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If you ever notice that the Alberta plates on Brian Widahl’s dark grey GMC Sierra are riding a little low to the road some-
thing spectacular is about to happen. Brian is a chainsaw sculptor – a “carver” – and the owner of Widahl Woodcraft in Cochrane, Alberta and when you see a fresh log of White or Black Spruce or Jack Pine or Douglas Fir or Cedar anchored in the bed of his truck it means someone’s vision is becoming a reality. Since a lull in the residential construction industry in Southern Alberta in 2015 Brian, a carpenter by trade, has been busy taking orders for wooden replicas of taxidermied prize fish, custom home décor like nature-themed silhouettes and hanging signs, garden ornaments, gate posts, mail boxes, storefront mascots, and a little guy who only ever says “I amGroot” (ask your kids) among other things. If you’re one of the thousands of proud owners of one of Brian’s hand-sculpted artworks – and his patrons are widespread across North America andWestern Europe – you might be surprised to learn that Widahl Woodcraft is a small family-run business. “It’s basically just me andmy wife,” Brian explainedwith amatter-of-fact pride in his voice when he spoke with Spotlight on Business in late April. “I do the carving and my wife’s the real artist behind the scenes. She does all the painting and fine details like trimming. We never overthink a project; we stick to our skillsets and we just create.”
When a business venture is driven by pure passion, the excitement it creates can ooze off the webpage and onto your plate. Literally.
Such is the case with Tastingtheheat.com, a website dedicated to lovers of hot sauces, salsas and just about anything that will make your taste buds stand up and sing! Kendall Stadler, a retired rock and roll musician out of St. Clair, Michigan teamed up with his wife Tracy and decided to let their passion guide them into their future. Three years ago, while honeymooning on a beach, they started talking about those TV ads you see where people declare “I can work from anywhere. I have an Internet business.” Thewheels started turning and Tracy referencedKendall’s love of hot sauces as a possible business direction. An avid connoisseur of hot sauces from around the world, the idea made perfect sense to Kendall. Specifically, a review site where people could quickly look up and read about the best sauces being produced on the market
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MAY 2018
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