Producing sustainable steel is ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada’s prize goal. Yet, even as one of North America’s most respected steel producers, achieving carbon-neutral steel production within the next three decades remains a gargantuan feat – one that the company is working relentlessly on achieving. With upholding the Paris Agreement as its guideline, the company is acutely aware of dotting its i’s and crossing its t’s throughout every stage of its sustainable steel production processes.

Considering the company’s noble mandate to lighten its impact on the planet, it seemed nearly poetic, landing an interview with Francois Perras, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Philippe Boulanger, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, on International Earth Day, April 22 of this year. Since the original Canadian operation opened its doors on St Patrick Street, Montreal in 1914, it has never looked back. Through several acquisitions over the following decades, the company was sold to steel giant, Mittal Canada, in 2006, merged with Arcelor in July, and became ArcelorMittal that same year.

Prioritizing sustainability
Headquartered in Contrecoeur, Quebec, the firm partners mainly with automotive, construction, welding, and manufacturing industries, among others. Part of the global giant ArcelorMittal, the Quebec outfit has sister mining and steel operations in Canada, including some located in Port-Cartier and Ontario’s Concord, Hamilton, and Woodstock.

“For us, steel is definitely part of the solution to fight climate change. It is an infinitely recyclable material and plays a role in modern infrastructure,” says Perras. “Long Products Canada is, we believe, very well positioned to support this fight. With our current operation model, our initiative to further reduce our carbon footprint, and with all our great people, we’re always up to the challenge. We are ready to improve as we go.”

These inspiring words are not mere wishful thinking, either. The company’s leadership is fully aware of the inherent challenges, and frank about natural resources being finite. “We cannot take something out of the Earth and believe that it will always be replaced. [Our sustainability decisions] are [long-term]. We are thoughtful of the impact we have. Steel takes a lot of energy, a lot of resources. We want to make sure it is done sustainably so that there is a future for our kids, a future for our industry,” Perras says, underlining the importance of avoiding waste at all costs.

The company has proven itself in several other industries also. “If a light or heavy truck is circling North American roads, there is certainly some ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada steel in it,” Perras says. This is the impressive statement that first caught this author’s eye when I was introduced to this game-changing firm. On further inspection, one discovers that ArcelorMittal is the biggest fabricator of leaf springs used in wheel suspensions and a trusted partner supplying steel to parts manufacturers that serve some of the largest automotive companies in the U.S. and Canada. “It is impossible to choose the best ones. We love all our customers,” both leaders agree.

As Canada’s largest producer of rebar products and also one of the most environmentally responsible, there are several ways in which Long Products Canada mitigates its already low carbon emissions. The company is astute and pragmatic in its approach to self-sufficiency, mining iron ore locally in the province of Quebec, which is then transported over comparatively short distances to its processing facilities. Every year the company invests between $20 million and $30 million on upgrades and equipment maintenance to ensure optimally reduced emissions.

Using hydroelectricity as a main source of energy, Long Products Canada recently installed energy-efficient reheat furnaces that came at a hefty price tag of around $70 million, making its product one of the lowest carbon-emitting steels on the market. The wire rod mill will be upgraded at the end of 2021, increasing its capacity over 100,000 tons, according to Perras. Since 2018, the company has invested over $160 million to secure the future of sustainability for its long products Canadian plants and facilities.

Smart technology investments are another driver toward becoming greener. “When the replacements were done for the reheat furnaces in the past year, we chose the most efficient equipment available. We reduced our emissions by tens of thousands of tons of CO2 by doing this,” says Perras.

Always evolving
Long Products Canada is a powerful, diverse company optimized for efficiency within its closed-loop supply chain. Iron ore is extracted by its mining outfit along the northern coastline of Quebec and turned into a large range of steel products. To ensure the responsible re-use of scrap, the team founded a new joint venture, Integrated Metal Recycling (IRM), in 2020 to handle recycling – a process that supports both sustainable and regenerative design. Amidst debate on what material is the most recycled on the planet, steel can arguably be considered the leader by weight. And in this field, the company claims the position of largest local steel recycler in the province of Quebec by transforming up to a whopping 1 million tons of scrap into new, top-quality steel annually.

While Long Products Canada fabricates steel products for the automotive, heavy equipment, and construction industries, one sister operation, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, is part of its highly integrated value chain where steel is rolled and taken through several more stages of fabrication. Beyond this well-organized group of facilities, the company’s global research and development (R&D) team is another force to be reckoned with.

“We do our research and development with our customers,” says Boulanger. “People are saying that construction is not evolving. But [it] is evolving.” To this end, the R&D team is constantly working to improve and evolve its offering to support its clients’ environmental goals. “Our most recent developments include high tensile martensitic grades promoting vehicle light weighting without compromising the properties of the part in question as well as bainitic grades for hot forging and cold heading applications that allow customers to reach their desired properties without any heat treatment, therefore reducing the carbon footprint of these products.”

Another of its new concepts, Steligence®, treats the construction phase of every building as the transient creation process of a permanent yet evolving module that will serve those who occupy and give it life for decades – even centuries. “On the global front, two years ago we launched our Steligence® brand,” explains Boulanger. “Steligence® is the way that ArcelorMittal is now using a philosophy based on science that proposes building holistically and using ArcelorMittal steel solutions integrated into buildings that will improve their environmental, economic and social impact while enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of the building,” he explains. This philosophy is supported by modern, leading edge steel solutions that consider the full life cycle of building and fully enable sustainable construction.

Leading a winning team
Of course, COVID-19 arrived as a disruptor to the ArcelorMittal family of companies. The Long Products Canada team adapted accordingly but did have to halt operations temporarily following lockdown orders in several parts of the world. But, after business returned to normal at the end of the year, the firm is once again operating at levels similar to prior to the pandemic.

“The resilience [our employees showed] as they had to navigate through this new normal, adapting to new health restrictions that we’re not out of yet, working at home, protecting their families, and making sure that the business was still answering our customers’ needs, showed us the importance of steel and that it’s part of the fabric of life. It created a lot of pride and ownership in our people,” says Perras.

