From Basement Start-Up To Complex Company
“More Guts Than Brains” — Silvicon’s Beginning
Silvicon was started by forest technologist Harold Reedy and his wife, Barbara, with the vision to be an independent contractor and grow their business. Harold had been employed by the BC Forest Service and “D.Groot Logging Ltd” prior to jumping into self-employment at age 27.
“More guts than brains” were friends’ comments about leaving a good job and starting self-employment with a week-old baby and new mortgage, but as is the case with most daring endeavors: guts is what it takes.
A few years before Silvicon Services Inc. became the final name of our company, it was briefly called Reedy Forestry & Mining Services Ltd. Along with this change came new opportunities in both forestry contracting, consulting services, and silviculture projects.
In 1980, the government of BC did not contract out forestry work, as they had in-service forestry crews to conduct all their fieldwork. However, Harold had a strong network of friends who worked in the forest and mining industry between Burns Lake and Kitwanga. His connections promised seasonal fieldwork opportunities in timber cruising, cut block layout, regeneration surveys, planting supervision, cone picking, and prescribed burning. Wanting to still ensure continuous work with his new company, Harold obtained an Industrial First Aid ticket (IFA). With an IFA ticket and a chainsaw, one could always find work and it was needed occasionally in the first couple of winters of self-employment.
And so, in a makeshift office in the basement of their new home, Silvicon Services Inc. was born. Together they got to work, with Barbara taking on the role of the company bookkeeper, having previously been a school teacher.
The Early Years — 1980-1985
In 1981, Smithers local high-school student Gord Pratt was hired for the summer to be a compassman and field assistant, like many young folks still do today. Gord liked the outdoors and saw this as an opportunity to go to university and become a forester. Each summer, he returned to Silvicon for work, and each year the company continued to grow with greater opportunities. The first forester hired was Eleanor Stoffelson, who created Silvicon’s original letterhead logo. Silvicon’s early success can be attributed to hiring outstanding female forestry graduates and seeing their potential in a time when the forest industry was still a heavily male-based profession.
The entire Reedy basement was needed and utilized as office space. The maps were hand-drafted and a machine that reeked of ammonia made the copies. A pool table was converted to a large drafting table, and a typewriter was used for correspondence. There were no computers, no internet, and no email in the early ’80s, but Silvicon’s staff, well-versed in how to improvise from experience working in the bush, made what they had work. A garage was built to store equipment including wall tents, airtight heaters, snowshoes, a Honda trike, and a trail bike.
A Growing Company — 1985-1992
In the fall of 1985, a decision was made to grow the company further by moving the office to downtown Smithers. An old house located at 1114 King Street was purchased and converted into a new office space. The company needed at least one Registered Professional Forester (RPF) on staff, so upon university graduation, Gord Pratt was offered shares in Silvicon (1986) and became an RPF (1989). The first computer was purchased along with a dot matrix printer. The suitcase-sized Compaq portable computer had double floppy drives and no hard drive. All data were stored on 5 ¼ inch floppy discs. Later, timber cruise compilation software was obtained creating the job of inputting collected timber cruise data, which helped support work for a full-time front office person. Other upgrades included small travel trailers bought to replace camping tents.
In 1988 and 1989 two more shareholders were added to Silvicon. Foresters Rob Roulston and Bill Golding (Gord’s classmates at the University of Alberta) became valuable partners to help expand services and client base. In 1989, a major addition was added to the King Street house, providing more office space for the addition of a biologist, a forest engineer, and a computer mapper, as well as for more computers and fax machines.
Change In Management — 1992 to 2000s
In the spring of 1992, Harold and Barbara Reedy decided to move on to a slower lifestyle. At that time, Gord Pratt, Rob Roulston, and Bill Golding became the sole shareholders of Silvicon. It was a big change when Harold and Barb left Silvicon as they were the face of the company. They left knowing that the new owners would continue Silvicon with its same values and dedication. Since then, the sustainable growth of the company continued through good management and again, a larger office was needed. In 1993, 3560 Victoria Drive was purchased, and a much larger office was built, remaining Silvicons headquarters to this day. Since this expansion, Silvicon has become one of the larger employers in Smithers, BC.
Both the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Smithers recognized the need for a forestry voice and approached Gord Pratt to become involved in their organizations. Gord became involved in numerous town committees and was the executive of the Chamber of Commerce from 1994 to 2005. Silvicon also became a strong community supporter by sponsoring and participating in many community events. Over the years, many young locals, worked at the forestry firm, a staple job of the north, and were provided a starting point for their careers.
The Future of Forestry - 2000s to Now
Since the early 2000s, the ownership of the company changed from Gord, Rob, and Bill, all retiring after long forestry careers. Derek Hetherington and Jay Baker both long-time employees of Silvicon, stepped up to fill their shoes. Most recently, Jay Baker has retired and Jon Dehouwer became a shareholder and operations manager for Silvicon. In this time, Silvicon has weathered recessions, forestry sector lulls, changes in wildfire behavior, pandemics, and worker shortages while still holding onto its legacy and integrity.
Each summer, Silvicon takes in a variety of new folks, whether they are students hoping to get their boots dirty between semesters, graduates ready to further their careers, tree planters ready for a change, or regular people happy to learn on the job. Our diversity in staff makes us stronger in experience and knowledge, truly benefitting our company and our clients.
Employees, The Key to Silvicon’s Success
From day one, Silvicon has valued its people, and that all started with Harold. He knew if he kept his staff happy, they would keep working for him. He would do whatever he could to accommodate his staff to settle locally and stay with the company. Working for Silvicon also meant having travel time paid for, with a conscious decision made to keep all work shifts to a five day work week. Silvicon's employees also worked locally whenever possible so everyone could be home for the weekend to be with family and friends.
Organized social gatherings were important to everyone at the company, even the owners. To keep summer employees during slow work times, Harold always found odd jobs including cutting railroad ties on his family’s farm, picking cones, planting trees, or bucking logs. Seasonal and annual bonuses or gifts were given to employees based on their performance and value to the company.
Employees were a family, and developing their potential through formal courses and hands-on training was important. Company employee policies were developed with employees’ input, and because of that, many have continued to be proud and loyal to the company. To this day, Silvicon ensures employees feel safe in the field, while also giving them opportunities to learn and challenge their abilities. At Silvicon Services, fostering a workplace where having a sense of humor in the pouring rain is as just as important as sharp caulks.
