Watch Video of the economic impact of JDI investments with Fredericton companies.   Vimeo   YouTube

Tek Steel of Fredericton is one of 26 contractors and suppliers in the Capital region that have secured over $5.5 million of work at the Pulp Mill modernization project in Saint John and the Grand Lake Timber Mill expansion in Chipman.  The projects are part of JDI's $513 million investment to strengthen the forest sector and sustain jobs in New Brunswick.

"It is nice to see that work being given to local contractors and we are happy to get some of that work," said Don DiPaulo, General Manager of Tek Steel.  "We hire locally from Fredericton and New Brunswick, and projects like the JDI expansion at the Chipman sawmill keeps these guys working."

Other suppliers include Liteco, a Fredericton-based company supplying the electrical equipment and materials for the JDI mill re-investments in Saint John and Chipman.  E&I Engineering, another Fredericton company,  just won the contract for the electrical definition engineering for the new pulp dryer project at the JDI mill in Saint John. 

"They just keep reinvesting in new projects, and we make our living doing capital work.  So these projects are fabulous for us," said Ian Burgess, Senior Engineering Partner at E&I Engineering.

"We have many longstanding suppliers across New Brunswick," said Jim Jordan, Vice President of Supply Chain at J.D. Irving, Limited.  “Fredericton companies are vital sources of supply and talent that are helping us succeed with our modernization effort.”

Fredericton is one of 200 communities throughout New Brunswick that supply JDI forestry and forest products operations.  It is a network of over 1700 businesses – most of them small enterprises in rural areas with less than 20 employees.  The current JDI investment benefits not only the individual suppliers, but also the communities where the suppliers live and raise their families.

“The JDI investments are made here in the province which allows local businesses to flourish," said Ed Ridgely, Senior Engineering Partner at E&I Engineering.  “Those investments allow us to keep our families here and educate our kids.  I think that one of the main driving forces of the Irving businesses is that they allow us to stay and carry on here.”