Long Products Canada is about all of its 1,800 employees, first. That quickly became apparent when I asked Perras for the company’s definition of safe and sustainable steel. “For us, our main objective is that when everybody comes to work, they have a great experience but also [that] when they leave work they are in the same or even better shape than when they came in. That is number one. We want everybody to be able to enjoy their lives at work and home and be safe everywhere,” he says.

This means that nobody’s safety or wellbeing is compromised for the sake of production. “This is the number one [driver] of every decision we make. It has to be present all the time,” Perras adds. In turn, company staff benefit from incredible growth opportunities. “Our sandbox is very large,” he says. Alongside international assignments, the company offers professional development through training opportunities like its proprietary ArcelorMittal online university.

Naturally, the success of the customers they partner with forms part of the team’s strong sense of responsibility. “[We are on] a journey with our customers as well,” says Boulanger. “That part is really important. When we talk about making responsible choices, we also look at [the quality and innovation] of the product we offer to our customers.”

Supporting the arts
The firm appreciates and supports its local communities as well as the arts – in this case, art that supports workers’ rights. ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada donated 20, 24-ton steel slabs, 10 meters high, for a sculpture by Armand Vaillancourt, “La Force Ouvrière” or “The Labour Force” in the Parc Michel-Chartrand in Longueuil, Quebec, where it also has a plant. The piece is a monument that celebrates the late labour activist and union leader, Michel Chartrand, for his contribution to labour equality and improving workers’ rights in Quebec. Thanks to the weight and dimension of the mammoth steel plinths, “La Force Ouvrière” achieves a tremendous sense of presence – one that succeeds in visually communicating the power of worker unity and cooperation for their shared benefit.

STEM education is another cause the company works to build awareness around to ensure that the quality of education and the people entering its workforce remains high. In addition, it supports the United Way, the well-known international aid organization to which the firm has donated around $3 million through company-wide efforts over many years.

Forging ahead
Being highly responsive to customer needs is a source of great pride at Long Products Canada. To future-proof this capacity, the firm insists on remaining flexible and moving with the zeitgeist. In the spirit of perpetual evolution, the firm is exploring new ways of shrinking its greenhouse gas emissions further by employing hydrogen, biochar, and other technologies. In 2020, it started a company-wide transformation initiative to speed up change. In an ongoing effort, it is rethinking and streamlining its processes, weeding out the deadwood of unnecessary tasks, and creating optimal flow between functions, making it more adaptable and consistent.

As automation and digitalization grow, ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada continues to find new ways to improve its production methods and shrink its carbon footprint. With the help of automation, it also continues to move people out of dangerous and menial tasks into safer and more fulfilling jobs. Looking toward 2050, the company’s goals are clear. By 2025 it is set to be a world leader in steel production while also being a transparent and supportive presence in its host communities – and we have no doubt that this dynamic company will reach its carbon-neutral steel production goals way ahead of schedule.

The post Transforming Tomorrow<p class="company">ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

That’s a welcome boost these days as we contend with the uncertainty of the pandemic and try to get some clarity on what lies ahead.

What’s become even more apparent for construction businesses working their way through COVID’s evolving health and safety requirements, supply chain disruptions and keeping the books in the black, is the need to go the extra mile for customers. Now’s the time to reassure people that you’re there for them and you’re able to complete the work on time and on budget.

And when you’ve got “Paradise” in your business name, you’re already one step ahead.

The Beckner family proudly stands behind every job and each and every interaction with customers at Paradise Exteriors, a home contractor since 2005 that specializes in premium windows, doors and roofing, based in Boynton Beach, Florida.

“We’re living in paradise,” says company COO Anthony Beckner of the beautiful Florida sunshine, palm trees and beach. “If we can help people and help make a difference in our communities, that makes it all worthwhile.” As for the catchy business name, he says, “My mom came up with the name when we were sitting around the kitchen table at dinner. She said, ‘this is paradise,’ so that just fit what we wanted to do.”

It’s been blue skies in terms of the company growth and solid reputation ever since.

His father Dan oversees the company, his mother Tina is General Manager and his Uncle Eric is Production Manager. Beckner has worked in construction for his dad since he was 18, taking a break during college and a few other jobs, and returning to the family business six years ago. “I’m grateful to work with my family. It’s a blessing,” he says.

He’ll be the first to say his dad is a great boss, well-respected by employees and the manufacturers he’s partnered with.

It’s that kind of big-hearted approach and commitment that’s driven the company to handle about 2,000 installations a year, nearly doubling its business every year since 2014.

On that note, Paradise has been recognized with many awards over the years, including the Florida Governor’s Business Ambassador Award in 2019 for the company’s commitment to creating jobs for the local community. The company is also in the Boynton Beach business hall of fame as the best window and door contractor in the city.

The family wants customers to have the highest-quality products to enjoy Florida and keep them safe when the severe winds and flying debris of storms and hurricanes flare up. Hurricane impact windows are now required by building codes, so residents don’t need the extra worry of putting up hurricane shutters if bad weather is in the forecast.

Customers benefit from the personal service and attention from a smaller family-owned contractor and product lines that are exclusive to Paradise Exteriors, like Soft-Lite windows. If you haven’t heard of the brand and are considering window replacements, look them up. The double-hung windows are aesthetically pleasing, durable and better for the environment. They are made of long-lasting vinyl that doesn’t emit toxins, and they also lower your energy bills. You’ve got curb appeal and more money in your pocket.

Soft-Lite has received ENERGY STAR recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and ENERGY STAR-certified products, homes and buildings have significantly lowered energy consumption and helped Americans save billions in energy costs.

The company has recently added roofing installation to its services with high-grade asphalt shingles from GAF. This is a standout product that involves a five-step process for impact resistance and every kind of weather, along with a 50-year lifespan warranty.

“These shingles are so much better than tile and more affordable,” Beckner says. “We chose to carry the roofing system with the highest quality and longest warranty available in the marketplace from a manufacturer who also has the longest tenure in upholding their warranty.”

Concerned about strong winds and drenching rain? A special Dura Grip adhesive locks the shingles in place for a waterproof barrier. The GAF roofing systems have also passed Class 4 impact tests that simulate hail pummeling the surface at more than 70 mph.

