The transformation is complete

Ken and Susan Lehmann are the owners of Golden Transfer Company in Golden, B.C., and they have been searching for a new location for their company’s warehouse and office for more than four years. When they discovered that Canadian Helicopters Ltd. was vacating its building located at 400 Fisher Road in Golden, the Lehmanns decided to purchase the building and make it their own.

The facility was originally built to meet the needs of Canadian Helicopters Ltd. and work to make the building compatible for Golden Transfer Company began immediately after the Lehmanns took possession of it on November 30, 2011.

Getting elevated

“We had to build up the warehouse to dock height because it was right on ground level,” said Susan. “So we had to pour a concrete wall, fill it up with gravel and then pour concrete on top of that. There were two big doors so they could move their helicopters in and out and we took those out and we put in four truck doors with bumpers and sealed pads so that when the trucks back up, they actually . . . seal to the building so we don’t lose our heat. We had to put another door on the side of the building for our body truck that does local deliveries.”

The floor of the warehouse was raised up four feet, and because of that, Susan said that the electrical system in the building had to be elevated and reloaded as well. To provide heat for the facility, the Lehmanns purchased a De-On Supply Inc. (D.S.I.) Clean Burn furnace—this energy-efficient heating system burns used engine oil that is retained from the trucks at Golden Transfer Company.

“(The furnace) has a compartment . . . when they do oil changes they bring (the used oil) over in a tote bag and pour it in,” said Susan, "and that’s what it uses to run."

Renovations to Golden Transfer Company’s new facility were completed by December 31, 2011, and the company was fully operational by January 1, 2012. According to Susan, the project would not have been possible without the hard work and long hours put in by staff members and contractors. Greg McTaggart and his Golden-based company, Absolutely Hammered Contracting Ltd., worked on the project—and so did several other local construction outfits.

Moving forward

Golden Transfer Company offers refrigerated and general overnight freight-hauling services from Calgary, Alberta, to Golden, Cranbrook and  communities in between. The company’s trucks also run from Cranbrook to Sparwood and from Cranbrook to Nelson. In the future, Susan said that she and Ken will look at expanding their company’s service route to include Revelstoke and Kelowna. The company’s new building can expand to include more loading docks, if the need for them arises.

Meet the owners

Ken and Susan Lehmann are longtime residents of Golden and they live an active lifestyle. Ken has many years of experience as a logging truck driver and he owns two logging trucks. He is also a professional ski instructor and he loves to golf. In her spare time, Susan travels to Alberta and the U.S., showing her American quarter horse, named Jake.