WEST KELOWNA – The co-founder of the Gorman Bros. Lumber mill in West Kelowna has died.
Ross Gorman, who struggled with Parkinson’s disease, was 93.
His son, Ron, says he passed away after suffering a stroke on Friday.
“Of course you miss your dad, you only get one dad,” expresses Gorman, who says it’s a time to remember the legacy his father leaves behind.
“In the bottom of the ditch, fixing a water pipe, or delivering the product to the customers or selling it, that was what he was good at,” says Gorman.
Gorman says it’s a legacy of hard work and treating employees right. Values which are at the heart of the mill that has grown to be one of the largest employers in the community.
“We are to a large extent on the map as a mill town. We are known for other things as well, but it’s been a very significant operation,” says West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater.
The history of the mill traces back to a bit of a fluke. The Gormans began by producing small apple boxes and then larger bins.
They later opened a small mill but the operation was so small, it didn’t even produce its own lumber.
Now, the sawmill is one of the most modern in the province and employs close to 400 people.
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Many say the mill’s success comes down to good labour relations.
In an industry notorious for bitter labour disputes, Gormans is an exception.
“Ross set the example of treating employees well,” says Archie MacDonald, General Manager for the Council of Forest Industries.
A few years ago, in 2009, the Gormans’ legacy was threatened with disaster.
The Glenrosa fire came within metres of the mill.
“It blanketed the whole place, the mill, so a group of employees that stayed, fought the fire and at that critical time, although we lost a little bit of equipment and lumber, the business survived,” says Ron Gorman.
“Mill workers were here in shorts and sandals trying to put the fire out while the fire fighters and aircraft came. So, it’s quite a story,” says Findlater.
There is a lot Ross Gorman will be remembered for but his son says there’s one lesson he won’t ever forget.
“He said always treat other people the way you would like to be treated yourself.”
There will be a memorial service for Ross Gorman at Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna Saturday, October 25 at 10:30a.m.
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