5 Ricci's going the distance.Ricci's Trucking Inc. does something most trucking companies don't; they make their own roads. The company deals primarily with the lumber lumber, term for timber that has been cut into boards for use as a building material. The major steps in producing lumber involve logging (the felling and preparation of timber for shipment to sawmills), sawing the logs into boards, grading the boards according to industry and when they get a contract to harvest wood, they make their own way to get to that forest. They build a road, provide their own gravel gravel, particles of rock, i.e., stones and pebbles, usually round in form and intermediate in size between sand grains and boulders. Gravel is composed of various kinds of rock, the most common constituent being the mineral quartz. and lay sand in the winter. "When we go to harvest, we put the roads in and our trucks go and harvest the lumber," says Ricci's Trucking owner, Louie Ricci. This ability to create their own path and the independence that comes with it is one thing that sets Ricci's aside from its competition and helps the company be successful. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We've got control of our whole operation," says Ricci. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Ricci, another key factor to the company's success is its ability to adapt to new environments. "I think we're always keeping up with the changes, and anything new we try to get on it right away," says Ricci. Whether it is new logging practices or new truck technology, Ricci's Trucking aims to keep up with any changes in the industry. "We're very flexible with changes ... we adapt right away," says Ricci. Ricci says having the ability to adapt and be flexible is key to the company's success. Having good people, offering top wages and having a driver-screening process is important to ensure the continued success of Ricci's Trucking. Louie Ricci realized a boyhood dream when he began Ricci's Trucking. As a child he was exposed to the trucking world through family and friends. The young boy who spent his summer holidays trucking realized his childhood dream when he purchased a gravel truck in 1973. He soon bought a second truck and continued expanding throughout the years. In 1979, the company began hauling pulpwood pulp·wood n. Soft wood, such as spruce, aspen, or pine, used in making paper. pulpwood Noun pine, spruce, or any other soft wood used to make paper Noun 1. , and in 1990, wood chips were added to its hauling capacity. In 1996, Ricci's Trucking began working under contract for Avenor Inc., a forest products company that was later acquired by Weyerhaeuser Co. Ltd. Ninety per cent of Ricci's business is with Weyerhaeuser. The remaining 10 per cent comes from independent contracts. Ricci's Trucking provides transportation services in northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. from Dryden to Thunder Bay Thunder Bay, city (1991 pop. 113,946), SW Ont., Canada, on Thunder Bay inlet of Lake Superior. The city was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and two adjoining townships. to Fort Frances Fort Frances, town (1991 pop. 8,891), SW Ont., Canada, on Rainy River, opposite International Falls, Minn. It is chiefly a lumbering center with sawmills and a pulp and paper factory. Tourism is also an important industry, with abundant fishing and hunting nearby. , but a big part of their business is to provide transportation to the isolated bush where logging is carried out. The company employs 110 people and has a fleet of 25 trucks, including chip, gravel and float trucks. The company has locations both in Ignace and Dryden. QUICK FACTS Company Name: Ricci's Trucking City: Thunder Bay Founded: 1973 Owner: Louie Ricci By JANET CHARLEBOIS For Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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