Canadian Sawmill Equipment And Engineering Company Expands Into U.S.
The BID Group of Companies, started two generations ago in Vanderhoof, has grown to be a conglomerate of companies still based primarily in the hometown of the founding Fehr family, although it also has significant holdings in Prince George.
Its various branches include equipment and engineering firms and they primarily do business building and maintaining sawmills and energy plants. In spring of this year, BID became a national company when it purchased Quebec-based Comact Equipment Inc.
This past week, BID-Comact crossed the border to do some heavy industry shopping. The company cut the ribbon on a sprawling warehouse complex in St. George, South Carolina that will act as its base of operations on the Eastern Seaboard. BID bought the property in late summer and it is now doing business as a manufacturing center for the sawmilling industry, a staple part of the eastern U.S.’s economy.
BID CEO Brian Fehr said the location has good proximity to existing mills and the price was affordable. “This allows us the ability to sell more volume from all shops as this gets us more customer base,” he said.
BID officials likened St. George to Vanderhoof, a small town of 2,100 with a strong grasp on industry. Its economy suffered heavily during the global fiscal crisis but, said mayor Ann Johnston, the BID-Comact investment of about $3 million was a sign of turning fortunes. Johnston called the arrival of BID-Comact there “a silver lining, a light for us at the end of an economic downturn and certainly a dawn of a new day in St. George and the entire area.”
From The Prince George Citizen: princegeorgecitizen.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
BID Will Upgrade Carolina Facility
BID Group To Modernize In Vanderhoof, BC
Latest News
GP Donates $100,000 To Volunteer Fire Department In Corrigan, Texas
The Corrigan Volunteer Fire Department, which has close to 25 active volunteers and answered more than 150 emergency calls in 2022, has kicked off a capital campaign to build a new fire station, which will cost $400,000. In support of this campaign, and in recognition of the three major facilities Georgia-Pacific operates (and the 1,000 people employed) in Polk County, Texas, the company has donated $100,000 to the effort…
Nashville Sets Perfect Stage For Lumber Conference
Lumber producers who made the trek to Room 205 and the 2023 Productivity & Efficiency Conference produced by Timber Processing and sponsored by Southern Forest Products Assn. (SFPA) were not disappointed as the event featured a wide range of speakers who delivered insights on different facets of mill operations…
Sawmillers Show Up At EXPO
After six shows in Atlanta, Ga. dating back to 2011, the Southern Forest Products Assn., host of the biennial Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO, decided to move the 37th edition to Nashville, Tenn. Held August 23-25, this was an exciting change for exhibitors and attendees alike—the Music City Center was in the heart of the city, allowing everyone the chance to not only walk from the variety of hotels and top-notch restaurants to the show floor but also enjoy all that Nashville has to offer by way of its world-famous music scene…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.