Indeed, Paradise’s offerings are built to last, and that stability has served the company well through the pandemic. While COVID has presented a lot of challenges, Paradise Exteriors hasn’t lost ground. The company has managed to problem-solve and deliver jobs on time at affordable prices, despite all the delays in shipping times from manufacturers, waiting on permitting and inspections because of reduced staffing in building departments, and the rising costs of labor and materials.

Plans have also gone ahead with expanding service into Florida’s west coast and opening a new office in St. Petersburg. These are important wins at a time of flux and concerns about contagion.

“We had to lay people off for a month at first, but then we brought them all back,” Beckner says, confident of the continued growth despite the overall economic upheaval. “Home improvement is one of the industries that has benefitted during the pandemic. We’ve been very fortunate.”

With travel on hold and many working from home, people are investing in features to make their homes more comfortable and secure.

Beckner’s team was also quick to pivot to expanded online services. They created a YouTube video series so customers could learn about product options and the installation process without having to come into the showroom or have a representative visit them for a consultation. This was key to helping customers feel safe and engaged during the purchase and through to job completion.

Another market differentiator, the company already had a digital presence and system in place, with software it uses to improve estimates and keep customers updated. All contracts are now done online, which eliminates potential errors and guesswork, and customers can scroll through all the Paradise products with full details so they know exactly the product they’re getting.

And if something comes up, there’s no question Paradise Exteriors can handle it. Beckner’s parents both contracted COVID-19 last year and recovered, while Beckner and his wife welcomed a baby girl into the family this February – so sleep has become a luxury. But it’s this kind of adaptability that has allowed the company to thrive through interesting times.

“Our family is really close,” Beckner says. “I think that makes a difference in the work we do.”

The post Turning Florida Homes into Paradise<p class="company">Paradise Exteriors</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

In a world where the bottom line is all too often the only measure of success, discovering a service provider for which doing the right thing takes precedence over profit is always exciting, and a telling sign of this is when a company’s growth is driven mainly by word-of-mouth referrals.

TEC goes above and beyond to make happy customers. Like when its roofing teams went shopping for clients who were not at ease with venturing to supermarkets by themselves during the COVID-19 lockdown period. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that demand for its work has been skyrocketing.

The philosophy of putting people before money includes its employees. This approach to business has proven prudent and a lot more lucrative than many would think. Listed on Inc. 5000 for the past five years in a row as one of the U.S.’ fastest expanding, privately-held roofing firms, the company has established that organizational skills and unwavering service win every time.

TEC specializes in quality asphalt shingle roofs that are complemented by supplier-backed accessory products from insulation, siding, and complete gutter systems. Every roof comes with a TEC craftsmanship guarantee and optional manufacturer backed lifetime coverage.

The TEC team speedily executes jobs by ensuring that every project is staffed with enough professionals to complete smaller jobs within days as opposed to weeks. Larger, more complex projects are completed in several weeks as opposed to several months for other contractors. The company is recognized by GAF as a GAF Master Elite™ contractor – an honor that, according to Business Development Manager Joseph Hydrick, is bestowed on fewer than two percent of roofing contractors. “Installing the best systems in the business gives us a significant leg-up,” Hydrick says.

Of course, its people-positive approach to business meant that the company weathered the COVID-19 storm with grace and team spirit. “What we lost in numbers, we certainly gained in gratitude and morale. The ability to keep working and be deemed essential was a huge thing for us. It really reinforced to our employees and our market that what we are doing is, in fact, important,” says Hydrick. “With that came a resounding sense of pride. I think, culturally, we weathered COVID-19 fairly well. It strengthened some of our internal bonds during the pandemic.”

The company followed the guidelines proffered by Pennsylvania’s governor, Tom Wolf. It put in place work-from-home protocols as far as possible, made sure there was enough branded personal protection equipment to go around and installed Plexiglas in the office to keep the possibility of infection to a minimum.

Naturally, the weather waited for no pandemic, and TEC’s crews had to perform several emergency replacements during the shelter-in-place period. While this presented new challenges, such as observing strict social distancing on job sites, the company is committed to giving clients its best safety practices to safeguard their peace of mind. “It takes a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that everyone was taking safety 100 percent seriously and delivering on our word and not putting people at further risk,” says Hydrick.

It is not just clients who benefit from TEC’s largesse. Every year, its local communities are happy recipients of several drives that support charitable causes. Amongst these is the company’s very own annual event called TECSGIVING, where its staff join for a morning of doing good at the Water Street Mission in Lancaster. Last year, the company also donated around $US150, 000 to an early education program in need of support. “These are the rare checks that I love writing,” says Shana Kondor, Financial Manager.

Hydrick joined the company a year ago, just in time to join other staff members in pulling together like never before. “Starting at that time set the tone for me about the culture here. It showed me that people come first. That the company really is about doing the right thing,” he says. “It’s so authentic it almost feels surreal as it is so uncommon today.”

The company insists on staying atop the latest developments in technology to improve its overall services, as well as its speed and accuracy. One of the most recent is aerial photography to gather the exact dimensions of every roof before presenting a quote to the client. It saves time and the effort of measuring surfaces manually, removing the physical danger that always exists when getting onto a ladder or scaffolding is removed. “Construction is an old school business, but technology waits for no one,” Says Darren Baker, COO. “We are constantly refining our back end processes and increasing our efficiency.”

TEC is forever upgrading to keep its equipment up to date and very proud of its beautiful fleet of around eighty shiny black GMC Sierra pickup trucks that have become part of its signature style. In the past year, the company also started partnering with Equipter for the latest roof demolition collections carts to catch shingles as they are removed or pushed from roofs.

The business’ focus on customer care was born of Owner Ryan Hoke being tired of how badly clients were generally treated by the industry nearly a decade ago. He set out to change this and introduced a business ethos of kindness, generosity, and integrity when he founded the company in 2012. Word about his team and their work quickly spread and so did the company’s footprint. Within nine years, TEC has established its presence in multiple locations along the entire east coast.

