Ryan Lodermeier and Rikki Paquette believe that if you’re not going forwards, you’re going backwards.
As the owners of the KTL Kamloops Truss Ltd, Lodermeier and Paquette are constantly finding ways to evolve their business.
“Quality is number one, and we’re not willing to take any shortcuts or lower our standards,” Paquette explains. “We're working with the structure of your home, so it’s important to have good bones.”
The company was founded in 2005 and has since grown to become a leading supplier of construction materials and engineered wood products.
“Sometimes we forget to recognize and look back on how far we’ve come,” Paquette says. “The business survived the economic downturn in 2008 and our group of people reacted really well to the pandemic and supply chain issues.”
Kamloops Truss manufactures their own wood trusses for a variety of structures throughout the BC Interior, including sheds, shops, garages, agricultural buildings, large commercial projects and custom homes.
In addition, they supply engineered wood floors such as PinkWood joists, Laminated Veneer Lumber beams, rim board, and other specialty products including glulam beams.
“We try to buy our materials as locally as we can,” Lodermeier says. “We could get the equivalent quality elsewhere, but we’re trying to support Canada, BC and the Interior.”
Lodermeier and Paquette also strive to support the construction industry as a whole.
“We’re collaborating with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Central Interior and the Western Wood Truss Association of BC and have partnered with Thompson Rivers University (TRU) to supplement and educate the industry,” Paquette explains.
Kamloops Truss is currently working with their suppliers to bring in products that support the BC Energy Step Code to make it easier for builders to access more energy efficient materials.
The ever-evolving company has also created a co-op program with TRU, where Architectural Engineering and Technology (AET) students have the opportunity to learn about truss design and building.
“A lot of the students are learning about plan design, and we struggle on our end with floor plan designers, so we want to educate them from the inside,” Paquette says. “When they graduate, they’ll have that knowledge and can either come work for us or in the industry and we’ll work alongside them.”
“We are so proud of the career positions that we have developed in the past 10 years, and we are privileged to employ an amazing team that makes the place we call ‘work’ such a great place.”
With nearly 100 employees, Kamloops Truss has a strong community presence.
“As owners, every decision that we make really does benefit or could hinder 100 families, and that’s my driving force,” Lodermeier explains. “I really try to consciously make decisions.”
To further their positive impact on the community, Lodermeier and Paquette consistently support local charities.
“Every Christmas, we donate anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000, and we spread it as far and wide as we possibly can,” Paquette explains.
Kamloops Truss proudly supports the Therapeutic Riding Association, Sun Peaks High Performance Freestyle Club, Kamloops Food Bank Society, the Royal Inland Hospital, and the Canadian Cancer Society Kamloops, just to name a few.
“We love being a big part of the community.”
