Jerry Shepherdson says he should be retired, but he still comes in to work a few days a week to oversee the company he built over the past 50 years.
Mid-Canada Fiberglass, the manufacturer of Scott Canoes and other products, has been a New Liskeard-based company since its beginnings in a basement.
“Our company really started in 1965 but Bill Scott and I actually started working together, with me just on weekends, making canoes in 1960,” said Shepherdson. “I was working at a foundry as a pattern maker.”
A fibreglass canoe was developed and Scott sold his idea to a Toronto company in 1963, which opened a manufacturing shop in New Liskeard. For the next two years, Shepherdson ran the plant while Scott took care of marketing and sales.
The Toronto company backed out in 1965 and the pair became partners. In the 1980s, Shepherdson bought out Scott.
“There have been a lot of changes through the years and the economy and world affairs have had an effect on us,” he said. “High interest rates in the 1980s and then the dollar started going up so there have been challenges at times.”
Shepherdson, who doesn't look anywhere near his 79 years of age, has passed the torch to his daughter, Rhonda Wood, who acts as vice-president and managing director. Her husband, Brent Wood, runs the shop.
“I started at the bottom in 1983, as a gopher, which is really the best way to start and learn the business,” she said.
The original design for the canoe hasn't changed, but the method and materials used to make them have. More models have been added, including its line of Impex Kayaks.
In the early 2000s, Mid-Canada Fiberglass acquired the assets of Bluewater Canoes, long considered and known throughout North America as the Cadillac of the craft.
“We have taken their good name and further developed the line,” Wood said. “They are manufactured here now.”
Freighter canoes, which range from 18 to 22 feet in length, have proven to be a popular product with lodges and outfitters. They can carry from 3,000 to 4,000 pounds and accommodate a 40 horsepower motor. Scott Canoes also offers a duck boat, which has a square stern.
“With these specialty boats, you always have to look outside your comfort zone,” Wood said. “Whatever needs to be built, we can do it.”
Diversity has kept the company viable. At one time, it manufactured fibreglass ducts for mining companies such as Inco. The 12-foot high cow, Miss Claybelt, that stands at the intersection of Highway 11 and 11B in Temiskaming Shores, was made in the mid-1980s at Mid-Canada.
“It has stood the test of time,” Shepherdson said. “The only repair ever made was a new paint job.”
The flying saucer in Moonbeam, east of Kapuskasing, is also a fibreglass product from the New Liskeard plant.
A few years ago, a municipality inquired about making a 60-foot voyageur canoe as a tourist attraction, complete with some paddlers.
“I drew up some designs but never heard back from them. Then, not too long ago, I was contacted and they might be interested in this project again,” Shepherdson said.
Another opportunity came along when the company was asked to make institutional furniture out of fibreglass such as chairs, beds and stools.
“That really helped us gain back what we lost when the recession hit a few years ago,” Wood said. “When that happened, our competitors found ways to produce their products cheaper by being made in China. But now we are gaining ground, slow and steady.”
A retail outlet catering to the paddling and outdoor enthusiast was established at the company's site and at a downtown New Liskeard store front. Wilderness Dreams carries a variety of gear, clothing and accessories.
Mid-Canada also became the Canadian warehouse distributor for Canoes Plus, which is based in Vermont. It supplies gear and accessories and new products on the market to smaller retailers, and all the available items are listed in a 100-page catalogue.
“We have customers all across Canada and it certainly has growth potential,” Wood said.
While the company has ventured onto new paths, Shepherdson is reluctant to walk the one that will lead to full retirement.
“I don't have any hobbies but I still come in three days a week just to be here and talk to the employees, sort of like an ambassador,” he said.
“I guess I could walk out any day, but where the heck do I walk to?”
