Who could ever guess which tiny saplings will grow into the tallest and straightest of trees? How could anyone forecast which set of trees will end up being built into a huge log home? Not just any huge log homes, but probably the biggest, best, and most expensive log home on the planet.

Pioneer Log Homes is a homegrown Williams Lake Company and they're in the process of building such a massive house � a very big, valuable house of some 110,000 square feet that's been contracted by an American purchaser. But building a huge log home house doesn't start with merely the mechanics of peeling and precision fitting the logs.

"I consider our company the most fortunate in the country. First of all, we have the finest crews and people in the world. Secondly, we work for the finest folks in the world," Andre Chevigny said.

Growing up in Williams Lake was an experience that left me with many warm, interesting memories to re-live and share with my readers. Many decades ago, while still enjoying my teen years, I remember being cajoled, along with my kid brother, into attending the Old Catholic church on South Fourth. The person pushing us towards salvation was my dear, sweet, but rigidly religious mother.

I was not alone. Other kids were prodded to mass every Sunday morning by their parents. The most noticeable clan was the Reid-Chevigny's. Mrs. Anna Chevigny would march her seven kids down the centre isle of that old church as proud as a peacock, strutting just as colourfully as the vibrant bird.

Ken, Keith, Bryan, Bruce, and Debra Reid, with their younger brothers Andre and David Chevigny were their mom's pride-generating flock. The boys were her black leather jacket-wearing angels, often with a matching black eye or two. You could see Anna beaming with delight as she ushered her brood into their pew. All were familiar to me. Ken and Keith were my friends from school and I'd met Anna and Bert Chevigny with their younger kids while visiting their home at Wildwood.

Several years later, Bryan was working as a partsman for Williams Lake Foreign Car Center, the local Datsun dealership of the day and our paths crossed again. He knew how to produce the correct parts and provide good customer service. Even during these early years, Bryan had a passion for building with logs. He produced a log home for his family on 168 Commodore Crescent area while still working as a partsman. Of course, he was assisted with the log peeling by two of his kid brothers Andre and David. After providing years of service to the car dealership, Bryan partnered up with Chuck Moore and established Chuck's Auto Parts in 1989. This pair worked hard at nurturing Chuck's Auto. It grew into a major area distribution by providing good, honest, service and pricing.

Andre began working for Chuck's Auto Parts after graduating high school in 1982. He learned the business from his brother Bryan, and Andre manned the parts counter until leaving Chuck's in 1989. He left to work with Bryan, who had decided to concentrate his full-time efforts into Pioneer Log Homes.

"My brother Bryan was always the one with vision," said a very proud brother, Chevigny. "Some of us have just filled in the details. Bryan is incredible."

The company's main operation is at Sugarcane on the head end of Williams Lake, which employs 35 other people. There's another 15-person log home operation at Soda Creek. The 10-person division of the company at Nimpo Lake is over-seen by Bryan's son and name-sake, Bryan Junior. The elder Bryan is the world traveling man and international liaison for the company. Rounding out the collection of 70 staff members is the office and field crew of ten people. They work out of their head office in Williams Lake, located in Chuck's Auto Parts complex.