Mike McGarry: Urban Lumber MB
“So, I mean, it took a lot of lobbying and a lot of convincing to eventually get to the point where I could run a pilot project, basically just to convince the city that this is a feasible option. So, I borrowed as much money as I possibly could. I think I had, at the time, I think I had 50K to try and pull together a full sawmill facility.
And I found a nice landlord that gave me a building to rent for cheap. Founded a used forklift, found an old sawmill that I rebuilt into an electric sawmill, bought an edger, and it just started milling. Just really figuring it out as I went every step of the way. The mechanical side especially was the first challenge.”
-Mike McGarry
Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve Larosiliere is joined by Mike McGarry, the Co-Founder of Urban Lumber MB.
Mike has been at the urban lumber game since about 2018. In Winnipeg, they were losing a ton of trees in their urban canopy, primarily due to Dutch Elm Disease and Emerald Ash Borer. Because of this, Mike decided, "Hey, I've seen other companies pull this off in other locations (recycle trees); why can't we do this here in Winnipeg?" However, there was a lot of red tape at the time, mainly because three levels of government were saying, "There is no way that we can allow you to run a sawmill using these trees."
In this episode, Mike recounts how much lobbying and persuasion it took him to get to the point where he could launch a pilot project and persuade the city that his proposal was viable. And how he borrowed as much money and got scammed in the way just to try and pull together an entire sawmill facility.
It's time to hear the complete story now!
