Built From The Ground Up: How Castle Rock Enterprises Has Become The Yukon’s Leading Contractor
6 January 2023
In 1995, the father-son team of Rick and Ron Bonnycastle started Castle Rock Enterprises with a single loader and a screening plant. Today, the company has become an important part of The Yukon construction industry as an aggregate supplier and as a civil contractor on key community projects.
Castle Rock didn’t take long to make its name in The Yukon. Just seven years after starting out with modest equipment means, Rick and Ron secured their first major infrastructure job for the City of Whitehorse—an infrastructure upgrade project downtown consisting of deep utilities, earthworks, curb, and asphalt.
As the work grew, so did their need for skilled operators and equipment. By 2008, Castle Rock had more than 50 employees and had graduated from their single Cat 966D Loader to a fleet of Cat machines, sold and serviced by Finning. At this time, Castle Rock had cemented its reputation on quality work in civil construction, highlighted by key road building and utility construction projects. But it didn’t stop there. In 2012, Castle Rock added engineering to its skilled offering along with its original 200-acre quarry near Haeckel Hill, which positioned them as a true, full-service, and fully integrated building partner.
Watch: How Finning Helps To Fortify Castle Rock
Today, Castle Rock operates one of the most extensive Cat fleets in Northern Canada, consisting of 45 pieces of equipment. This size of fleet calls for a committed equipment partner. And, Finning has been there since day one, supplying, maintaining, and optimizing its fleet capabilities.
“Working in the Yukon is like working in a remote location. We need to make sure that our equipment is reliable and can function every shift. We appreciate how far out of their way Finning will go for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s before or after hours, Finning is always there to help.”
Jaime Wagner, Operations Manager — Castle Rock Enterprises
Derek Funk, Major Account Manager at Finning, notes that it isn’t just Castle Rock’s use of Finning sales, parts, and rental offerings that’s enabled growth. “They are huge users of technology,” states Funk, “you can really see it in the way they manage every square foot of their quarry. They’ve become a vital and dependable supplier to the local construction community.”
“Working with Sitech and Trimble, we can take the guesswork out of the operation. We can see our elevations as we’re doing excavations and control our sites on tight margins.”
Jaime Wagner, Operations Manager — Castle Rock Enterprises
Deep Foundations With The Local Community
Castle Rock is rooted in family values and is 100% Indigenous owned by the Dakwakada Capital Investment LP, a business entity of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. This perspective enriches Castle Rock’s approach to land development and emphasizes its connection to the community.
“We really value good relationships with our local community,” states Jaime Wagner, Operations Manager of Castle Rock Enterprises. “We do this in many ways, but specifically, we’re proud to be one of the few contractors to employ a dedicated public liaison whose role is to reduce the impact of our construction projects on residents.”
And, looking around Whitehorse, Castle Rock’s mark on the community extends well beyond their project work. The contractor has long supported youth sports and community events. “We’re proud to be a part of this community,” comments Wagner. “We share the same hardworking and honest approach of all Yukoners. It’s got us to where we are after nearly 30 years on and will continue to guide us into the future.”
Finning is the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, selling, renting and providing parts and service for equipment and engines to customers across diverse industries, including mining, construction, petroleum, forestry and a wide range of power systems applications. We operate in Western Canada, South America, and UK and Ireland.