MineConnect will induct two Northern Ontario mining suppliers to its Hall of Fame for 2024.
Joining the Hall in February will be Dick Cousineau, the founder of OCP Construction Supplies and Cousineau Concrete Pumping, and Michael Atkins, the late founder of Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal and Northern Ontario Business.
Dick Cousineau first established his concrete pumping business in Sudbury in 1974. Today, Cousineau Concrete Pumping provides concrete pumping, cementitious, epoxy, and urethane grout pumping/injecting, and castable concrete pumping services.
Its sister company, OCP Construction Supplies, distributes construction materials for contractors and project owners — everything from insulation, sealants and grouts to air filters, geotextiles and lumber.
The companies serve sectors including industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI), infrastructure, and residential and construction and maintenance.
Together, they employ 60 people at five locations across the North, including Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Rouyn Noranda.
Michael Atkins, a long-time owner of Sudbury.com and its predecessor, Northern Life, established Northern Ontario Business in 1980.
The publication sought to build bridges between communities in Northern Ontario by highlighting the success and ingenuity of the region's many businesses, including those in the mining sector.
Atkins applied that same approach when he launched Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal some years later, zeroing in on Sudbury's — and later, Northern Ontario's — multi-billion-dollar mining service and supply cluster.
That work helped the North establish a global reputation for its mining expertise, paving the way for the creation of MineConnect, formerly the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA).
Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal ceased publication in 2023, while Northern Ontario Business continues in a digital format today. The two companies are today owned and operated by Village Media.
Atkins died in December following an illness. You can read a tribute to our founder here.
A tradition dating back to 2007, the MineConnect Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made important, lasting contributions to the North’s mining supply and service sector.
With the addition of Cousineau and Atkins, the Hall of Fame now counts 31 members hailing from across Northern Ontario.
This year’s induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Collège Boréal in Sudbury during the MineConnect annual general meeting, and will also be streamed virtually.
