A New Litho Press Arrives at the Shatford Centre
When Paul Crawford, Curator of the Penticton Art Gallery, called to let us know that the Thompson River University had a litho press that they would donate if we were able to transport it in a few days, we jumped on the challenge and asked Matt Berry of Berry & Smith Trucking if that was possible. Fortunately Matt came to the rescue and this press has now found its new home in the Print Making Studio at the Shatford Centre.
, built out of steel, that weighs a lot – over 1,400 pounds and it is awkwardly large. Each step of the journey to the Shatford Centre was a challenge. Picking the press up in Kamloops required several trips, however eventually it managed to get into one of the 51’ trucks that travels from there to here. Then it was moved into a smaller truck that would be able to deliver it to the Shatford. Unloading the press was not easy however Don Reid, a seasoned trucker, together with Matt Berry and Mike Polosky, managed to have solutions to each challenge as they came up. With a blend of old and new technology, the press inched its way from the truck, to the driveway, to the entry of the building, down the ramp and then after tearing the door apart, it was moved into the print making studio. Have a look at the pictures below to see the determination and progress.
Berry & Smith Trucking has been a part of our lives in the South Okanagan since the early 50’s when Stu Berry and Ted Smith took some flying leaps of faith with elbow grease, enthusiasm and family involvement. It started with one fruit truck and now has over 120 ‘power units’ that service most of North America. The following is a quick summary of their success story and the journey of the litho press to the Print Making Open Studio.
Ted Smith was also the Naramata Fire Chief then became a firefighter in Penticton. In 1971 he sold his half of the company to the Berrys and to this day remains a lifelong
friend of the family.
In 1977, Berry & Smith Trucking introduced profit sharing for its employees. When certain goals were met, employees shared in the success of the company. This policy still exists to this day. That is also the year that the city established transit service in Penticton and Berry and Smith has been operating it for the 34 years since.
Berry & Smith buses transporting children to and from school has been a tradition with School District 67 for many years.
Berry & Smith has always been a family business and when Stu Berry retired in 1997, his children stepped up to the plate. Matt is the President, Mark is the Vice-President and Deb & Julie are also part of the ownership group.
In a recent article, President Mark Berry modestly stated “We are very fortunate to have many long term employees, and the knowledge base that comes with this is huge. I want to thank our staff for this, and also thank all of the people, regardless of who they work for, who have chosen transportation as their career. There are some great people in this industry. It’s an honest profession and one that I am proud to be involved in.”
Special thanks to Mark and Berry & Smith Trucking who will always be heroes at the Shatford Centre. Their dedication and community service will be appreciated by the artists and printer makers that will use and appreciate this equipment for generations to come!
