William James Lundrigan
William J. Lundrigan was born in Blaketown, Trinity Bay, in 1901. William left school at the age of 15 to become the family breadwinner.
After working with the mining company on Bell Island, William moved to Corner Brook. Just before World War II, he established a logging and lumbering operation near Stephenville Crossing and during the war, supplied lumber for the construction of the American air base at Stephenville and for Canadian bases at various locations. In 1947, the business was incorporated under the name W.J. Lundrigan Ltd., of which he became president.
Following Confederation, the company embarked upon more varied and larger ventures -- road building and construction of schools, hospitals and large commercial buildings such as the cement and gypsum board plants at Corner Brook. At the same time, the company was establishing building supply outlets in Corner Brook and elsewhere and ready-mix concrete plants in both Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The Corner Brook shopping mall was the first to be built in the province. In 1966, the parent company and its several subsidiaries were amalgamated as Lundrigans Ltd. with William as chairman and his son Arthur as president and chief executive officer. Before he retired in 1974, William saw the company expand its operations in Nova Scotia and become the largest ready-mix concrete producer in Atlantic Canada and undertake the major excavating project at the Churchill Falls Hydro-electric Project with the Foundation Company of Canada.
William James Lundrigan died in 1986.