Profile: Matt LeBlanc

A good skidder needs a good operator to really make it shine. Allied had one of the best at Demo 2000, Mr. Lawrence LeBlanc.

Lawrence LeBlanc showed off his skills at Demo 2000 at the controls of the Ranger "Cariboo Special." During the show, Lawrence and his H67 cleared the fall from a feller buncher, fed a log processor, and skidded logs to a sawmill. Lawrence sets a fast pace, and the three crews had trouble keeping up with him.

Lawrence and his wife Mary own a logging and contracting company, "Lamar Enterprises," based in Williams Lake, BC. Lamar runs two Rangers, including a "Cariboo Special." Lawrence has a long history with Clark skidders. Since cutting his teeth in the logging business with his father, Lawrence has owned and operated just about every size and model Clark manufactured.

According to Lawrence, "We bought our first grapple skidder, a 667B, twenty-four years ago. Since then, we have owned a dozen different Rangers. I've operated the other brands out there, but the Ranger is more sure-footed and, consequently, more productive in the hilly terrain of BC."