Canadian Timberframes (‘CTF’), originally founded in 1999 with deep ties to the local sawmill and forestry industries, celebrates its silver anniversary this year.
A remarkable twenty-five years since its inception, this proud Golden business has grown significantly and is now one of the most advanced timber frame processing companies in North America.
I recently had the pleasure to visit the CTF team at their Golden head-office located just south of town, to talk about the past, the present and a very promising future.
Back in ’99, the company was significantly smaller than it is today. At the time, CTF introduced the first Hundegger timber processing CNC machine in Canada, which enabled them to sell machined timber frame structures to builders throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington state and California under a white-label model.
Fast forward a few years, and the current CTF President, Jeff Bowes, first entered the picture. Having grown up in Ontario, Jeff had worked in the timber frame industry since the ripe age of 19. In the early 2000s, he was working for a direct competitor of CTF and began travelling to Western Canada, when he first set his eyes on CTF’s Golden operation.
At the time, CTF was owned by Pat Soles, Brett Soles and Pierre Lussier, who were three of the founding partners. They had worked tirelessly building the business and had helped shape the timber frame market across North America. In 2011, they made Jeff a strategic offer to become a 25% partner in the company.
The same year, CTF began to shift their production, expanding on products and services to meet its clients’ needs for a ‘one-stop shop’. Their clients had communicated that they did not want to go to multiple different suppliers to get the materials needed to build a timber frame home. Instead, they would rather work with one supplier to provide all the products they needed. CFT responded to the demand, and it paid off.
In 2012, CTF introduced an in-house design team.
In 2013, the company expanded its products and services based on client demand to include custom wall panel manufacturing and roofing systems.
In 2014, CTF continued to expand their product line, offering T&G, trim packages, siding, windows, doors and custom finishes, including its proprietary ‘antique finish.’ Again, the company was responding to a shift in the marketplace where clients and builders liked the one-stop shopping aspect of receiving all the items they needed to build their dream projects.
On January 1st, 2017, Jeff and Stephanie Bowes made the decision to acquire CTF entirely. Stephanie’s background in marketing and strategic planning for large businesses back in Toronto complemented Jeff’s lifelong industry experience perfectly. Together, they created a vision to make CTF a national leader and prominent brand in the industry.
In spring 2020, the couple sat down with their senior management team to talk to them about the future of the company. It was decided then to expand the facility from 20,000 square feet to 34,000 square feet for additional manufacturing capacity.
And just as the original founders had done back in 1999, CTF became the first company again, in Canada, to bring in a very specialized piece of German machinery; the Hundegger K2i 1300 machine with a 6-axis robot – the largest and most complex timber processing machine in the country.
The impressive Hundegger increased Canadian Timberframe’s capacity by an extraordinary 400 per cent and now allows them to take on more complex and larger-scale commercial projects.
Their greater than $4 million investment in both additional space and hi-tech equipment gives CTF the ability to continue growing and expanding their business into a large US market that is embracing their contemporary designs and sustainable products.
Today, CTF employs close to 40 people locally and supports a number of contractors and charities. The company is fully integrated, from log to finished product and delivers a wide range of residential and commercial projects both domestically and internationally (recent deliveries include New Zealand and the Caribbean).
They source most of their timber from the abundant and favourable forests between Golden and Revelstoke. According to long-time CTF employee David Gagne, this not only reduces sourcing costs but also produces some of the highest quality timbers available in North America.
When I asked Stephanie Bowes, Vice President of Canadian Timberframes, about the company’s silver anniversary, she said, “Our 25th anniversary is a testament to the dedication and talent of our employees.
“Their unwavering commitment to quality craftsmanship and exemplary service has been the cornerstone of our success. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to our company, community, and team through continued investment back into the company. This includes the recent expansion of our facilities and the integration of state-of-the-art machinery. These advancements underscore our dedication to growth and excellence, driving us confidently into the next chapter of our journey, looking ahead to the next 25 years.”
Stephanie went on to make a special mention of Rick Schacher, CTF’s long-time sawyer, who has been working with the company since 2000 and who is retiring this fall. She also mentioned Eleanor Phillips, who was at CTF from 2005 to 2023; Judy Wikman who worked there for almost 19 years; Matt Pilion will be celebrating 16 years this July; Jeff Parker will be 14 years this November; Joachim Strobel 12 years this August; Cael Bowes 11 years this June; Alex Lathion was here for 10 years; and so many others that have already passed their 5 years tenure at CTF.
Stephanie says: “We could not have become as successful as we are without the dedication and professionalism of our team. We owe our success to each and every one of them and celebrate our 25 years with them.”
As I drove away from Canadian Timberframes, their staff was preparing for a company BBQ outdoors. The warm sunshine, bluebird sky and their friendly smiles left me with the distinct impression that this one-time small business founded in Golden would be around for another 25 years or much longer.
To learn more about Canadian Timberframes, their products and their journey, visit their website www.canadiantimberframes.com.
