Rector Machine Works is a prime example of a family business which has grown exponentially over the years.
Hervey Rector Sr. and his wife Loretta started off in the machine shop business in Espanola in the 1930s, the couple relocating to Sault Ste. Marie in 1943, operating out of their home on Charles Street, then in 1952, moving to Wellington Street West.
When Herv Sr. passed away in 1967, son Herv Jr. and wife Sandi took over the business and continue to oversee activities in mentor roles at the current Rector Machine Works site at 190 Sackville Road.
The company is now co-owned by Herv and Sandi’s children: Dave Rector, president, his brother Mark Rector, vice president and sister Michelle Rector, secretary/treasurer, with Dave’s wife Karen working as office team leader.
“It’s a true third generation business and we have lots of families, fathers and sons, who have worked for us, like Ernie Girardi and his son Justin, and husband and wife Dave and Kelly Briffett, so we still like to have those family values,” Dave Rector said, as we presented him and brother Mark with complimentary SooToday coffee mugs.
The company has approximately 50 employees, Mark said.
“We have many families to take care of and we discuss that quite often in our operations,” Mark said.
Rector Machine Works has successfully expanded its operations over the years to manufacture and repair components for the steel, forestry, power generation, mining and pulp and paper industries, being a one stop shop providing machining, welding and fabricating services, a driveline division (manufacturing drive shafts for everything from ATVs to large drive shafts which turn equipment in mills and factories), hydraulics manufacturing and industrial contracting.
“This business is important to me because they say the third generation in a family business always has the hardest time and we want to succeed where others haven’t,” Mark said.
“The business has been around for 85 years and the last thing we want is to be the reason why it didn’t succeed.”
“There is responsibility and accountability and it’s a very important part of our lives, to see it through and try our best to give a lot of people a good living. We’re a part of the community, always have been, and the Sault is a great place to live and grow a business.”
“We’re not going to stop growing, we might take smaller steps than other businesses in town, but our Dad Herv always says take baby steps and try not to outdo yourself and end up in trouble.”
To stay growing and competitive, the company has recently diversified, receiving industry certification for aluminum fabrication, meaning aluminum work can now come to Rector and be completed onsite, aluminum a favourite with industry leaders as it is lightweight and wear-resistant.
“For me,” Dave said, ‘it’s important to provide a living for all the families that work for us and hopefully in future, but also to get kids involved in the skilled trades.”
“This is what we need, through the colleges, and being involved with Indigenous people and First Nations communities, trying to set it up so we have future tradespeople coming up.”
“It’s important to me to use the company as a positive vehicle to get through life for everybody who’s involved with our business, to produce positive change in the community, to be visible and sponsor lots of things, benefits for people, sports, ARCH, United Way…we try and touch everything and every year we sit down and say ‘this is what we’d like to sponsor this year,’ like the ALS Walk, the ARCH golf tournament and so on.”
“If you own a business it’s important to give back, not only here in the Sault but in the other places we do business in, like Dubreuilville,” Dave said.
“There is a certain amount of pride in having a family business, but we rarely discuss shop outside of business hours. It’s nice we automatically flip a switch and enjoy family time together. There’s time for work and time for family. If you do talk shop, you get stared down pretty quick,” Mark chuckled.