New Building Supply Facility Almost Complete on Salt Spring Island
A Paul Mitchell • July 21, 2025
SALT SPRING ISLAND, B.C. – Windsor Plywood and Double Black Construction
are working together to create a state-of-the-art building products retail location in Ganges, Salt Spring Island.
The two commercial buildings, connected by a large second-floor mezzanine, cover a total of 18,000 square feet and are supported by a massive concrete retaining wall foundation to protect the structure against water runoff from the area’s hilly terrain.
Windsor Plywood Salt Spring is an award-winning building supply company. The Salt Spring store (operating out of two locations on the Island and named “Store of the Year” in 2025) stands out from other Windsor Plywood locations by offering a full complement of building supply materials to complete any building project whether it’s a renovation, new home or chicken coop. It is independently and locally owned on Salt Spring Island and part of a 60-location family-owned B.C. organization that first opened in 1969.
On June 1, 2021, Windsor Plywood Salt Spring lost their retail store overnight to a fire and has since been operating out of a 4,500 square foot event tent. The construction of the new structure has attracted a lot of excitement, support and pride within the Salt Spring community.
“June 1 is a day I’ll always remember. Fire destroyed our building, and we’ve worked tirelessly to serve our clients the best way possible until a new facility could be built,” explains Jess Harkema, Assistant Manager/Co-Owner of Windsor Plywood Salt Spring. “We’ve managed to keep the operation running, using creative solutions like temporary tents, Sea-Cans and office trailers. It’ll be a relief to finally have our dream facility, precisely designed to meet the needs of all our customers.”
The new sales and storage areas allow Windsor Plywood to increase their inventory of products for industrial and residential clients and will help the business better serve the Salt Spring community. Working with Double Black Construction, facility construction began
in November 2024 and continued throughout winter. The location is scheduled to be open to the public in late fall of 2025.
Double Black Construction, located in Abbotsford, is a commercial and industrial construction company that focuses solely on pre-engineered steel building systems. They take pride in completing quality projects on time and on budget for metal building manufacturers across North America. They use local skilled trade labour and domestically sourced materials for all their projects.
Understanding the complete needs for Windsor Plywood’s project plan, the engineers at Double Black Construction developed large, open spans to minimize the need for internal columns as much as possible. This versatile interior space creates customer- and employee-friendly layouts that will optimize the facility for easier and more enjoyable shopping experiences.
Construction using pre-engineered steel framing and concrete
means the shopping structure will be strong and maintenance-free for decades to come. The pre-engineered steel building components, including framing and wall and roofing components, were all supplied by Summit Steel Buildings
out of Vancouver.
"What separates exceptional erectors is their ability to read between the lines of technical drawings and understand what the client wants and what will work best for their business," explains John Lohan, vice president of construction
for Double Black Construction. "Our team invested the time and talent to detect potential issues before they impact the critical path. This requires both knowledge and technical depth that we’ve honed in our two decades of industry experience."
“We’re proud to partner with important British Columbia businesses like Windsor Plywood to turn their vision into reality. Together we are creating sustainable infrastructure that will help the company grow and provide more opportunity on Salt Spring Island.”
- 30 -
About the author:
A. Paul Mitchell
is Head of Research and Business Innovation for Double Black Construction and is an award-winning professional with over 30-years experience in marketing and business strategy. His previous cross-industry experience has helped develop an extensive breadth of skills, including writing, graphic and web design, media relations and operations. Paul holds Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Arts degrees as well as professional certificates in Leadership and Business Analysis from Western University. He also completed Centennial College’s post-graduate marketing and business management program. He lives in London, Ontario with his family. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
You might also like
We’ve identified industry trends and a few current challenges the industry at large is experiencing so we can help assure the quality of the buildings we install.
Engineers use pre-engineered metal buildings to optimize construction time and costs by leveraging the versatility and strength of steel.
The principles Benjamin Melo passed down to his son, Frank, continue to guide how he leads the team at Double Black Construction.
