Whitecourt Transport delivers

By Laura Bohnert

Are you looking for freight services in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, or Whitecourt? Look no further than Whitecourt Transport. One of the oldest businesses in town, Whitecourt Transport has been a longstanding contributor to the local economy—and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

“Whitecourt Transport offers daily freight service from both Edmonton and Grande Prairie to Whitecourt,” explains Jeff Rosnau, VP Operations, Whitecourt Transport Inc. “As well, we offer contract dry bulk hauling for local sawmills, pulp mills, energy plants, and the oilfield.”

“Whitecourt Transport is one of Whitecourt’s longest running businesses,” says Rosnau. “We began servicing the Whitecourt area 70 years ago, in 1946.”

“Whitecourt Transport is a family owned and operated business,” he says enthusiastically. “It was started by my wife’s grandfather, Nick Evasiuk, and was passed down to his sons, Dave and Rick Evasiuk, and their uncle, Phil Topilka. We are now in our third generation.”

But the fact that the business was part of a family tradition wasn’t the only appeal for Rosnau.

“I joined Whitecourt Transport in 2000, after finishing university and working for several years as an environmental engineering consultant,” notes Rosnau. “Although trucking was not a part of my background, I got pretty excited early on about the great growth potential for the company and the opportunity to work and raise our family in our own home town.”

Of course, opportunity doesn’t come without its challenges, Rosnau describes.

“Running a small business has definitely been a challenging endeavor, but I have been very blessed to get to work alongside many enthusiastic and dedicated people.”

“Trucking is a highly regulated business because we share our workplace with the general public,” explains Rosnau, “so safety and compliance are always critical elements. Also, like many other Whitecourt businesses, the boom and bust of the oil economy has definitely created a challenging environment for finding and retaining qualified staff.  The recent economic downturn has been a challenge. Fortunately, we are fairly diversified, so we can generally weather the storms a little better than some other trucking companies.”

And Whitecourt Transport’s ability to weather an unstable economy is a very good thing for Whitecourt.

“Whitecourt Transport is a stable local employer with strong ties to the community,” states Rosnau. “We consider ourselves to be in partnership with several other Whitecourt businesses, and we strive to help all of our customers to be competitive.”

“Their success is usually our success,” he smiles. “We also really value our staff and our community, and we really try to support things that are important to Whitecourt residents. Over the years, we have been actively involved in many ways—we are major sponsors for many Whitecourt clubs, teams, and facilities.  Our management team, family members, and key staff have held numerous positions or served in the community in a variety of ways. We have contributed as coaches, business mentors, school board members, and town councillors. We have also been active members of the snowmobile club, Rotary club, chamber of commerce, and transportation advisory committee.”

“We really do consider it to be part of our job to be promoters and champions for the Town of Whitecourt,” Rosnau stresses.

Whitecourt Transport’s success enables it to be a champion for Whitecourt—but all of that success comes right back to the hard work of the people who have made the company possible.

“Whitecourt Transport would be nothing without the incredible dedication and hard work of our staff,” states Rosnau. “We truly believe that we have the best team in town!”

“Whitecourt Transport is proud to serve our customers and our community,” Rosnau concludes. “We are definitely here for the long haul!”

If you are in need of transportation or freight services, stop by Whitecourt Transport, located at 3710 33^rd Street, Monday to Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.