John Brink hurdled over some major obstacles to living out his dream of owning a sawmill in Prince George.
He released his book called “Against All Odds” outlining his journey from Holland to Canada in 1965 and starting Brink Forest Products a decade later.
Brink admits the facility endured some pretty humble beginnings.
“The first three months I lost $75,000 plus the $25,000 I got from the bank and every time a car went by I would it was the bank who would say John the gig is over, give us the money, you’re done. But, they stayed with me working hard, sleeping fast, and going seven days a week as long as I could stay awake before eventually growing the company.”
He knew from a young age getting into the lumber industry is something he wanted to do.
“When I was about 12 my dad managed a small lumber company for somebody else and I kind of grew up in the lumber industry. My second dream was to go to Canada to build my own lumber mill. When I did some investigating I knew I had to go to British Columbia.”
“I tried to go when I was 17 but my parents wouldn’t let me and I was drafted into the Air Force for two years. I left Holland when I was 24 with $150 dollars and then I came to Vancouver and I told a German fellow what I wanted to do and he suggested Prince George because that is where they were building all of the mills.”
The 80-year-old would like anyone who reads his book to be inspired by his story and subsequently give others that extra push to pursue their aspirations.
“I would hope that once they read the book and those that have doubts about their dreams or aspirations can say ‘I can do it.
The Brink Group of Companies now employs over 400 people.
Brink and CNC jointly purchased a building for a trades and technologies program, where it was named in his honour during the fall of 2019.
He then donated a million dollars to the college, which will stretch over the next decade.