As the company’s secret is its team of one hundred people, the process of finding new employees receives much time and attention with a thorough vetting preceding every new hire. Being on Pennsylvania’s ‘Best Places to Work’ list four years running stands testimony to the fact that the team works well together. Currently, TEC is in the running for the fifth consecutive year, and is excited to receive the results in July this year. “From an HR perspective, there is something incredibly satisfying about providing and protecting a work culture that leverages the power of a group while promoting individual growth,” says Abby John, TEC’s Office Manager/HR.

The firm ensures that it employs people who fit the TEC culture and then provides them with only the best of everything. It ensures that its crews drive only the best vehicles and receive only the best training. There are also several opportunities for staff to spend time together away from work, often alongside their partners, as a token of thanks for their support and being away from home to take care of work.

Authenticity and professionalism regularly win TEC rather large contracts. It recently completed the Garden Spot project in New Holland, Pennsylvania for Warfel Construction, where it was responsible for completing roofing, siding, gutters, and exterior trimmings on a complex of fifty cottages. “It was such a joy to be on that project for a little over a year. It was a really nice process to integrate with all the other subcontractors and reinforce our skills in that regard,” Hydrick says.

Growth aside, however, this year’s big news is that the company headquarters are relocating to Lancaster City where its new building is being completed. This well-equipped office space is in a former nineteenth-century tobacco warehouse that forms part of the city’s historic landscape. “It’s going to be such an inspiring workplace for our staff. It’s all for them. We actually have a sky-deck that overlooks the Clipper Magazine Stadium, home to the Lancaster Barnstormers baseball team. It’s going to be fantastic,” says Hydrick.

Looking toward the rest of 2021 and beyond, Hydrick notes a marked rise in integrated solar technology and green roof systems, offering consumers more choices. As a result, the TEC team drives perpetual improvement through innovation. “One strategic decision this year is that we double down on what we do best, branching further into the commercial market—owning that niche and doing the best we possibly can,” says Hydrick. The company is also looking at further developing its role as advisor to clients, educating them, helping them choose materials, and incorporating more environmentally responsible materials and practices as the need for conserving energy and the planet grows.

“We can respond, or we can lead. By focusing on making our own luck, it forces us to take ownership for the direction that we’re heading in,” Hydrick says.

The post Making Its Own Luck, One Guarantee at a Time<p class="company">The Exterior Company</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

MKS works with its clients from the first day of the plan-design-build process, its management teams becoming an extension of the planning teams from the very start. With a focus on crucial details, challenging assumptions, and finding solutions, MKS team members serve clients by saving valuable time and money during the preconstruction, construction and building lifecycle phases. The company’s main goal is to reduce client stress through providing training, mockups, life cycle cost analysis, commissioning, pre-installation coordination, and a collaborative safety plan.

With safety always at the forefront, MKS dedicates its services to defining safety protocols in the design phase for not only the construction process but the final building occupants. As the construction field presents a potential hazard for workers, MKS takes into consideration the unique properties of every project and any possible safety concerns therein. The company’s safety director, project team and job-site supervisors continually strive for safe working conditions on every site to ensure potential hazards are mitigated.

MKS also strives for perfection on every build, understanding that the best lifecycle value means doing the job right the first time through quality planning, design and construction.

With more than 100 clients and numerous impressive projects already under its belt, MKS has built an impressive reputation for quality and reliability. Key projects include the 70,000 square foot Indiana Tech Law School, 16,000 square foot Micropulse Maintenance Expansion, and the 2020 partnership with MKM Architecture + Design in the interior renovation of the existing second floor suite for a nursing school at their Lutheran Campus, among others.

MKS and Micropulse began working together in early 2014, focusing on expanding manufacturing space. In 2019, more space was needed for maintenance, with an additional expansion project completed in March 2020.

The Northrop High School project began in March 2018 and was completed in August 2020 with nine total phases – five of which were completed while the school year was in session. Upgrades were made in almost every area, with more than 300,000 square feet of total construction work including upgraded mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems, ADA accessibility, HVAC, office addition with secure entry, Spuller Stadium, art rooms, auxiliary gym, cafeteria, kitchen, science and lab rooms, common areas, auditorium, wrestling and weight rooms, business rooms, math rooms, band, choir, and dance rooms, media center, main gym, locker rooms, special education corridors, computer labs, and study halls.

In 2012, the company paired with Brotherhood Mutual Insurance (BMI) to plan a 60,000 square foot addition and renovation, and recently, a second 88,000 square foot expansion was added to their existing building to house an open café, team rooms, executive board room, open offices, conference rooms, staff breakout areas, an auditorium, collaboration spaces, and open gathering areas.

MKS’s latest ambitious endeavor is the Fort Wayne Terminal Expansion and Renovation Project. In partnership with Flintco, MKS was awarded the role of Construction Manager by The Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority (FWACAA). Project Gateway is a traveler-focused initiative of several projects surrounding the terminal complex, including the airport terminal apron expansion and upgrades, a parking lot expansion and lot upgrades, the addition of rental car solar canopies, and the renovation and expansion of the West Terminal.

The $47 million project began in 2017 with the terminal planning process, followed in May 2019 with the design of the West Expansion. The search for a Construction Manager started in February 2020 for the West Expansion portion of Project Gateway, with MKS and Flintco being brought on board. Flintco, founded in 1908, specializes in commercial and institutional construction with an impressive background in aviation.

The project broke ground in May and is currently in Phase 3 of a five-stage design process which will also include an expanded ticketing area, new baggage handling system, additional jet bridges, new holding rooms, expanded/renovated mechanical systems and a modernized interior of the west side of the terminal and front façade, and is expected to be competed in spring 2023. The airport offers nonstop service to 14 cities on four airlines, and in 2019 served 791,810 passengers.

This expansion project is truly momentous, and one that MKS is sure to embrace successfully with its wealth of knowledge and experience, adding 45,000 square feet of additional space to the terminal building and renovating 47,000 square feet of existing space at the gate and airline ticket counter areas. When finished, the FWA terminal will comprise a total of 159,000 square feet, with two new gates in the airport’s terminal building for a total of 10. This will allow for larger aircraft and enhanced use. Other amenities and improvements include new jet bridges, expanded ticketing area, a modernized interior appearance, modernized front façade, new children’s play area, a new multi-sensory room, a mother’s room, and more.

