Skookum Tools came into being in 2000, born of a drive for independence and a willingness to serve. The fundamental aim of Skookum Tools was to provide a higher degree of services in industrial supply; to succeed through developing positive relationships and exceeding expectations. Today, Skookum Tools provides unrivalled services to all manner of industry as well as providing opportunities for independent business ownership.
The concept for Skookum Tools is simple – provide trades people with reliable product and services at their convenience. For years trucks have serviced the automobile mechanic trades with hand tools – Skookum President and Founder Rob McDonald understood that if mechanics had come to rely on the ‘tool truck’ showing up at their shop that other trades would respond favourably to a similar service.
Skookum Tools sources quality products from reputable vendors, providing customers with easy affordable access to the supplies they need to get the job done. Backed by over 20 years of sales and management experience in the industrial supply industry, Skookum provides industrial consumable goods and sharpening services to the wood, metal and fiberglass trades, including:
- Metal Fabrication – welders, sheet metal, machine shop
- Woodworking – millwork, pulp & paper mills, lumber, furniture, signs, carvers, turners
- Cabinet Making – kitchen, commercial, countertop
- Marine – both new construction and repair
- Aerospace – also new construction and repair
- Automotive – repair, auto body
- Construction – home, commercial
- Maintenance – city, municipal, school board, institutional, military, mills
The Skookum business model was designed with a distinctive franchise format, starting in Victoria, BC followed by the opening of territories throughout BC and Alberta, then across Canada and into the United States(See schedule in the left column). Franchise owners live and work in the same region as their customers, allowing them to provide personalized reliable services. Clients come to rely on Skookum service, which in turn provides franchise owners with the many rewards of a successful business.
The name “Skookum” is a Chinook word meaning “strong”, the cornerstone for the success of each franchise. Strong relationships with customers, products designed for industrial use, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to look after the customer is what Skookum Tools is all about.
The Skookum Objective:
To be our customers’ preferred supplier by surpassing expectations in all areas of business, especially “on-time delivery” of goods and services.
Robert McDonald, President
Skookum Tools Ltd.
Aug 1, 2000
