Often in a family business, younger members go off to forge other careers before returning to the fold. Such was the case with Tyson Lambert, vice-president of T-Mar Industries Ltd., well known in logging circles for having manufactured about 150 log loaders and 25 grapple yarders. 

Tyson, 44, spent nine years in the IT sector after graduating university, but in 2012 a primal urge to return to his youth of “taking apart and rebuilding things” propelled his relocation to home base of Campbell River. He was especially inspired to do so after visiting the cubicle of a colleague. “He had built a massive fort out of thousands of cardboard coffee cup sleeves, each representing each day he had been in that cubicle,” he recalls. “And I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘I don’t want to be here that long.’”  

Also typical in a family business are differing accounts of who did what. “My dad, George Lambert, phoned me and asked if I would help him at T-Mar, and I said yes,” Tyson says, and adds good naturedly, “That’s my version of the story. His version is that I phoned him!” 

As if on cue, George says, “I was stunned when Tyson phoned and asked if he could come back, because he was making a good living in IT. I told him he had to learn things from the ground up because we had evolved considerably in his absence.” 

Whatever version is true, Tyson is preparing to assume his father’s role as president of T-Mar, and George couldn’t be happier. “Initially there was a bit of angst among staff when Tyson returned—the boss’s son, that kind of thing—but he took on a lot of responsibilities and forged really strong relationships. 

“I’m equally proud of my daughter, Bree, who’s 48. She fulfills the huge role of being our parts manager, and she and Tyson are as thick as thieves.” 

The Lambert family’s love of working with their hands unites them with people in the bush—and as such they have always been obsessive in building the best possible equipment. “We make the biggest, toughest grapples you can buy,” Tyson says with undisguised pride. “Forestry is our lifeline, so we do all we can to service the industry.” 

George fell into the business at 29 after spending eight years as a rock and roll sound technician. “I had a wife and a son to support, so I got a job as an apprentice machinist,” he says. “My goal to provide for my family evolved into a deep love for making equipment.” 

That led to his idea of starting a business that would provide machining, mechanical and welding services under one roof. “Partner Gord Olafsen and I launched T-Mar in 1984, and our concept—which back then was unique—caught on immediately,” George says.  

The company subsequently forged a reputation after George and Gord were asked to overhaul and refit a grapple yarder. “We had no experience in yarders but it was a $250,000 job, so we said ‘Sure, we can do this!’—and then figured everything out as we went along. The project was a success, and our trajectory was established.” 

George recalls this can-do spirit fondly. “It was the prevalent attitude back then, and shops right across this province flourished because of it,” he says. “It led to us expanding into engineering, and fortunately today many of my staff and my family exhibit it in spades. But overall, there are less and less inventive go-getters these days, and I think the industry is poorer as a result.” 

The can-do spirit is inherently adventurous, which is why Tyson decided to explore the IT field. “In the end computers are just machines that can be taken apart and put back together, and I was at the tail end of exciting developments in this industry,” he says. Unsurprisingly, when Tyson returned home to Campbell River one of his first jobs at T-Mar was designing the electrical controls for a yarder.  

But the single most important driver of T-Mar as far as George is concerned is family. “And on that score, I credit my success to my wife Nonie,” he says. “She’s been by my side and my advisor and financial partner for over 40 years. It was she who told me to go ahead and build our first yarder.” 

Today, as Tyson, George and their team continue work on the industry’s first electrostatic yarder (a joy-stick operated machine that will be 50 per cent more fuel efficient when put into operation by Wahkash Contracting), the elder Lambert contemplates the industry his son and possibly grandchildren will serve. “There will be turmoil for a long time as more harvestable land is transferred to First Nations,” he says. “But they will ultimately harvest the land sustainably, and we will be right there supplying them with the best equipment. 

“Between Tyson and Bree, T-Mar is in good hands.”