We are often asked the question of how Denbow became our company name. President Bill Boesterd shares the story:
It was the summer 1981, July 1st, and we were in business. The run up to this date was filled with what we felt were more important activities than determining how we should structure the legal identification of our business, thus we set up a simple partnership between Joanne and myself and decided our business name would be B & J Transport.
B & J, short for Bill & Joanne. The trucks were all lettered up – hand painted in those days, so no quick accomplishment!
B&J Transport Ltd.
A few months later, with the advice of our accountants, it was decided that an incorporated entity, for various reasons, was a better business structure to operate under. On investigation we discovered that B & J Transport Ltd. was not an option, as the name in too close to another firm that was already in existence. We needed a new name.
We started writing down as many names as we could think of that would give us memorable identity. Branding never entered our minds. Among the many options was Denbow Transport Ltd. My Dutch European last name originally was DenBoesterd. As a result of some naming complications, my Dad had shortened that up to Boesterd. Boe can be pronounced Boo or Bow. Thus the shortened version Denbow came about as an option. Nothing complicated, no exciting strategy or thought process. Just a simple option.
On a cold, wet winter morning after our trucks and their loads of live poultry were safely delivered to Scott Poultry in Port Coquitlam, five drivers and myself sat down at our favorite breakfast restaurant in the area. After coffee was poured, and the usual light banter quieted down, I pulled out my list of approximately 20 carefully thought through potentials to rename our company. To this day I still remember how quickly we came to a consensus. The new name, we all agreed, if it could be, would be Denbow Transport Ltd. That settled, we enjoyed our favorite breakfasts, and carried on with our day.
A simple process, decided on by few truck drivers and now Denbow is a name we assemble under collectively with pride and gratitude.
And now….you know the rest of the story.
Bill Boesterd, January 2014
The Denbow team today with our current logo
