By Michael Bennett
Local Journalism Initiative
The Ridgetown Independent News
A good-sized crowd helped Waltron Trailers Inc. celebrate its 50th anniversary at its open house recently.
Current and former employees and their families, customers, suppliers and invited guests, as well as local residents and politicians, were on hand for a brief ceremony followed by guided tours and lunch at the same 55 Marsh St. in Ridgetown location where Waltron Ltd. opened in 1975.
Walt Spence, an electrician, and the late Ron McLean, a tool and die maker, created Waltron Ltd. to serve the local agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
“There have been a lot of changes over the years since Walt and Ron joined forces to open Waltron Ltd.,” said current Waltron president Bill Loucks.
What started as one small building in 1975 has expanded to a 30,000 square-foot manufacturing facility with 12 production bays – including a new sandblasting building that opened this spring following a 2024 fire.
“There are a lot more people here today than I remember 50 years ago,” Spence said, comparing Thursday’s crowd to the day Waltron opened. “It was a very small building that cost a lot of money back then.”
Spence said it was hard to believe, looking at the expanded complex that had started from the original, small building.
“I’m very proud of what the people have done with Waltron; it’s come a long way. I congratulate them,” stated Spence. “And I congratulate them for not forgetting a little fella like me and keeping my name on it.”
Waltron evolved into a world-class leader in heavy-duty custom trailer manufacturing, service, and refurbishing, with an experienced and innovative in-house staff that designs, engineers, and manufactures heavy-haul trailers for the agriculture, energy, marine, and infrastructure sectors.
The company name was changed to Waltron Trailers in December 2004 to reflect its focus on building specialty trailers, primarily for the boat-hauling industry.
“Waltron currently builds and refurbishes specialty trailers used in a number of operations, including boat hauling, aerospace, utility, agriculture, construction rental, and salvage work,” said Loucks, who joined the Waltron team in 2004.
“One of our most famous trailers was sold to Sir Richard Branson to haul a rocket in California … it’s quite the trailer to check out on our website.”
The dedication and commitment of Waltron’s staff were never more evident than in the Feb.2024 fire that destroyed the sandblasting building and a production bay, resulting in $2 million in total damage.
“The fact that a majority of our staff immediately came to the plant to see if they could help while the fire was still burning is a testament to the dedication and loyalty of our employees,” Loucks said. “I would like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication each and every day.”
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff talked about the company and employees’ resilience in the wake of the fire in his address to the open house crowd.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs with the fire; it’s a testament to your employees how they came out to the fire,” Canniff said. “We at Chatham-Kent are so proud of this organization for everything that you do in our community.”
Canniff presented a plaque “to celebrate 50 years and to look forward to another 50 years.”
Quality Inn earns award
The Quality Inn in Chatham recently picked up a piece of hardware.
Choice Hotels Canada named the inn the Best New Entry: Conversion Upper Midscale/Midscale Brands.
Altogether 13 national APEX Awards were awarded, recognizing top performance, commitment to guest service, and operational excellence.
“Congratulations to Ahil Eswaran and his family for this well-deserved award,” said Brian Leon, CEO of Choice Hotels Canada in a media release. “Their hard work and attention to detail has resulted in an impressive hotel that is a phenomenal representation of the Quality brand.”
The Eswaran family have several investment properties, but the Quality Inn in Chatham marks their first foray into the hotel business. The property underwent a renovation and it now features a seasonal outdoor pool and gardens.
RONA Rookies
The South Kent Lightning are RONA Rookies this season.
RONA has selected 150 minor hockey league teams to receive financial support, including the Lightning.
The goal of this sponsorship is to allow selected teams to purchase equipment, reduce registration fees, take part in tournaments and get apparel featuring their team colours.
Each sponsorship is valued at approximately $4,000.
New deal at Maple City
Employees of Maple City Retirement Inc., represented by Southwestern Ontario Healthcare and Service Workers Union, CLAC Local 303, voted 94 per cent in favour of ratifying a three-year collective agreement providing them with annual wage increases and other improvements.
The new contract includes general wage increases of 3.5 per cent each year, along with a special wage adjustment for resident service attendants.
The agreement covers 25 employees at the Chatham retirement home, including resident service attendants, activity aides, housekeepers, dining services attendants, maintenance workers, and cooks.
- Business Voice is a bi-monthly column in The Chatham Voice that highlights some of the achievements made and efforts underway in Chatham-Kent’s business community. Send your information to [email protected].
