Carrier Lumber Ltd. celebrated its 60th anniversary on Saturday.

"I'm personally kind of humbled that we've been able to be around this long but it really boils down to the people who work for us and all the contributions that they make, that's what keeps us going," president Bill Kordyban said.

Between 250 and 300 people work for Carrier, significantly more than were on the payroll when the business was first launched by Kordyban's parents, William and Mary, in 1951.

"They'd start a mill and get it producing and then build a better one and on and on it would go," Kordyban said.

He sees a bright future for Carrier if it continues to focus on customers' needs.

"I think there will remain a niche for us in the market and we'll be able to survive and in another 60 years we'll look back and we'll say 'wow, what a great place to have worked,'" Kordyban said.

Carrier's specialty is milling higher-quality lumber for use by wood treaters, truss manufacturers and high-end home builders.

Carrier continues to have an extensive customer base in Canada and the United States, Kordyban said, and is enjoying growth in China.

Although most of the lumber B.C. ships to China is low-grade and used primarily for building forms for concrete pours, Kordyban said there is also a significant demand for the Carrier's product in the country simply because it's such a huge market.