TEBO Mill Installations Ltd. (TMI Ltd.) commenced business as a unionized entity in 1986 with three partners: Bill Mullins, Garth Byers, and Bill Nay. All three partners had a wealth of knowledge in the forestry industry and saw opportunities opening in the sawmill/plywood and general forestry sectors. Bill Mullins had a background in operations management and experience in supervising large-scale projects. Garth and Bill Nay were skilled millwrights and had project management and estimating experience. Together, they had the skillset to take on and fully manage projects from start to finish.
Years 1986 – 1990: TEBO Mill Installations Establishment
Starting out in Bill Nay’s basement, the three partners reached out to the network they had established in the forestry sector, and the business quickly found success. TMI Ltd. started taking on projects ranging from the installation of equipment to the construction of sawmill plants. Before long, forestry companies sought their expertise, and by 1989, the business had grown to the point that it had 220 employees, including one construction project employing over 100 workers. The company started diversifying outside of the forestry industry and supplying services to the mining industry by the end of the 1980s.
Years 1991 – 2000: TEBO Group Formation and Expanding Globally
The early 1990s saw TMI Ltd. continue its growth path. The company relocated twice. First in 1991, when they purchased their first property on River Road, and then soon after, in 1993, when the partners purchased TMI’s current location on Alexander Road, Delta.
During this time, the partners noticed that many customers were non-union and realized there were opportunities to do similar work to TMI but without the requirement of providing a union workforce. This led to the start of Tebo Mill Construction Inc. (TMC Inc.) in 1994, which focused on projects with non-union clients where facilities were deemed to be an “open site.”
Soon after starting up TMI Ltd., the partners started Fraserview Fabrication and Machining Ltd. (FFM Ltd.). It was started when the partners noticed that a lot of the equipment TMI Ltd. installed was manufactured locally. Encouraged by clients, and with capacity in their new home on Alexander Road, the partners opened their own fabrication shop. FFM Ltd. continues to provide a consistent source of revenue to the group, focusing on steel fabrication and machining. Later, TMC Inc. and FFM Ltd. were amalgamated under TEBO Holdings Inc. The group of companies, formed in the early years of the 1990s, started taking on international projects by the end of the 1990s, with its first large project in Northern Ireland for Balacas Timber—expanding the largest sawmill in Ireland and the UK.
Years 2000 – 2010: Diversification and South America Expansion
The diversification journey continued throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century, with the TEBO Group taking on large-scale international projects in Argentina and Chile. Apart from developing sawmills in South America, the group started looking at projects in the energy sector, capitalising on the global shift in the green energy sector. In this decade, the group completed a lot of fabrication projects for the transport, marine, and construction industries. For example, docking systems for BC Ferries, dredging equipment for Fraser River Pile and Dredge, and structured steel projects for bridges in British Columbia.
Years 2010 – 2020: Export/Import Facilities and Green Industries
TEBO Group proved its versatility in the second decade of this century by adapting to the changing trends in the industrial and commercial construction sectors. Starting with the development of gasification industrial plants, TEBO Group developed its role as an engineering-procurement-construction EPC contractor for projects in Organics Processing and Waste Management. TEBO Group provided construction services for Surrey Biofuels, UBC Gasification Facilities, and Whistler Organics Processing Facility during this period.
Apart from constructing facilities to save our planet, TEBO Group has constructed bulk material handling systems at ports and baggage handling systems at airports. These construction and installation projects include baggage handling systems at the Vancouver International Airport, Victoria Airport, and Saskatoon Airport, as well as bulk material handling systems at Vancouver Port Terminal.
Years 2021 – To Date: Restructuring and Expansion Globally
In 2021, TEBO Group of Industries went through acquisition and amalgamation, forming three separate entities: TEBO Mill Installations Inc., TEBO Mill Construction Inc., and Fraserview Fabrication and Machining Inc. Alan Khara joined the senior management team, bringing a wealth of experience in managing large-scale projects. Success continues to this day with a high level of customer retention and over 90% repeat business.
