Founder of Birnam Excavating Ltd.
Our patriarch and founder of Birnam left us peacefully on March 20, 2021
Frank Van Bree was born in Holland on December 22, 1934. He was the fourth child of 12 born to Martin and Josephine Van Bree. He immigrated from North Someren, Holland to Watford, Ontario with his parents and 11 siblings in 1950. At a young age he learned the importance of hard work. To support their large family, he and his 11 siblings worked together in the fields, barn, gardens and in their communities to make money. He spent his “working years” working with dirt and trying to get water to flow in the right direction via farm and municipal drainage, all the while setting a strong foundation for the company Birnam is today. For Frank, hard work went hand in hand with hard play. He took various jobs working in construction and driving trucks. After starting up his trucking company “Frank Van Bree Trucking” he expanded it to become Van Bree Drainage which would grow with the partnership of his brother Paul. In 1973, the two brothers would change their directions and Frank, his wife Elsie and key employee, Doug George, would form Birnam Excavating Ltd, switching focus to work in municipal drainage.
