RC113 JulyAugust 2024 - Magazine - Page 9
fault it is and who’s going to pay for the extra costs and
delays. Clients have communicated how they really appreciate our collaborative model over the traditional one.
What are some Chandos projects that
best illustrate IPD?
Bragging about our people and bragging about our work
is something I love to do. Yes, these are all
amazing projects. We did multiple projects
with the City of Kamloops, including the
Canada Games Aquatics Centre. Olympic
sized pools can be complicated structures to
construct but we were done ahead of schedule and under budget. The ingenuity on
this project was remarkable. This is another
unique characteristic of IPD projects—you
can apply innovative strategies. In a traditional situation, there is a fear of being sued
for deviating from the basics and there’s a
higher risk pro昀椀le. But with IPD we can feel free to propose new ideas that make outcomes better.
Another project that comes to mind is the Lloydminster
Wastewater Treatment Plant in Saskatchewan, one of the
昀椀rst civil IPD projects in the country. It was a massive
success; completed early and under budget during a time
of cost escalation and uncertainty. While other projects
were underperforming, this project was so team-driven
that we got ahead of design and cost issues. We also
incorporated a high percentage of local tradespeople and
sourced a good number of local materials.
incredible growth opportunities that can allow you to
travel the world. Getting this message out is important.
We are also trying to help under-represented groups get
into construction. We’ve been able to partner with some
phenomenal organizations and we’re seeing long term
success. These include Momentum in Calgary, Women
Building Futures in Edmonton, EMBERS in Vancouver,
“I’m a custodian of the company and I have a very important job
to make sure this company is going to be looked after for the long term
so there’s a heavy focus on development for the leadership.”
Tell us about your “Better Together” tour and what you
learned visiting construction sites during the COVID
pandemic.
It’s hard to believe that happened. The genesis of this was
when COVID 昀椀rst happened it was terrifying. Nobody
had any answers and there was a life-threatening fear of
the unknown. Half of our business is site-based which
meant they still had to get out there. It was really distressing. I was visiting sites and worried about how we would
get deliveries on time, whether consultants would come
to the sites, and if trades would show up. However, what
I witnessed was optimism overcoming obstacles and
teams staying positive.
There’s even a bene昀椀t that came of it. Usually when
we’re doing 昀椀eld work in the middle of nowhere, there’s
no running water. But one of the things the government
mandated was that we had to have running water and
proper hygiene on site. Having warm running water on
the site in the middle of nowhere is amazing—even after
COVID we continue to mandate it going forward on
every site.
In hindsight, I feel very fortunate for the experience
with my family and my team. I must give credit to my
wife as well. We were stuck in a tin can for six weeks, but
it was amazing.
How is Chandos helping to mentor the next generation of
the construction industry?
When we look at one of the risks to the industry it is the
lack of skilled labour. Construction is a great job with
RENEWCANADA.NET
and Building UP in Toronto—if there were more of these
organizations the world would be a better place.
Internally, we have apprenticeship programs, and we
invest time into building community. Every week we
have a company wide meeting to share wins, personal
and professional milestones, as well as air out any issues
that may arise. We also have an annual leadership conference that features guest speakers and skill training. We
want to do well, and we want to create a community that
goes beyond the business.
Social procurement is an element of the most progressive construction projects. How does your collaborative
approach support diverse and inclusive teams to be
successful?
That’s a good question. We try to bring an element into
every project. This is a little more challenging with some
projects than others but we’re 昀椀nding ways to make
it happen. When we’re involved early in the planning
process, there’s a higher probability. For example, with
our Bigstone Cree Nation High School project in Wabasca-Desmarais, Alberta we had a goal of 15 per cent of
workers being from the local First Nation but we got up
to 32 per cent. We have a lot of pride in that because at
the end of the day we’re helping train the local workforce
and it’s great for the community and a win-win for everyone. It was an amazing experience.
What are your personal and corporate goals for the next
few years at Chandos?
For our business our high focus is to be a leading technical builder. There are challenges in the market conditions
that we face—昀椀nding great employees, logistics and cost
escalation. But we’re working to overcome these challenges—it’s core to who we are. For myself, my ambitions
are around our people. I’m a custodian of the company
and I have a very important job to make sure this company is going to be looked after for the long term so there’s
a heavy focus on development for the leadership. If I’m
doing my job right, then the next person will be signi昀椀cantly better at it and will bring the company to new
heights. My goal is to look back with nothing but pride.
JULY/AUGUST 2024– RENEW CANADA 9
