Community and business dignitaries were eager to attend as StudeBaker Industries Ltd. held a Ground Breaking Ceremony at their new location in Mannville on November 26. Owner, Ryan Baker, was born in Vermilion, raised on a farm at Minburn, and schooled in Mannville. He has been in the mechanical industry since 2005, and with the help of his wife, Joanna, opened StudeBaker in 2011. “I really appreciate the diversity of industry in our area. I owe a lot of my learning and experiences to the journeyman and business owner I apprenticed under, Alton Ellingboe, at Minburn Motors. We worked on everything there! He was dual ticketed (Auto and Heavy) so I took the opportunity to do the same. I learned that just because you haven’t seen it before doesn’t mean you can’t fix it. When a customer comes to you with a mechanical problem, no matter what it is on you need to adopt that problem as your own, offer them assurance to alleviate some of their frustration and work through it,” said Ryan Baker. He is very proud of the awards he received throughout his technical training and during his apprenticeship, and said that continuing to use that same striving for excellence attitude has been doing nothing but good things for them as a business. In May, 2018, he opened a shop on Claysmore Road which offered a change in going from one guy in a service truck to having four mechanical employees. “I continue with my training and earning credentials from OEM manufactures and encourage my staff to do the same. I am also proud of the fact that I am one of the youngest graduates of Lakeland College that has had the opportunity to go back and share my knowledge with up and coming apprentices through occasional contract instructor assignments,” said Baker. With business busy and growing ever since, he is excited for a new shop space to be in the works. The new transition will also include taking over Bauer Auto. On Highway 881, just off Highway 16, the new StudeBaker location will include tires, part sales, mechanical repairs, etc. They will continue to offer mobile service truck mechanical repair to assist with off road machinery. “We’re very excited for what Ryan and Joanna are doing for the community,” said Mike Myhovich, Vermilion Credit Union-Mannville Branch Manager. “To build a building like this in Mannville is awesome!” added Mayor Rex Smith. “We are thrilled with the location and couldn’t have asked for a better one. It includes a major traffic artery towards Lac La Biche and Hardisty. I always had a fascination with mechanics; the link between man and machine. I love the noise and the smell of diesel in the morning,” said Baker. They are aiming for the project to be complete by spring, 2020. For more information on services at StudeBaker Industries Ltd. you can call 780-581-4081.