Almost two weeks ago the Sikking family's greenhouse in St. Catharines went up in flames resulting in a fire that took several days to fully extinguish.
Hank Sikking Sr. started the business in 1971, building the operation up to 16 acres producing 80 million bulbs and 50 million tulips a year.
Kristen Sikking tells CKTB a total of 11 acres were lost in the fire and now their flower production will be cut in half.
Even with the reduced output, Sikking says they are still bringing 88 workers will be arriving on Sept. 9, however the 52 workers scheduled to arrive in January are on hold for the time being.
Going forward, the plan is to demolish everything and upgrade into a fully automated system.
The family estimates it will take another 5-10 years to get back production back to where it was.
The Sikking family say they have been touched by the community's generosity in the wake of the tragedy, however they're wasting no time devising a game plan for the future.
Kristen Sikking says if you knew her husband, Hank Sikking Jr., you wouldn't be surprised. "He's a builder."