Open for business after a devastating fire

Page B10

Like the mythical Phoenix, Winalta has survived the flames and risen from the ashes, back in business, and bigger and better than ever.

Winalta, a leading builder of manufactured homes in Western Canada, suffered a major setback in May 2001 when it's manufacturing facility on the Enoch reserve just west of Edmonton was destroyed by fire, shutting down the company's operations.

But with the help of dedicated staff and the patience of loyal customers, Winalta managed to survive the loss and turn things around, reopening in a new, larger location within 90 days of the fire.

The company had been operating out of its Enoch location since it was begun in 1976 by James Sapara, Winalta president and CEO.

"At the time, Enoch was looking for business to locate on the reserve, and so Winalta approached Enoch about setting up on the reserve, and that's where we started. And we were there until our fire on May the 6th of last year," said Pete Snaterse, general sales manager for Winalta. "And we grew enormously over the 26 years that we were there, to a point where we were one of the major, probably the major supplier of affordable manufactured homes in Western Canada."

A manufactured home, Snaterse explained, differs from a modular home in that modular homes are homes designed to be installed on a full basement, while a manufactured home is designed to be self-contained, with the furnace and water heater inside on the main floor. Winalta builds both manufactured homes and modular homes. The company also builds medical units, schools, offices, and has even built a clubhouse for a golf course.

Winalta's new home is located west of Edmonton on the corner of the Yellowhead Trail and Highway 60.

"It's a beautiful location," Snaterse said.

According to Snaterse, the deciding factor on whether the company should relocate operations or rebuild in the old location was time-the extra time it would have taken to build from the ground up rather than renovate an existing building would have meant Winalta would have lost the rest of its production year.

"We didn't have the time because we were right in the middle of our building season. We had to relocate to an existing building, or we would have lost the whole year. So we were able to relocate to a building that was already there, and do the renovations to it, and get back in business within three months of the fire. And that was the sole purpose of the decision," Snaterse said.

The new location selected was an existing 80,000-sq. ft. building that previously had been home to a recreation vehicle and marine sales and service outlet. In order to turn the existing building into the new home of Winalta, the ceiling of the building was raised eight feet, and an extra 25,000 sq. ft. was added on. A new 7,200-sq. ft. office building was also built on site.

Winalta employees played a big role in retrofitting the new building to meet Winalta's needs, putting the extra effort in that was necessary to get the project completed on time.

"Staff really stepped up and went beyond their call of duty," Snaterse said. "We kept them employed through the down time, but they really stepped up and went the extra mile and worked the extra hours to get us back to where we are today. And it was fantastic."

Between 100 and 150 employees were involved in the construction process, Snaterse said.

"We had a contractor come in and raise the roof of the building and add a piece on, but our employees were involved in things like making our jigs. And when we took possession of this building, there was a whole bunch of offices, and everything inside the building that had to be gutted and cleaned out. And so we had to sort of retool the building. And that's where our employees really stepped it up and got it done.

"Our employees went beyond the call of duty and showed a commitment to the company. That commitment also goes into building quality manufactured homes. That's how committed our staff is to custoer service."

The new building was open for business by Aug. 1, 2001, boasting newer, state of the art equipment, and twice as much production capacity as at the previous location.

"We've moved into a facility that's got two assembly lines. The building at Enoch only had one assembly line," Snaterse said." So at some point, we'll be able to double our capacity that we had at Enoch. And because we had a chance to start from scratch, we were able to make it a lot more state of the art than what the old building was . . . starting from scratch gave us the ability to get some better equipment, and make it a little bit more efficient."

Judging from the Winalta's track record, that extra capacity should come in handy. When the company started out 26 years ago, it sold about 100 homes in its first year of operation. Last year, about 850 homes were sold, giving Winalta its best year to date.

The new operations have also helped the company expand its product line, with the introduction of a single section 20-foot wide manufactured home.

"We can build up to 1,520 sq. ft. in one section. They can be transported to the site, at a very affordable price," Snaterse said.

Most of the homes built by Winalta are sold through its network of dealers throughout Western Canada. But about 20 per cent of the houses the company builds are sold factory direct to First Nations Manufactured homes offer First Nations a number of benefits over conventionally built homes, Snaterse explained.

"The major advantages are the cost of the home per square foot is cheaper. The quality construction, because it's built indoors in a controlled environment, the timely construction, and cost control because you don't have the cost overruns that you would building on site," he said. "When we sell a home, it comes complete, everything's in there-window coverings, appliances-and when the home comes, they don't have a lot of site work. Only set up."

Winalta currently employs about 300 people, many of who are First Nations.

"And right now we're working with communities around here, First Nations communities on work experience programs, training. So we've got a lot of people in our building that are from places like Paul band and Alexander and Alexis, the neighboring communities . . . and we still have quite a few from Enoch."

While some may have preferred that the company had remained on reserve, for the most part Winalta's employees were just happy to be getting back to work when the new location opened for business, Snaterse explained.

"It was very, very positive that we were going to be moving to a new location. It looked exciting, because it looked like the building had a lot of potential, and it looked like a real nice work environment for everybody. So I think in general, I think the reaction was very positive."

As an employer, Winalta has a lot to offer, Snaterse explained.

"We're a very active business. We look after our employees. When we had the fire, we still kept the people on board, and paid everybody. And what we have is we have a nice work environment, where people can work in the construction industry year round in a controlled, warm environment. And so it's job security. A lot of construction jobs are seasonal, whereas with us, it's not seasonal," he said.

"Winalta is back, bigger and better than ever. Come see us."

For more information about Winalta, visit the company's Web site at www.winaltainc.com.

Individuals wanting information about purchasing a manufactured home can call Ridgewood Homes at 780-960-2112. Communities wanting more information can call Winalta directly at 780-960-6900.