CT Loewen & Sons history

1905 Founding of C.T. Loewen & Sons goes back to 1905. It was C.T.Loewen ‘s desire and willingness to explore the unknown that played an important role in his business ventures. It was this trait which helped Mr. Loewen develop a business which served its customers well. Records tell us that 350,000 board feet of lumber were hauled out by horses that first winter from their saw mill near Sandilands.
1910 This was the year the business moved from the woods to  Steinbach’s main street. A new sawmill, lumber yard and a small woodwork shop furnishing doors and windows to the local trade.
1917 As the building boom of the war years continued, the company’s first millwork equipment was installed. Included in this equipment was a three-sided planer, and a combination woodworker.
1936 During the depression of the thirties Mr. Loewen recognized the needs of the new beekeeping business. The company started manufacturing beekeepers supplies with a catalogue listing all of their supplies being mailed across Canada. This made C.T.Loewen’s the first local firm to seek a market in the national field.
1940 During the winter months of the Forties C.T.Loewen operated lumber camps at Simon House Manitoba, Hudson Bay Junction in Saskatchewan, and at Rock Creek in British Columbia. These were operated by his sons George, Cornie and Edward. This would help alleviate the shortage of lumber created by the building boom which came with the war. Mr. C.T. Loewen was convinced that the experience gained in operating these camps would serve as a valuable training for his sons, who would follow in his steps in the business world.
1947 Dry wood, required by the company to maintain its high standard of craftsmanship in the manufacturing of doors and windows, was becoming difficult to get. To take care of this problem Loewen’s built their own lumber-drying kiln. The kiln had room for nine thousand feet of two-inch lumber.
1949

When the beekeeping business declined in the late Forties, the C.T.Loewen firm used its facilities to manufacture hydro-pole crossarms for the Manitoba Government’s rural electrical program. To offset the annual winter slowdown, pews were manufactured of kiln dried larch lumber. These proved so popular that it wasn’t long before they were purchased by congregations in Manitoba, as well as in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Through the years to meet the fuel needs of their customer, the firm carried many types of coal, ranging in name from Cadillac Lump to Elkhorn Stoker to Soo Booker, and from Mixed Stoker to Cadillac Stove. With the slogan “ We Sell to Serve Again” 169 carloads of coal were sold to the Southeast in one winter.
1955 June a three-day event was organized to celebrate C.T.Loewen & Sons Golden Jubilee.
1960's R.T.M.’s ( ready to move homes ) became a vital part of the company’s business. These were shipped across Manitoba.
1967 C.T.Loewen was one of the, original Manitoba lumber yards, to launch Tim-Br-Mart. This new buying group was to combine their purchasing volumes to maximize the best possible price. Today Tim-Br-Mart represents more than 600 member locations across Canada with over 3.4 Billion $ in retail sales.
1971 C.T.Loewen is divided in two companies. Geoge Loewen , with his three sons, Gary, Roger and Curt take over the lumber yard and Redicrete cement plant. Edward & Cornie move on to expand the window and door manufacturing to become Loewen Window.
1975 The Redicrete concrete plant is moved from downtown Steinbach to Clearspring road just a few miles north of the city.
1990 In order to meet the increase demand for more retail space and better merchandising a bright new building and franchise is built on Highway 12 north of the city. Although belonging to the same franchise group the name changes from C.T.Loewen Pro Hardware to C.T.Loewen Do-it Center. Promoting more of a home building center.