Our Story | Walker Industries

One man’s journey to Canada begins a family legacy of innovation.

Since its creation in 1887, Walker has continually developed and evolved by turning problems into solutions. This innovative spirit passed down through five generations of the Walker family has secured our ability to grow as a business and as a community partner.

Our Journey

1840s

Company founder John Walker, a young marble cutter, comes to Canada from Scotland.

1875

John Walker starts his own stone cutting business in the town of Merritton, now part of St. Catharines, Ontario.

1882

John Walker expands the business to a family enterprise by bringing his sons William, John G. and David on board. The company is renamed John Walker & Sons.

1887

John Walker turns the business over to his sons who acquire their first limestone quarry in the same year in Stamford Township, now part of Niagara Falls, Ontario. The business becomes Walker Brothers Quarries.

1905

Seeing an increased demand for stone for roads and railroad construction, David Walker installs the company’s first steam-powered crushing plant.

1929

John G. (Jack) Walker and Donald Walker become third-generation owners and install a second crushing plant. Stone from this crusher helped build North America’s first superhighway, the Queen Elizabeth Way.

1947

Walker Brothers Quarries builds its first fully-mechanized stone-crushing plant.

1967

Jack Walker’s sons John G. II and Norris Walker become fourth-generation owners. Jack Walker designs the first automated stone crusher in the Niagara Peninsula.

1972

Woodington Systems is formed, specializing in the transport, containment and disposal of liquid and hazardous wastes, later expanding into the transport of solid waste.

1973

Ridgemount Quarries opens in Ridgeway, Fort Erie, Ontario. Norjohn Limited is formed, specializing in developing solutions for road construction and resurfacing under two companies, Norjohn Emulsions (now Walker Emulsions) and Norjohn Contracting (now Walker Construction).

1983

Niagara Waste Systems Limited, now Walker Waste Services, is formed, opening a small industrial landfill in a mined out area of Walker Brothers Quarries.

1987

100 years in business. Walker Industries Holdings Limited is formed as the parent to group the individual companies.

1988

Norjohn Transfer is founded through a contract with the City of Burlington, Ontario to handle its municipal waste. The company remains a vital part of Halton Region’s waste management system today.

1993

Walker Industries purchases Seeley & Arnill, bringing with it a number of quarries, sand and gravel pits and a road construction group in Simcoe and Grey Counties in Ontario. The company is renamed Georgian Aggregates & Construction, now Walker Aggregates.

1996

Integrated Municipal Services Inc. (IMS) is founded to address the Niagara community’s need for residential waste and leaf and yard waste drop-off.

1999

Norris and John Walker hire Walker Industries’ first President from outside of the Walker family, Bill Costello.

2001

Walker institutes its first Board of Directors made up of family and non-family members to help guide the business. The company enters into a partnership with ComCor Environmental called Integrated Gas Recovery Services to produce renewable energy from landfill gas.

2005

Norris and John Walker step down from the Board of Directors as the business is passed down to the fifth generation of the Walker family.

2006

Walker enters into a joint venture with N-Viro® Systems Canada to handle municipal biosolids for the Niagara Region using patented technology to treat biosolids material and convert it into fertilizer.

2007

Bill Costello retires and John Fisher becomes President and CEO. This same year, Walker Aggregates is established to bring all Walker quarries under one name.

2012

Walker purchases the assets of Associated Chemists Inc. in Portland, Oregon — now Walker Emulsions; Amherst Quarries in Amherstburg, Ontario; and Organic Resource Management Inc. (now Walker Grease Trap Services).

2013

Niagara Waste Systems, Integrated Municipal Services and Norjohn Transfer Systems amalgamate to form Walker Environmental.

2014

Walker purchases a manufacturing facility in Orangeburg, South Carolina to expand market reach for Walker Emulsions into the southern United States; N-Viro® Systems Canada LP to meet municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure needs of communities across Canada; and Sierra Septic Solutions Ltd. to expand its grease trap operations.

2016

Walker acquires All Treat Farms®, one of Canada’s largest and most successful composting, soil blending and packaging facilities, and purchases the assets of Stewart Group of Companies including three sand and gravel pits in Simcoe County.

2017

Walker becomes the largest fully integrated organics recovery company in Canada with the acquisition of Gro-Bark®.

2019

Walker acquires Harold Sutherland Construction Ltd. (now under Walker Construction) based in Owen Sound, Ontario, allowing the expansion of its aggregate operations, construction operations and entrance into the ready-mix concrete market.