Eston Sheet Metal celebrates 40 years in business

By Adrienne Mason
agemason@gmail.com

Although Eston Sheet Metal has been a fixture in and around the Eston area since 1954, March 18th, 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of Eston Sheet Metal being owned and operated by Bill and Gwen Etter. It has been a family owned and operated venture ever since.

Walter Haubrich originally opened Eston Sheet Metal, as well as Kee Sheet Metal (KEE standing for Kindersley, Eston, Eatonia), and Bill began working for him right out of high school at the young age of 17. At the age of 22, life took him out to Alberta where he married the love of his life, Gwen, and they decided to move back to Eston.

In 1964, Eldon Minchin had purchased Eston Sheet Metal from Haubrich, and eventually in 1981, Etter and Rod Knight purchased it from him and ran it together until Rod decided to farm full time. In 2016 the Etters also purchased KEE Sheet Metal, and Mitch, Bill son has continued running the Eston shop, while Bill has been running the KEE shop.

Sheet Metal now has a prominent building on Railway Ave in Eston and specializes in plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical, but they didn’t always start there. Many may remember when they were on 7th Avenue next to the old cement plant, and when they decided to add a lumber yard to their business and needed more space, they moved into the old Co-op hardware store on Main Street, which now is home to Nics & Cuts. When they decided to close the lumber yard due to the economy in the early 1990’s, they moved into the building they are in today.

Over the years, they have started many apprentice opportunities for young individuals seeking a career in the trades, and have helped many of them complete their journeymen tickets. They also have completed large commercial projects in areas such as Lloydminster and Hudson Bay, but nothing beats serving in their own backyard. When Mitch noticed that the Eston & District Fire Department couldn’t operate properly during a recent power outage, he decided that Eston Sheet Metal would donate a generator so that the fire hall would never be unprepared during an emergency ever again. If the community needs help, you can often find Sheet Metal donating their time or resources in anyway they can.

40 years later, Eston Sheet Metal is still going strong, and hopefully will continue to do so for another 40 more.

Congratulations to Eston Sheet Metal on this amazing milestone!