imagined something like this as a teenager.”
Del has been with the company since he was 18-years-old and has loved every minute of it saying he grew up learning from his father: “I was in the vehicle with Dad since I was about two. I worked summer holidays, probably since I was about 12, loading equipment out at the gravel pit. You see your Dad doing something and you become interested, I suppose if he had been a farmer, I would be interested in farming, it’s just one of those things.”
“I have no plans of retiring, I love it,” Del explained. “I love what I’m doing.”
It was the same for the other boys, Kim and Randy, although they both worked in Alberta for a time, they realized their hearts were in Stoughton with the business their father started.
“I returned in 1984, I was in Alberta for seven years then decided to come back,” Randy said. Explaining that helping his brothers and father reach the 70 year milestone is a great thing.
Kim returned in 1996 and has enjoyed every minute of being back as well, “This is a real milestone and my hope is to be able to do this in another five years on the 75th anniversary of the business and celebrate Dad’s 100th at the same time.”
“The most awesome part about today is that Mom and Dad are still here with us to celebrate, there’s probably one chance in a million that a business gets to celebrate its 70th year with their original shareholders,” Del said.
“I want to thank everyone for coming out, we appreciate the great show of support by the community,” Kim said.
Del added, “We appreciate the town and surrounding area for coming out and we want to thank everyone here today because where would we be without our customers and staff? We have many long-term employees. All our staff is loyal and dedicated and we appreciate their contribution.”
Today Coderre Construction employs 18 individuals including members of the Coderre family: Del, Kim, Randy, and Randy’s wife, Jean, who works as the office administrator, having taken over Lucy’s position when she and Wilf retired.
Not only were the Coderres celebrating 70 years of business with the community, but they happily cut a ribbon marking the official grand opening of their new shop.
“We needed more room,” Del said of the decision to expand. “We were in a 50 by 80 foot shop and needed more shop space and office space. We talked for about three years about how we should put something up… We finally decided we needed a new building…”
Half a year was spent on blue prints and having soil samples analyzed before winter arrived, from there it took two years for the building to come together.
“The other building has been converted into the welding shop and we got moved in here in early December of 2014,” Del explained. “Everything’s worked out really well.”
“It’s nice to see everyone out here to celebrate the milestone of this business, 70 years,” Chelsea Schindel, councillor for the Town of Stoughton, said. “It’s nice to have Wilf and Lucy here with us, I bet they never would have thought to have seen their business reach the 70 year milestone. On behalf of Mayor Bill Knous and the Town of Stoughton, congratulations.”
An anniversary of great proportions the Coderre family was ecstatic to be able to share their success with the community and surrounding area.
