It could be said that our Gardewine family has been quite lucky throughout the last 70 years. Outsiders may perhaps attribute good fortune to our growth, expansions, and achievements; however, we know better than that. To the 1,548 employees who are part of this organization, it’s crystal clear that their daily hard work is the secret ingredient for Gardewine’s longterm success. The willingness, talent, and commitment from our workforce is the engine that has built this company. On this occasion, we would like to pay homage to the last 70 years of hard work by taking a walk down memory lane. It all began in 1952, when Ralph Gardewine and his sons Ed and Cecil founded Gardewine & Sons in the northern town of Flin Flon, Manitoba. We started completing a daily run between Winnipeg and Flin Flon. It’s no surprise our company was a key player in the 1960s for northern Manitoba’s development and growth as we transported supplies, equipment, and components for Manitoba Hydro.

In 1966, we greeted Winnipeg as our head office, opening the door to many new opportunities. In fact, that new door led to Paul Albrechsten and George Friesen purchasing Gardewine & Sons, henceforth known as Gardewine North. For us, that was the first step to an incredible expansion throughout Canada. Our services reached plenty of new areas, such as Dauphin, Thompson, and eventually Saskatchewan and Ontario. 

Fast forward to 2022. Thanks to all of you, Gardewine is seven decades strong, boasting a talented workforce that services 3,806 communities throughout Canada, North America, and beyond. Although we honor our history, we are committed to progress and innovation in every step of the way. 

A great example of this is our Going Green Initiative. In 2019, we replaced 14 propane-powered forklift trucks with electric ones (a number that has now grown to 25 electric forklifts, with nine more on the way); and in 2020, we replaced 15 standard vans with hybrid models, which saved 470 tons of carbon dioxide per year. In October 2021, we added a new electric shunt truck to our existing yard fleet in Winnipeg as part of our Sustainable Transportation campaign; and in August 2022, we added seven fully electric vans to our operation. The Going Green Initiative reflects on our permanent efforts to do our best work, while aiming for ways to be conscious of the impact we may have on our surroundings. 

Gardewine has stood the test of time, thriving for 70 years – and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. We have been able to adapt to change, and that is part of the reason why we have been successful. From humble beginnings to electrification and direct-to-consumer deliveries, we will continue to provide world-class service to our customers for another 70 years.