Hartland company marks occasion with open house
Craig Manufacturing is celebrating its 75th anniversary – plus one.
The Hartland company, created in 1946, held an open house on Saturday, Aug. 13, for the public to mark the special occasion. Attendees enjoyed a barbecue, cake, and plant tours, as well as bouncy castles and face painting for children.
Company president Ben Craig said that while the official 75th anniversary was last year, his business waited to celebrate with the public until this summer because of COVID-19 restrictions.
“We wanted to make sure we had an event that everybody could feel safe to come to,” said Craig.
Craig said he’s “extremely proud” that the company created by his grandfather, Woodford “Woodie” Craig, has reached this exciting milestone.
“We feel very honoured that Grandpa’s legacy has been able to continue with all the help of the great people on our team,” he said. “We feel very blessed to be able to celebrate today.”
John Craig, former president of Craig Manufacturing, said the 75th anniversary was “a pretty special milestone.”
“Not many companies today make it that far. Through a lot of hard work and great staff, we’ve been able to accomplish that,” he said.
John recounted some of the special projects the company has done over the years, including building a ferry that once served the Beechwood dam.
“We also made a bomb disposal unit for the Department of National Defense once, a prototype unit,” he added.
Ben said the highlights of Craig Manufacturing’s history are when the company has persevered through good economies, bad economies, burned buildings and more.
“It’s just a story of being a little bit better every day and having a great team of people that really helped us out,” he said.
Looking to the future, Ben said the goal is continued growth in Carleton County and all of Craig Manufacturing’s facilities across North America.
“It’s making sure that everybody has a great job for many years to come. And we’re always looking to add great people to our team,” he said.
John thanked customers and employees for their help and support over the years, saying New Brunswick is a great place to live and do business.
“We’re proud to be Canadian and proud of being from New Brunswick,” he stated.
Ben said he’s grateful to the customers and employees who helped make this anniversary possible.
“It’s a day where our whole team should be really, really proud of what we’ve accomplished here,” he said.
