Born in High Level, Alberta, over 700km North of Edmonton, Willy’s first steps were on the hardened land of Northern Canada. For the first 5 years of his life him and his family resided in another remote location called La Crete. After that, they made the journey to the opposite side of the world, Bolivia, in South America.
They settled down in a town called Santa Rosa where they had a farm with all sorts of livestock, tractors and even horse and buggies.
The lifestyle was, of course, very different than that of Northern Canada’s but some things stayed the same, like the family’s love of living off the land, hunting local game and appreciating the wildlife. There was a variety of hunting including armadillos and rattlesnake hunting but some of Willy’s favourite animals to observe and to work with were monkeys, scarlet macaws and steer. From a very early age Willy has had a passion for being an important part of what is going on around him, not just watching everyone else do it.
When he was just six years old he was given the drivers seat to tractors on the farm!
At 8 years of age Willy’s family came back to Canada and that is where he learnt how to weld after school at his father’s welding shop. Willy’s family was always an integral part of the community and they always believed in helping others and giving back. That is exactly what prompted them to return to Bolivia around Willy’s tenth birthday.
They returned to Bolivia with his fathers vision of helping people start their own farms. His father purchased bulldozers and they began their work helping the community and the locals.
By 11 years old Willy was working the fields with his family. Around the same time he managed to convince his parents to let him discontinue attending public school so he could work on his first business, farming the animals and selling the eggs in town.
By 14 he was bulldozing the land and selling/trading animals; a true businessman at heart! 14 was also a very special age for boys in his community, it meant it was time for him to experience independence and he got his first “car”. This wasn’t a vehicle a city kid would be used to..it was actually a horse and cart. That horse and cart would take him all the way into town, some 35kms away, just so he could do his trading on his own now.
At 16 years old Willy decided he was an adult, he could do just fine on his own now. He packed up his clothing, slapped a bag on his back and headed towards the next town; it was there that he worked alongside the only other foreigner in town.
At 18 Willy decided to move back to Canada and the rest of his family followed shortly after. His trail blazing spirit, knowledge of the trades and dedication to helping people around him have all contributed to the successful company he has today, Willy’s Trucking Services.
