When the 2009 recession caused the Vandergeests to change business direction, they decided to take a leap of faith and start a rather niche company in an untouched market in Canada – safety guarding for material handling equipment.

The shift for the pair was less than ideal, but it led to long-term and unexpected success for their manufacturing company. Founded in 1990 by Paul and Karen Vandergeest, the welding business started as Vandergeest Welding Inc. Paul worked in a field service welding truck providing maintenance services for local quarries, asphalt and ready mix plants. The two-person business gradually became more popular as it offered installation and servicing of quarry machinery in Central Ontario.



“He hired another employee, bought another welding truck, and the business gradually grew,” explains Scott Monkman, general manager of Belt Conveyor Guarding (BCG). 

Monkman has worked for BCG for the last 21 years and recently took over for Paul after he retired. 

Around 2007, the company grew to 60 employees and moved to a 25,000-square-foot fabrication shop. 

“We had six field service trucks, and we were fabricating conveyors, portable cement plants, aggregate bins, fresh water supply fittings and safety guards,” says Chris Allen, business development specialist with BCG.

Allen, with the company for 14 years, explains that the company faced an economic downturn in 2009.

“Local quarries started making their own fittings,” she says. “So Paul and Karen decided the company would focus solely on manufacturing safety guarding, specifically on rotation equipment.” 

That’s when the Vandergeests decided to rebrand the company, calling it Belt Conveyor Guarding, a division under Vandergeest Inc. Today, the business is located in a 10,000-square-foot fabrication shop in Barrie, Ont, and employs around 30 people.

 ”We don’t have a lot of competition in Canada, so we can perfect what we do well,” says Monkman. “Our products are important.” 

BCG offers a variety of safety guarding services, such as grinding mill barrier guards, flat guards for quarries and V-Belt guards.

“Quite often, safety guarding in the industry is seen as a nuisance,” he says. “If it is hard to install or take off, usually they don’t go back on, especially when somebody’s not looking.”  

BCG has six designers who work on products, and the company makes sure to patent their work. Two technicians travel all over North America to visit customer sites, assess their equipment for guarding and providing quotes. 

“Our designers work off the technician’s notes, so we design a product that is specific to the customers’ needs,” says Monkman. 

According to Allen, BCG’s products are sold in Europe but are primarily popular in North America.

 “We’re needed in several different industries,” says Allen. 

Cement, mining, power and steel are all examples of industries that involve rotating equipment conveyors. 

“Even something as simple as a fixed ladder could use safeguarding to prevent unwanted access.”

Monkmans explains the company is always innovating and looking for new solutions for issues impacting the industry. The same is true for shop supervisor Jodi Dalley, who oversees the shop floor and production.

“Every day is different, and I love it,” says Dalley. “There is always a new problem to solve or a challenge.” 

Dalley joined the company as a welder in the late 90s, but when the company restructured in 2009, she moved into her current role. 

“All of our products are manufactured and welded here, by hand. Then shipped to customers.”

For the BCG team, smart product design and quality are the number one priority.

 “We send out products all over Canada,” says Allen. “We do our best to cater to all the companies that need guarding, no matter how small the task.”