In 1938 at the age of 60, W.A. Akhurst demonstrated his courage and entrepreneurship and opened his own firm, W.A. Akhurst Machinery Limited. Operating out of his family home in Vancouver, the company offered industrial equipment primarily to sawmill operations in British Columbia. Eight decades after W.A. opened his doors, Akhurst Machinery remains a family operated company, owned by fourth-generation family members Graham Akhurst, Ryan Akhurst, and Brent Akhurst. With over 80 employees in five offices strategically located across Canada, Akhurst has steadily grown to become one of the largest independent equipment distributors in the country to the secondary woodworking, structural steel, sheet metal, and machine tool industries.
With sales and service staff located across Canada, Akhurst can offer their customers local support that is unparalleled in the industry. Working as a full-service organization, they can assist you with the selection of your equipment, financing, installation, training, parts support, and after-sales service. Akhurst is especially proud to employ a great team of extended family who continually strive to provide the best service to their customers. They have built a portfolio of suppliers that include the most reputable names in the business for equipment, tooling, & supplies, and they’re justifiably proud of the partnerships that they share with their valued suppliers.
Akhurst recently announced the addition of their new branch in Anaheim, California, which will support the growing customer base serviced by Akhurst and its subsidiary divisions of Cantek America Inc. and Leadermac USA. This location offers a fully operational demonstration showroom and a warehouse for machine inventory.
In 2020, Akhurst was awarded the B.C Family Enterprise of the Year award and the National Family Enterprise of the year award, by the Family Enterprise Xchange (FEX).