By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — The phones have mostly stopped ringing, and the trucks are off the road.

Within a few weeks, decades of hustle and bustle for the Guy family and their employees will draw to a close for good.

After more than 30 years of hauling grain and fertilizer across the Prairies, Guy Trucking Ltd. stopped dispatching trucks at the end of August.

Dee Guy and her daughter Renee Zdunich are still working in the now-quieted office in Kenaston to finalize the company’s affairs, but they said they expect that work to be finished by the start of November.

Guy said she decided a few months ago that she was ready to retire, while Zdunich, the chief dispatcher, said she wanted to scale back her time commitment somewhat.

Two long-time employees, Cynthia Guy and Gloria George, had retired in May. This left just three staff members — Renee, Dee and Deanna Bleackley — in the office, setting the gears in motion.

After looking for replacements and finding no one willing to take on the full-time office commitments, Dee said they decided it was time to move on altogether.

She said she “just thought it was time to enjoy life a little more,” while Zdunich’s role made it difficult to get away for even a long weekend: “It got to be just a little demanding.”

Dee said her husband Arlo, the company president and CEO, initially wasn’t excited about their decision but has come to terms with it now.

The company has grown substantially since 1984, when the Guys’ oldest son Brent decided to purchase a tandem truck and offer custom grain hauling as a means of supplementing his farm income.

Brent Guy Trucking, as it was initially known, started with one truck and kept its owner and operator busy over the next several years.

Arlo joined the business in 1987, buying a truck and trailers to help secure a hauling contract with CSP Foods in Saskatoon. Dee got involved in 1990, and both helped with billing and dispatching.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 19 edition of The Davidson Leader.