Another component of the project is a new Checked Baggage Inspection System (CBIS), designed to bring in a modern and efficient baggage screening system to assist both the airlines that service the airport, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at FWA. MKS will serve as Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) for both the expansion and CBIS projects. Funded by the TSA, the CBIS represents an investment of more than $8,500,000.

Looking ahead, the MKS team will continue to bring its years of hands-on experience to diverse projects with skilled tradespeople in the areas of demolition, concrete forming and placement, heavy equipment operation, millwork installation and steel erection, to name a few specialties. Careful planning means staying not only on schedule but on budget from start to finish using web-based project management software Procore to increase efficiency and coordination between every team member.

In its impressive history, MKS has been awarded a number of accolades, including, in 2020 alone, “New Construction Under $6 Million — Best in Category,” “Renovation Under $2 Million – Best in Category,” Gibson Safety Excellence Award, “Contractor 100k-200k Hours Class – Best in Category, and Jeff Till – Superintendent “Supervisor Safety Award.” Whether bringing its expertise to bear on site analysis, programming, master planning, design-build or construction management, MKS has the skills, dedication and decades of experience to bring any project to fruition.

The post Plan, Design, Build: Michael Kinder & Sons Commits to Success<p class="company">Michael Kinder & Sons</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Haasen met a man named Tony Aarts at a young age, a man who would go on to found Blue-Con and become a mentor to Matt over the years. Haasen, along with several other members of his family, worked for Aarts in various capacities before purchasing shares of the company during Ontario’s economic recession of the 1980s. Haasen, beginning his time in Blue-Con as a labourer, eventually became a company partner in the latter part of that decade, eventually purchasing enough shares (made possible by his late sister Elly) to present his remaining siblings with a deal to purchase the company outright.

Haasen, along with his sister Elly and engineer Dave Chene, grew the company over the ensuing decades to the sizable force it is today. Haasen also continues his familial outreach to this day as his son Ryan and three of his other children currently work for the company in various capacities and are worked hard by their father, as Matt himself is sure to note.

Blue-Con focuses on the installation of Deep Utilities for the residential and commercial sectors, which involves sanitary, storm, and water piping (and associated infrastructure) to deliver water to users and to ensure its drainage. Customer service is a primary focus for Blue-Con, a company that prides itself on addressing problems as quickly as possible. Customers are often very complimentary of Blue-Con’s quick response to challenges that arise on a job, which is thanks in large part to the leadership and years of collective knowledge of all involved.

Haasen believes in engaging with clients early on to build strong relationships. He reflects on the fact that some of the company’s largest clients today began as some of its smallest and that, “there is no greater pleasure in watching these clients succeed and feeling that you were a small part of their success.” He is proud to say that there is no one in the whole company who is unwilling to get their hands dirty for the sake of the client.

Blue-Con strives to differentiate itself from competitors on many levels, a goal that is influenced at least somewhat by how Haasen feels the construction industry is viewed. “[The construction industry] has had the image bestowed upon it… as a lower-class citizen,” he explains. “This couldn’t be further from the truth.” Haasen, and the Blue-Con workforce at large, have been host to incredibly bright employees over the decades who have exemplified selflessness and other admirable traits day after day. This has been due in good part to the company focusing on hiring for attitude over skill, meaning that an employee can be trained for nearly anything if they have the attitude to learn, improve, and do their best.

Indeed, a culture of openness and communication is encouraged within the company, as Haasen himself has taken to team-building measures like making barbeque lunches for staff and sending out weekly, open-ended emails to allow for honest dialogue from all levels about what is working in the company and what may not be. These practices have helped put Haasen back in touch with his roots and reminded the higher-ups that the organization must remain humble enough to recognize the avenues within that can be improved upon.

Ryan Haasen, Matt’s son, adds that, as skilled workers retire, young people are needed who see companies like Blue-Con as a career, not just a job. To attract those people, “we have to make this a company they want to work for.” If the company can serve up strong leadership, people will generally not leave for other opportunities. The company has an attitude of continually upping its game to attract staff, continually educating and training so that the youngest can learn from the most experienced. Ryan’s belief is that the company’s success lies in the hands of the field staff who complete the actual work, and it’s the responsibility of the leadership team to inspire and empower these people to succeed.

Safety, of course, is a persistent concern within construction circles, which is where Matt Haasen extols the work of safety officer Sandro Roberto. A core company belief is that, to have a great degree of productivity, one must have safety in equal measure. The company focuses on safety, quality, and productivity, in that specific order. Says Haasen, “I don’t want to be the one telling your loved ones that you had an accident and that you won’t be coming home to hug them anymore. No job is worth that.”

In the last year or two, Blue-Con has had to endure some tumultuous instances that have been felt industry-wide. Low commodity pricing had begun to affect the industry by January of 2020 but, thankfully, commitments of large Deep Utility projects from loyal clients the next month helped keep the future of Blue-Con bright. By March, however, the reality of COVID-19 hit the company; in collaborating with its competitors, the company was determined that the best course of action was to follow burgeoning safety protocols as closely as possible so that Blue-Con could continue to operate as an essential business. This led to a successful construction season for the rest of the year, with 2021 on track to be another to follow it, but Haasen and his team are closely watching commodity shortages in areas like lumber and PVC piping for how that may affect business going forward. “We are fortunate to have remained loyal to our suppliers for the last few decades; that may help us in our supply,” Haasen remarks of this potential concern on the horizon.

For the rest of the year and beyond, growth will continue to come for Blue-Con – but in a safe and measured manner, with attention paid to any potential trouble ahead for the industry. Haasen and his team are not on a mission to be the largest deep utilities contractor in their market; they prefer to focus on their own continuous improvement. With its business longevity, Blue-Con will continue to add on more experienced staff who also possess the wisdom needed for further growth. New opportunities are constantly being explored and success in the construction industry has allowed the company to partner with certain land developers, solidifying its stake in some key construction projects moving forward.

Haasen is also keenly aware of the need for succession planning and, while not planning an imminent retirement, Matt proudly states that he has gotten to see the passion that his son Ryan has exhibited for the construction trade from an early age, intimating that he will be one to watch as the years go by.

