Ask Mark Norkum, president and general manager of Timmins' Gorf Contracting, what the name of his company stands for, and you'll hear a series of uncertain and unlikely possibilities.
After a minute, though, he half-seriously suggests "Generations of Reliable Fabricators," an option that might be appropriate after all.
With three generations of Norkum men now having been involved with the general contracting company, operation of the steadily growing enterprise has truly become a family affair.
The beginnings of the business began with Mark's father, Alphonse Norkum, a local carpenter and homebuilder. When the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company began operation of the Kidd Creek Mine in 1966, Alphonse correctly predicted there would be a tremendous need for more local mining-focused services, and founded Gorf Contracting in response.
Over time, the initial focus on carpentry grew and expanded into civil work to meet industry demand. Before long, the company got into structural steel and custom manufacturing, outgrowing its small shop in Schumacher to a sprawling complex on Highway 101 in Timmins proper. Norkum now operates a 28,000-square-foot custom steel fabrication shop, complete with a fully-equipped machine shop.
While construction work is still available, the general contractor primarily focuses on the mining and forestry industries, producing anything from chutes to tanks and conveyor systems.
"I find you have to be diversified if you really want to succeed," says Mark.
"It's a small community, but it's also a big area. When one industry's up, the other's down, and you have to constantly be mindful of that."
A crew of 48 employees makes up the close-knit heart of the company, though that number can ramp up to as high as 230 during particularly busy seasons or projects.
For many years, the employee list also included Tom Laughren, who has since become the mayor of Timmins.
Among that list of employees is also one of Mark's sons, Mark Jr., introducing the third generation of Norkums to the family business. While Mark Jr. works full-time in various capacities, his younger brother Brad is studying finance with the expectation of also one day becoming involved.
This matches a similar path taken by the elder Mark, who studied civil technology before taking over the business from his father in 1982. Having built the company from the ground up, however, the founder could never fully let go, remaining actively involved until 1999, and peripherally so until his passing in November 2008.
Mark hopes to translate many of the lessons he learned from his father in that time to his own sons, including the importance of working hard, being truthful about the work, and taking pride in what's been accomplished.
"You can do 10 good jobs and not hear anything about any of them, but one bad one and you'll hear about it forever," says Norkum. "You can't and shouldn't cut any corners, and you owe it to clients to be up front with them."
This dedication to honesty and hard work has paid off, providing Gorf Contracting with a great deal of high-profile work over the years. These have ranged from the construction of local hotels and police buildings to $100-million co-generation plants in Iroquois Falls and Kirkland Lake.
Extensive structural steel and concrete work was also handled by the company for what was then Placer Dome's Musselwhite Mine, 480 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
More recently, Gorf handled metal fabrication and engineering work for the De Beers Victor Mine, filling 35 railcars headed for Moosonnee.
With this kind of success, the company has never needed to take a dime of government funding or grants, something which gives Norkum no small amount of pride.
"Hard work can reap its own benefits, and it's nice to find that this is still true."
Quick Questions with ... Mark Norkum
Nick: What's been your biggest challenge?
Mark: Maintaining a consistent workload, and controlling direct and indirect costs.
Nick: What's the secret to success?
Mark: Diversification and being self-contained.
Nick: What's the best advice you were given?
Mark: Develop a business plan and avoid deviations.
Nick: What's the best advice you have to give?
Mark: Treat your employees with admiration and let them know how valuable they are and provide as much training as possible for them.
