Love of construction the bear fact about Grizzly
The success of Grizzly Excavating rests squarely on Wade Wagstaff’s love of construction, his commitment to making a difference and his employees’ pride in doing a good job.
Wagstaff and his wife, Wendy, own the company located at 2303 Government Street in Penticton.
“Wendy and I built this business side-by-side,” Wagstaff said.
He handles the construction work while she manages the office.
Born and raised in Penticton, Wagstaff learned construction literally from the ground up.
“My first job was shovelling dirt as a labourer,” he said.
As he learned the construction trade, he saw an opportunity to make a difference.
“I wanted a company that would do things a little better,” he said.
Wagstaff started Grizzly in 2004 with a single dump truck hauling material for other contractors.
A downturn in the local economy forced him to find work in Vernon and Vancouver before returning to Penticton in fall 2005.
“That’s when I bought my first rubber tired backhoe,” he said.
Today, Grizzly has 60 pieces of equipment—trucks, rollers, trailers, excavators— and hires up to 50 employees in season.
A woman truck driver is among the current employees.
Previously, another woman drove a compact roller and water truck.
Grizzly offers 12 different services ranging from road building and rock slinging to demolitions and construction surveying.
“Residential work has always been our cornerstone. Whether you need excavation for footings or a new driveway we have the machine for you,” Wagstaff said.
Grizzly also levels, shapes and contours orchard and vineyard land. The company installed drainage systems for Serendipity Winery in Naramata and Liquidity in Okanagan Falls.
More recently, Grizzly built the Little Engine Wines property along with the general contractor.
“We dug footings, prepped for the concrete slap, installed underground services, built the access road and parking lot and more,” Wagstaff said.
While agricultural work comes in spurts, it can account for up to 10 percent of ongoing work when it does occur.
Grizzly is best known for its high profile projects in Penticton.
“We helped Ellis Don Construction in the early phase of the Penticton Regional Hospital expansion,” Wagstaff said.
That help included constructing a new employee parking lot with underground services and installing the sanitary and water services to the future building.
Other recent large jobs in Penticton are the downtown revitalization project, upgrading of many Penticton streets (2016 Capital Works project) and the Gateway Casino.
Since 2012, Grizzly has provided excavation services to the Sendero Canyon development.
Recently, Grizzly established a recycling facility at 181 Green Mountain Road where concrete, asphalt and other materials are crushed and either returned to the original job site or sold.
“We want to be a leader in the recycling industry because it is the future and the right thing to do,” Wagstaff said.
Grizzly has a praiseworthy track record in helping the community.
Among numerous activities, the company sponsors the Vees and minor hockey and baseball teams and is a major contributor to the Peach Festival.
Last summer, Grizzly assisted in the paving of trails at Agur Lake Camp.
Although sometimes difficult to find, skilled employees are a cornerstone of Grizzy’s success.
“Without a doubt our success is due to our great staff who take pride in what they do,” Wagstaff said.
Looking to the future, he said, “We want to continue building a solid company that shows leadership in making a difference.”
For information visit www.grizzlyex.com or call Wagstaff at (250) 809-9735.
Susan McIver is a Penticton writer with a keen interest in agriculture. She can be reached by faxing the Herald at (250) 492-2403.