The Bulkley Valley Home Centre (Castle) in Telkwa, took home the 2021 Best Building Supply or Home Centre under 15,000 Square Feet Outstanding Retailer Award (ORA) last week (Oct 19th).
BV Home Centre part-owners Travis and Elaine Nanninga were on hand at the Hardlines ORA Gala in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, to accept the award sponsored by Taiga Building Products.
The ORA considers retailers such as BV Home Centre all across the nation. The award process is a very thorough one looking at not only sales, but involvement in the community, customer service and satisfaction, staff strength and longevity, and progress through and with technology.
“We are thrilled, of course, but I say this is my staff’s award, really, it’s about the outstanding jobs they do every day in both of our locations in Telkwa and Houston,” said Travis, who is also the general manager.
“For me personally, I love this business. It is challenging and rewarding. I have met many wonderful people through the years and it has allowed me to grow and change with it,” he added.
“Our staff and our connection to our community is what makes us Castle-BV Home Centre. We build strong relationships with our customers and value interacting with them on a personal level. Our commitment to supporting the communities we serve helps us to stay connected and give back where it means the most.”
It all started in 1977 when John Vriend and his family started a Farm Supply business in the Bulkley Valley at their Telkwa location.
They felt there was a demand for competitively priced farm supplies, hardware and building materials, good service, and prompt delivery..
“With hard work and listening to what his customers needed, this small business grew bigger and better with each year. Over 40 years later, Bulkley Valley Home Centre continues to offer excellent customer service and competitively priced building supplies,” Travis said.
“Our staff is our success, today we have four employees with over 20 years and three with more than 10 years of service with us. This speaks to our commitment to our staff and customers.”
As for Nanninga’s history with the company, he has been with the company for over 27 years. He started in the lumber yard, and making deliveries.
“Now I am the general manager for both stores and part-owner. I believe that customer service is our strong point and we work extremely hard to improve it all the time. We do falter from time to time, but I believe we learn from our mistakes, making us improve and become stronger each and every day.”
