Nominated by: Jordan Tesluk
A great pillar of strength in any planting company is the person that keeps your equipment working properly. When we go out to the block, we often take for granted that the spare tire is there if we need it, that the truck is clean and gassed up, or that the quad has been repaired so we don’t have hump trees through 3 km of mud. Without these things we could not do our job, and there are key people that work tirelessly to keep planting operations running.
Eric (Rooster) Rousseau was amongst the absolute very best in the business at this job, and took unparalleled care and personal pride in the maintenance and outfitting of the vehicles and equipment where he worked. There are truly few people that showed the level of detail and innovation that Eric did when it came to keeping the company equipment in good order. Eric was a hardworking, quad-riding, truck-driving all-round good person with a calm unflappable and warm demeanor.
Sadly, Eric passed away after an accident on the work site in the fall of 2011. He will be irreplaceable as a person, and will be greatly missed not only by his family, but also by the tree planting community and the ski community in the Sea to Sky corridor, as well as many others. It is no surprise that his celebration of life is expected to attract hundreds of people on Oct 15th.
Having Eric in the hall of fame is only a small reflection of his worth as a person, but a deserving acknowledgment of his craft that I am sure many many planters would support.