Growing Shelburne business cuts carbon footprint

By Greg Bennett

The Coast Guard

While moving full speed ahead on its new product line of highway signs, Terry Hawkins Industries is also making efforts to make environmentally conscious decisions.

Hawkins, who describes the traditional fiberglas industry as a dirty one with a big carbon footprint, has been able to change much of that within his business through recycling of waste, the use of more environmentally-friendly resins and by adapting furnaces to use a cooking oil-stove oil mixture at the facility. “It’s a distinct advantage to be able to reduce our carbon footprint,” says Hawkins, noting that all levels of governments and businesses are looking at using businesses that are as eco-friendly as possible.

Hawkins notes that the company can also recycle other scrap fiberglas used in the boat building industry. “We’d pick it up and reuse it instead of it ending up in a landfill,” he said.

Over the last few months the company has been busy producing sign blanks and signposts for highway use and Hawkins says they are beginning to hire more people as contracts come into line.

He hopes to employ 26 more workers by the end of the summer.

Highway signs have become big business for the company as it continues to fill orders for the province and open new markets across Canada and the U.S.

He says that the lighter, more durable fiberglas sign blanks have been an easy sell to highway departments dealing with vandalism and thefts of higher cost traditional aluminum signs.

With the increased sales the privately held company is planning to turn a big corner this summer and start making a profit after losing money over the last few years.

There are even hopes that a sub-office may be developed in the U.S. as the company begins to pry open opportunities in that huge potential market.