Soo Mill

Supplied…
SAULT STE. MARIE, ON (November 22, 2016) – Soo Mill & Lumber Company Ltd. has chosen an accomplished senior executive in the building supplies sector to serve as the firm’s next President.

Effective November 24, 2016, Randy Aikens succeeds Lynn Hollingsworth who will retire after leading the family-owned business since 2008.

Aikens brings 26 years of related retail and commercial contractor industry experience to his new duties.

Most recently, while based in St. Albert, AB, he was Operations Manager, Prairies for Metrie Canada, North America’s leading manufacturer and distributor of interior finishings.

Earlier in his career, Aikens worked as Director of Operations for Rona Ontario. He also held Store Manager, Assistant Manager and Sales Manager positions with Revy Home & Garden in Alberta.

For more than a decade, the new Soo Mill president successfully operated his own company as a renovator and contractor.

“Having grown up in a contractor family and having learned about our industry at the grassroots level, I saw the opportunity with Soo Mill as a great fit for me because it is a highly respected and successful family business,” Aikens said.

“My wife Dana and I are also very happy about moving to Sault Ste. Marie. We are both small town people and will feel right at home here.”

Hollingsworth and Aikens will work together during a transition period.

“Randy is a great addition to Soo Mill,” Hollingsworth said. “Going forward, his experience, capabilities and leadership skills will ensure continuity and consistency for our customers, contractors and employees. Randy embodies the values, principles and beliefs that have guided Soo Mill for more than a century.”

Aikens graduated in Business Administration from Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology). He has pursued ongoing training and professional development throughout his career.

About Soo Mill

Currently in its third generation of family ownership, Soo Mill is a leading building supplier in Algoma with stores in Sault Ste. Marie and Elliot Lake, as well as a roof truss manufacturing plant.

Aikens becomes the first non-Hollingsworth to be President. Fremlin Hollingsworth  founded the company in 1915. Following him as Hollingsworth Presidents were Simpson, Lynn (Sr.), Ian, John and Lynn.

Soo Mill’s Board of Directors includes John Hollingsworth, Lynn Hollingsworth, Ann Melville, Scott MacGillivray, Chris Hollingsworth and Sandra Hollingsworth.

Soo Mill, its employees and the Hollingsworth family have long and generously supported community betterment in diverse ways. They have included a $4-million donation to the Sault Area Hospital and a $100,000 contribution to capital fundraising campaigns at Algoma University and Sault College.

Company and employee commitments to giving and volunteerism have also benefited the United Way of Sault Ste. Marie and district, ARCH, the Soup Kitchen, the Group Health Centre, Rotary, the Canadian Cancer Society, The Lung Association, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and many other worthwhile organizations and activities.