Ahead of the Curve
The Wilco Group of Companies has maintained its point
spot thanks to its evolution in skills and its tool innovation
From good beginnings, great things often grow. This is
certainly the case with the Wilco Group of Companies,
a Thunder Bay, Ontario-based leader in civil and landscape
construction that has made a name for itself
from the Lakehead to Vancouver Island.
Wilco was formed in 1981 when it concentrated on soft
landscaping and environmental work. This focus grew from
its roots as Wills’ Nursery and its affiliation with the Maat
family of Fort William – as Thunder Bay was known back
COMPANY PROFILE
in the ’50s. It was the sons of Dirk Maat – Peter, Arthur, Rob
and John – who got Wilco underway and began to spread the
company’s branches across Western Canada.
“From a young age my father, Fred Cramer, worked for Dirk
‘Dick’ Maat. He worked hard for many years to earn shares
in the company. In the mid-2000s, as the business grew,
my father took over the Thunder Bay division and things
took off from there,” said Wilco Group of Companies vicepresident
David Cramer. Today, Fred Cramer is president of
By Kelly Gray
PHOTOS: WILCO SUPERIOR
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