With over 40 years under the belt of the company, Matt Haasen believes in the end, it is all about people. He attributes his success to the people in his life, from the mentor he had as a young child to the assistance his sister gave him to take over and grow Blue-Con many years ago. “I’m thankful for all our loyal staff… for our clients who kept feeding us work in even the leanest of years.” Ryan feels a profound sense of pride to be a part of the company his family has built up, especially in light of the challenges and tough times the industry has faced. The Haasen family share a unified vision of safety, quality, and the closeness of familial bonds as Blue-Con continues ever forward.

The post Blue-Con Excavating Makes Deep Utilities a Family Affair<p class="company">Blue-Con Excavating</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Pueblo’s growth skyrocketed when the private equity group Huron Capital acquired the company in 2017. The company immediately began acquiring other mechanical firms to join the Pueblo name. These acquisitions, along with ongoing organic growth, took the company from a $65 million a year business to a $120 million a year business. “We’re talking 180 percent growth over a two-year period,” says Sales and Marketing Vice President Brandon Hunt.

Huron Capital gives Pueblo the freedom to run the business while providing the funding and know-how needed to grow successfully. “We’re the operators. Where they positively impact is being able to provide the resources and the financial backing,” Hunt says.

Pueblo’s Service division experienced particularly strong growth over the last two years of expansion. Originally, the company concentrated on installations, but, with an expanded focus and new leadership on board, the company now boasts a full-fledged Service department. Where service work previously only made up about five to ten percent of the business of Pueblo and its recently acquired companies, now, this work makes up more than thirty-five percent.

“Being a combined company, taking [the acquired companies’] resources with the Controls business that we already have and making one big business with strong leadership, we were able to expand not only our products, but we were able to expand our capabilities,” he explains, and through one of its acquisitions, the company now can offer customers the Controls product line of Schneider, an international leader in the industry.

Maintaining a cohesive company culture has been important during this short period of rapid growth and multiple acquisitions. Leadership was careful to buy companies with similar cultures that would integrate well to create a unified whole.

“We felt the culture that they had [needed to be] close to our culture so, as we combined as a company, there wouldn’t be miles to go to be able to have one team,” Hunt says.

Once combined, management allowed plenty of time for successful integration. “We didn’t change anything. We didn’t come in [and say]: ‘You’ve got a new boss; you’re going here; you’re doing this.’ We let them operate, and we really found synergy between the organizations and the cultures.”

This allowed the company to recognize what worked well and keep those aspects of each acquired company. “We came up with best practices,” he says. “This is a combined effort to be successful.”

One of the key components of the company culture is a steadfast dedication to safety. With nearly five hundred employees working in potentially dangerous job sites, a lot can go wrong “if you’re not paying attention.” It is “a priority as an organization to make sure everybody has it top of mind.” This requires commitment from office workers, management, and employees in the field.

“It starts at the top, from our CEOs to COOs to vice presidents,” Hunt says, “and it has to go all the way through the organization. Everyone’s got to have that safety-first culture.”

Part of this includes “tons and tons of safety training. We will never turn down anybody in any position that wants safety training,” he says, “and we have the resources to do that training. We’ve got an in-house safety officer that’s got the highest safety credentials you could have.”

The company’s guarantee of safety is just one component of its overall dedication to employees; it also supports them through open communication. “Every new hire goes to breakfast with their CEO,” Hunt says. “We’re big business, with five hundred employees, $120 million in revenue, the largest mechanical in the state of Arizona, but we don’t want to operate that way.” Instead, he explains, the company wants to operate like a small business where the CEO’s door is always open. “We’ve really tried to protect the family culture as we’ve grown into the largest mechanical in the state.”

The company also supported employees through the executive training program in which a group of selected individuals took on a twelve-month research project on employee engagement. The goal was to uncover “what it really means to be an employer of choice and be engaged with your employees.”

They learned that training, mentorship, and communication are all crucial factors when it comes to maintaining employee engagement and satisfaction. “Those are the things we try to instill throughout the entire organization,” Hunt says.

The company’s pledge of quality goes above and beyond what might be expected. Pueblo’s total quality management program carefully oversees the quality of the designs and provides customer solutions. As well, a quality team is sent to inspect work in the field. “If we have a mistake in the field, we want to catch it ourselves and not have our customer catch it,” he says.

“So we have a full-blown quality program that is led by a professional engineer that’s involved in the entire business—designing it and selling it but also taking a look at the systems and the process. Oftentimes, people think of quality as just checking to make sure the glass is clean when the job is done. That’s not at all what our quality program is. Our quality program is making sure we have the right processes in place to catch things. So we rate the performance of each of our jobs and each of our employees. We are looking at different types of specs. We’re not just making sure it’s shiny.”

Pueblo supports diversity and actively encourages women to join the team. As well as being the right thing to do, bringing more women into the company helps solve the workforce shortage that the industry faces. “People are retiring; people are leaving, and we don’t have the people coming up to replace that,” Hunt says.

Management sat down and put their heads together to try and solve the problem. “We looked at it and said, ‘Hey, we’re missing essentially fifty percent of the market out there by not having a very strong female presence.’ And so we really made it a culture shift and a topic.”

After researching employee satisfaction, the executive training program turned its attention to improving gender diversity. “They went through a full year of research interviewing different companies nationally and came back with suggestions of what we’re going to do as an organization.” Now, the company makes sure to actively recruit women and strives to have as many female applicants as male applicants. “[We’re] really making it a mission,” Hunt says.

Pueblo’s fully accredited apprenticeship program gives women and men who are eager to learn but have no experience, an opportunity to establish a career in the industry. “[We] find people and build them ourselves and create mentorship programs,” he says. “We feel that if we can build from within and train them, there will be employees for a lifetime.”

The company plans to continue expanding both organically and through additional acquisitions. The goal is to become “not only a leader in Arizona in the mechanical, plumbing and controls world but in the southwest and beyond,” Hunt says. With a strong track record of recent growth, it seems only a matter of time before Pueblo expands beyond Arizona to become a regional powerhouse.

