Chatterson Lumber Company Ltd.
Loyalty helps this small business thrive

by Alysia Shivers

In today’s uncertain times, when big conglomerates are struggling and thousands of employees are without jobs, small businesses, like Chatterson Lumber Company Ltd. in Balcarres, SK, are thriving.

“It is just a matter of perseverance and offering a quality product,” says president and owner Dwight Dixon. While these are certainly key components to any business’ survival, Chatterson Lumber has something else that appeals to its customers—loyalty—a characteristic Dixon holds dear.

Decades ago, Dixon himself started as an employee of the company, working nearly four years in the retail store, a 13,000-square-foot space that caters to the general public’s residential building needs. “Like a Home Depot but on quite a smaller scale,” he explains.

After leaving the company to pursue his own business, Dixon was approached by the owner. “He was wanting to retire and asked if I would be interested in purchasing it,” says Dixon, whose answer was an emphatic yes.

“When I purchased the company in 1981, it was primarily retail building materials and some construction,” he says, noting he had one-and-one-half employees at the time.

Dixon admits to not really having a vision for his newly purchased company. “I just wanted to keep the company functioning and to grow it,” he says.

What he brought to the company, however, was flexibility as well as the ability to keep up with market trends. “At some point the commercial side was stronger than the residential. And at this point, the residential is stronger,” he explains. “We just follow the market.”

To stay in the black meant expanding its residential construction business and bidding on projects, a strategy that has brought its annual sales to approximately $4 million. “We had always done some residential so our employees had the skill set to do both,” Dixon says. 

Out of meeting market demand, a specialty surfaced—custom single-family homes. 

With a string of lakes located just a bit south of the company’s base, homeowners sought out Chatterson Lumber to build their resort-style homes. On an annual basis, it now constructs eight to 10 houses. 

Its upper middle class clientele has in turn spread the word. “We don’t do any advertising. All of our business comes from referrals,” says Dixon. The company doesn’t even have a web site, which in today’s business world is almost unheard of. But Dixon says that it “has not been detrimental to us at all.”

Rather, one of its challenges is trying to accommodate the needs of today’s savvy homeowner, who desires new products. As current president of the Western Retail Lumber Association (WRLA), Dixon has some insight into what homeowners want and the Association’s annual trade show helps in that respect. 

Chatterson is “not necessarily looking for new products. But we are always open to new ideas,” he says.

A true hallmark of the company is its employees—all 14 of them. Dixon, who knows each person by name, is proud to say that his employees have remained with the company for many years. “Except for the seasonal labor we hire during the construction season, most of the people are probably here at least six years,” he explains. “We even have some 25-year people.”

Dixon attributes his company’s success to the people who surround him. “The people that we have take pride in what they do and they enjoy it.” 

Loyalty is a two-way street and, in turn, Dixon remains loyal to his suppliers, most as many as 90 kilometers away. “It is an important relationship because you are depending upon the client service from these people. If you are loyal, you’ll end up getting a lot better service. You’ll be looked after,” he explains.

The future of Chatterson Lumber is simple: Maintain its levels. There is no other goal and there are no expansion plans. Dixon is just proud that “in this small market that we are able to be sustainable and to carry on.”