Heavy lifting fuels growth of Whiteriver Logistics – Winnipeg Free Press

When Raj Sekhon moved to Winnipeg from Dubai in 2008, he did so as an immigrant investor with the intention of capitalizing on his family's experience in the shipping business.

He started Whiteriver Logistics in 2008 with one truck.

In 2022, the company purchased 111/2 acres in Brookport Business Park and built a 20,000-square-foot warehouse.

It has now purchased a second, larger site (16 acres) on the other side of CentrePort Canada Way, where construction is beginning on 50,000 square feet. hub.

“This will be the first phase and we will build another 50,000 sq ft building later,” Sekhon said on Wednesday.

After investing $30 million in real estate holdings, the company now operates 90 trucks with approximately 120 trailers and has close relationships with a number of Manitoba manufacturers that handle heavy equipment and difficult materials.

The company has developed particularly strong relationships in the aerospace business. It now transports aircraft engines to locations throughout North America, including a cold-weather test facility in Thompson.

“Business is developing. We feel good about things. Everything is going well, so we are expanding,” Sekhon said.

A native of India, he moved to Dubai in his early 20s to help his father's shipping business, which he eventually ran.

This business was much smaller than Whiteriver, but it also had relationships with the aerospace industry and international shipping companies. Sekhon used these connections to build his Winnipeg company; The Dubai business was sold in 2013.

“The back and forth was too much,” he said.

Sekhon continues to count some of the dozen or so international steamships as customers.

Whiteriver's specialization led him to accept challenging jobs involving heavy machinery. It has forklifts and machines capable of lifting up to 50 tons, and other equipment on request can lift and stack up to five shipping containers.

The logistics side of the business, including internal and external warehousing, means that Whiteriver can offer a full range of services.

Aaron Doliniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said that while Whiteriver is not yet a member of the MTA, it has built a strong reputation in the industry. (Sehon said his company is in the process of becoming a member of the MTA.)

“At first I thought about selling the business, but my kids said they wanted to keep it going,” Sekhon said.

His two sons in their 20s are now actively involved in the business, as well as Sehon's brother and nephew.

Whiteriver now partners with another, slightly larger firm, RoadStar Trucking in Milton, Ont.

Sekhon has been friends with the owner of RoadStar for 20 years.

“He thought about growing up in Manitoba. We talked and decided to establish a partnership and develop the business,” Sekhon said.

RoadStar now owns 50 percent of Whiteriver. The two companies operate in different businesses, with RoadStar operating dry vans and refrigerated trucks and Whiteriver operating flatbeds, hopper bottoms and walk-behind trailers.

Now the two companies outsource work to each other for their customers depending on the service required.

“I give Whiteriver a lot of credit. It's been a wild ride for the trucking sector, which has grown massively during the pandemic, and now other changes are affecting trucking volumes. They were nimble, got investment in a new partnership and now invest in new operations to expand. They have come through the tough times very well,” said Carly Edmundson, CEO of CentrePort Canada.

Whiteriver joins a growing number of CentrePort tenants who invested in expansion after initial construction a few years ago.

“Many will own property that will allow for expansion. They want to make sure they have what they need right now, but have room to grow,” Edmundson said.

Whiteriver has not been able to expand its current location in the Brookport Business Park because all of its land has been sold.

Whiteriver's new site is located in the InksPort Business Park. Both industrial parks were developed by New Canadian-owned Whiteland Developers from India. One of the new streets built in Brookport is called Punjab Drive.

“We're excited to see cultural diversity play a role in CentrePort's development. I think it's great. It allows for strong development,” Edmundson said.

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Martin Cash
Reporter

Martin Cash has written columns and business news for the Free Press since 1989. Over the years, he has chronicled a number of business cycles and the successes and failures (and booms) of many local businesses.

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