Hardwood Floors Calgary | About
At Smith Bros, we believe in the power of a family owned business that maintains sound principals of commerce. Since its initial establishment in 1918, Smith Bros has passed through three generations of the Smith family. In this time, many things have changed and adapted in the business world. The typewriter has transformed into the sophisticated machine that computers are today. For the most part, manpower has become machine power.
Steady Commitment Through Time
Smith Bros Floors has been able to continuously adapt to changes in the business landscape by retaining two main qualities: honesty and integrity. At Smith Bros, we believe that these two qualities speak tremendous volumes about a business and the ways in which it does business. The history of Smith Bros Floors is not complicated. Nevertheless, it speaks to how the aforementioned traits came to become a staple of the way that Smith Bros continues to operate its business and interact with its customers.
The Beginning
Charles Moses Smith was the original founder of Smith Bros Floors. After working for seven years as a farmer in Three Hills from 1911-1918, Charles travelled back to Lunnenburg, was married, and moved back to Alberta with his bride. Together they purchased a small home in the pioneer city of Calgary. Charles then went to work for his half brother Calgary, who was in the construction industry. Charles did mostly odd jobs for his brother, but also became familiar with the wood flooring trade. After putting in a few months on the job, Charles’ wife, Edna, told him that, if he could work that hard for someone else, there was no reason why he could not making a comfortable living for his family by working for himself. With that simple comment, Smith Bros Floors was born. In the early 1920s, Charles and Edna had two sons, Roy and Carl. Ten years later, a third brother, Robert, was born. As the boys aged, Charles began to involve them more in the family business and, eventually, in 1939 the company was renamed C.H. Smith and Son.
The Second Generation of Smith Bros Flooring
In 1955, the founder and man behind the vision of Smith Bros Floors suffered a stroke and, shortly thereafter, Charles’ sons Roy and Robert took over the family business and renamed it once again, this time to Smith Bros. Floors Ltd. A growing economy meant a growing business for Roy and Robert. While they were committed to serving all the residents of Calgary and the surrounding Alberta area, Roy and Robert were careful to maintain company that exhibited honesty and integrity at all times. In the early 1980s, hardwood floors began to make their comeback. However, significant challenges befell the construction industry in Canada as the economic bust, in conjunction with the passage of the National Energy Program, resulted in a significant downturn in the Calgary economy. Nevertheless, Smith Bros persevered with honesty and integrity. As the business began to recover from the bust of the 80s, another generation of Smiths was already beginning to be included in the family business.
Third Generation of Honesty and Integrity
Roy’s son Paul was heavily invested in the company from the time he was four years old and, as he grew older he formed a lasting friendship with, Kent Archer, the man who was dating Paul’s sister Melodie. These two men, Paul and Kent, would eventually take over from Roy and Robert as the next generation of Smiths to continue successfully operating Smith Bros Floors. Throughout the next two decades, many challenges faced the team at Smith Bros Floors. However, as has been the case from the company’s inception, their ability to remain honest with their customers, as well as their employees, has resulted in their amazing reputation as a company with high integrity. Regardless of circumstances, honesty and integrity will always be the principal values upon which the team at Smith Bros strives to operate!