The post Strong Growth, Strong Culture<p class="company">Pueblo Mechanical & Controls</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Asked about Dual Temp’s sure-footed evolution over a half-century, Bradley Noel, President of this Lehigh Valley company says, “One of my thoughts on that is that Dual Temp keeps evolving. We look beyond the day-to-day challenges to where tomorrow is going to have opportunities. We also take care of our employees. We offer them a great place to work with excellent health benefits and opportunities to grow their career to the next level.”

Promotion from within is a strategy that has long served Dual Temp well. The company ensures that there are comprehensive digital and traditional training resources available to ensure its employee-partners have opportunities to advance their careers. All of the project managers, service managers, and CAD professionals at Dual Temp got their start in the field.

“It’s important to show a career path for our field staff. This could be exceling in technical trade expertise, or moving into an office role. I can feel our team improving each time we fill an office leadership role with someone who has come from the field,” said Noel.

“We have a full catalog of digital training we can leverage. We can assign it to people and help them meet their goals for their career, or help set goals for them in their career, and increase the use of technology – to our advantage – to get them there,” said Noel.

Dakota Brown is an employee partner who has grown his career with Dual Temp, moving up through the ranks to assume the role of service manager. Reflecting on his success, Brown says, “If you want long term success, you have to have employees that are happy. You have to show your employees that there’s the ability for them to grow into other roles as part of their career.

“It’s that kind of place that’s going to keep pushing us forward as we look to tomorrow and the next challenge.”

The next challenge
In this case, the next challenge is addressing the increase in demand for services while also overcoming a persistent skilled labor shortage. Part of the reason for the increase in demand is the legislative changes aimed at optimizing indoor air quality (IAQ) to minimize airborne COVID transmission.

“There’s money available to companies who take advantage and apply for funding to make investments in their indoor air quality so that their employees are safer, and they can [safely] bring people back to their buildings,” says Brown.

He notes that Dual Temp is more than happy to help clients devise a strategy to take advantage of that funding so as to have optimum impact on buildings and employees.

Brown acknowledges that every building is different, but that, nevertheless, Dual Temp always offers a true full-service experience for its customers. “We sit down on a case-by-case basis and make our recommendations based on their indoor air quality and the design of their system, and we make adjustments to their building automation systems.

“We have competitors who say they’re a full-service mechanical contractor, except they don’t do this or that. We really do all of it. We really can provide that one-stop destination for our customers to get the services that they need, in a timely fashion and with absolute transparency,” says Noel.

Transparency through technology
Transparency, in the case of Dual Temp, is a competitive advantage and a point of differentiation, and technology has a role to play in this regard. For twelve years, Dual Temp has invested in ensuring that the latest technologies and innovations are integrated into their operations. This includes ‘video-reporting’ for their customers’ peace of mind and a guarantee of a job well done.

According to Brown, “A lot of the time in our industry, the only things a customer sees from us are check-in, check-out, and billing. They don’t see what’s going on up on their roof – it’s a mystery to them. But with the video reporting that we provide to our customers we can be absolutely transparent with them, so they not only know that we were on the site, but they see exactly what we’re seeing, and they see exactly what we did.”

Optimizing with SightCall
Dual Temp’s technology-enabled team-based approach is facilitated by a platform called SightCall, which is an enterprise-grade video cloud program that gives the Dual Temp team scalability and capacity across its footprint, and a process by which its day-to-day operations can be optimized.

“It was already part of our culture to leverage technology, but we had to start looking at other ways to use technology through things like SightCall so that we can support that greener technician while they’re on the job,” says Brown.

SightCall provides connectivity amongst the various divisions and allows technicians on site to video conference product- or service-specific experts to troubleshoot any problems and deliver the optimum solution and the greatest possible value to the customer.

Each employee-partner at Dual Tech is valued because the company’s leadership team knows that success comes from the strength of the sum of its parts, which is why connectivity tools like SightCall are elevating the level of service it provides.

“We use technology, we have good people, we value them. We work together as one big company, one big team with our diverse backgrounds, fusing all that stuff together with the resources, the logistics – just making sure that people can stay on the job and support the territory we have,” says Brown, and he emphasizes that the company’s goal is to do so safely, above all else.

Efficiency with skilled labor
Efficiency is key to maximize the value of the company’s skilled labor more effectively. The company instituted material support and logistics to ensure that technicians have the materials on-site when they need them, instead of having to source them on their own, which caused delays and wasted valuable time.

“In the past we would have our field foremen and our field technicians run for parts, but skilled talent is too valuable to be running logistics for parts pickup. We support them in the field with our logistics team to get them what they need, when they need it, and to let them focus their unique skilled talents on the mechanical project, service call, or construction job that they’re on,” Noel says.

Prioritizing safety
“I always say that safety comes first. Safety comes before profit. Safety comes before project schedule. Safety even comes before keeping the customer happy,” says Noel. “It’s up to us to prioritize our own safety and safety is an expectation.”

Brown echoes this sentiment: “That [attitude] trickles down through all the departments starting from Brad. We all know the expectation that our employee-partners show up here for work whole. They show up a certain way and we make sure they go home a certain way. Everyone needs to make sure they look out for themselves and the people they work with.”

Dual Temp also prioritizes the community. The three areas of emphasis in its philanthropic outreach are education, in particular reading programs for kindergarten through grade three students; food access programs to support the one in ten people in Lehigh Valley who struggle with food access; and seniors who are dependent on others for their basic needs.

“We’re cornerstone partners with the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. These guys are experts at delivering these services where they are needed most and we participate with our time and our dollars,” says Noel.

Dual Temp hosts what it calls an annual Day of Caring, which is a day dedicated to getting its employees out in the community to volunteer in some way, be it Meals on Wheels, or performing maintenance and upkeep on a local youth home. Employees are paid for their workday but spend it in the community making it a better place for them all to call home.

The people of Dual Temp believe in leaving spaces better than when they found them, and in an industry that’s typically slow to evolve, it blazes a trail using technology and innovation to foster its own culture of success. And of course, seek out opportunity for the future.

A future with Dual Temp
Noel and Brown close by promoting a career with Dual Temp and a job in mechanical contracting in general, given the continued focus on improving indoor air quality generally. And of course, there’s also the consistent demand for mechanical retrofits and building improvements that will undoubtedly power the industry for the conceivable future.

“It’s a great industry to get into if you’re looking for employment. Or if you’re in a building trade right now and looking for a change, mechanical contracting – HVAC – is a really good move because you’ll always have work, you’re always busy, and it will only become more so.

“We have the technology available to us,” Brown adds, “the training, the resources, the support. If you want to make a move, we’ll support that change and we’re able to help build that new career path at our company.”

The post Where Success Thrives<p class="company">Dual Temp Company</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Since 1973, Western Pacific has been servicing all aspects of the electrical construction industry for industrial, commercial, and utility clients through Western Canada. Specializing in large-scale commercial electrical projects and utilities, as well as service and maintenance, company representatives and employees have seen it all.

WPE Safety Manager Wayne Fettback said he is proud of the reputation his company has built over the years. Most of what WPE does is based upon word-of-mouth, and that reputation has been built by providing large general contractors across myriad industries with innovative, project-based solutions. Well-known for its proficiency in handling complex electrical needs, WPE can accommodate any scenario – from remote substations to hospitals, power distribution facilities, SkyTrain stations, and even major renovations to BC Place, home of the CFL’s BC Lions.
Do Fettback and the WPE crew have a favourite project? “Challenging ones,” he quipped. ‘No job is too large – or too intimidating – for us to handle,’ reads the company’s website, and Fettback agrees. “We do hospitals, convention centres, public transit; we’re proud of everything we do.”

He added that WPE was fortunate to have weathered the pandemic storm better than most. “Construction is an essential service and we were very fortunate to be deemed as such so our workers were able to continue to be employed and projects [kept] moving ahead. Construction is cyclical, of course. We would have been already starting projects by the time the pandemic hit… There are things we had to do to accommodate construction but it certainly didn’t stop.”

Of course, the company has had to deal with masks and testing, the same as everyone else because of COVID-19. But as Fettback looks back to what many consider to be a lost year, he said that 2020 was, in fact, one of the best years the company has had.

“We’ve been very blessed with the kind of projects we’ve done and with our staff. I’m proud of our safety program. It’s been recognized in Canada as one of the premier programs,” he said. “I think the company itself has an awful lot of accomplishments.”

WPE’s roots come from decades of building several significant industrial projects in British Columbia in the 1960s and 70s. It was established in 1973 by Ernie Moore and Dieter Fettback, Wayne’s father. In the 1990s, Wayne started as part of the managing team, along with his brothers, Ron and David. They serve most aspects of the electrical industry and have built some of the most prominent features of Vancouver and Western Canada. WPE crews have even done jobs in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Fettback said he is grateful for the company’s people working, whom he considers a major asset. “We’ve been fortunate because the company’s biggest strengths are the people we have working for us. A lot of them are in the business twenty-five and thirty years,” he said. “We’ve been able to attract a lot of people, young people that are learning the trade, and develop them internally.”

He said, for the most part, although working with new and younger workers has brought challenges, they still keep moving forward, generation after generation. A big part of that is due to the company training programs.

“We’ve developed our own training, just so we can become more agile instead of using outside services,” he said. “Most of our safety training is done in-house, so we have better control over who gets what and how long the training takes.”

Fettback is an accountant by trade, but he realized decades ago that there is a direct cost relationship between the profitability and safety of a company. “I’m very much engrossed in safety in this province and Western Canada,” he explained. Keeping workers safe on the job is of the utmost importance, and with proper management of a robust safety program, accidents and claims can be drastically reduced.

WPE is owned by the MYR Grou, headquartered in Chicago, which purchased the Western Canadian company five years ago. In the half-decade before that, WPE’s average annual revenues had been approximately CAD 100 million and the reason for the acquisition was to expand and leverage MYR’s transmission and distribution capabilities in the region through WPE’s extensive substation experience in the electric utility sector.

MYR Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Koertner was quite happy at the time of the acquisition. In a statement, he said: “The addition of WPE to MYR Group strengthens our position in Canada with its experience and expertise in both the C&I and T&I market segments and further demonstrates the execution of our three-pronged strategy of prudent organic growth, acquisitions, and return of capital for our stockholders. WPE brings a skilled workforce, a strong management team and a culture that aligns with MYR Group’s own values and culture. We welcome the employees of WPE and look forward to a successful integration into our organization.”

Koertner noted in that statement that WPE has extensive experience in large-scale electrical projects and telecommunications for general contractors, commercial and industrial facility owners, local governments, and developers. Of course, Fettback already knew that, just as he knew MYR was getting one great company with which to work.

The projects in WPE’s portfolio are impressive, to say the least. WPE was recognized as a Vancouver Regional Construction Association Landmark Award Trade Contractor for its work on the BC Place roof replacement and facilities. Fettback called the BC Place project one of the most challenging yet best-run projects he has been a part of. The company built the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Whistler Sliding Centre, as well as the Nordic Track.

One of the company’s most challenging projects? Two HVDC Substations located outside Edmonton and Calgary. “At that time, we had close to five hundred people on those sites, and it was definitely one of the most challenging but also one of the best-run projects,” said Fettback. “That one, we had close to six or eight safety people working two shifts. It was tough, but we’re proud of that one too.”

The company even has a hand in education, building The Nest, a tower-like structure in the University of British Columbia Student Union Building that is a central hub for students to study, socialize, shop, and dine.

“Construction is looking pretty robust in Western Canada right now. It’s exciting times,” he said. “To see the next generation coming up, it’s exciting, at least for me it is, even though I maybe only have five or six years left, and I’m training people (to do) my job and getting them ready to walk me out the door.”

It happens when you have been in an industry for decades. At least Fettback can look back on his years with one of the most successful companies out of Western Canada with satisfaction. It is getting through a pandemic pretty well, and its past work shows it can meet any challenge head-on.

The post Up to the Challenge<p class="company">Western Pacific</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

With 60 years of experience, TMP is an employee-owned, mechanical building services consulting company with an impressive array of design and engineering abilities.

TMP, through innovative design solutions that result in both energy and cost savings, while improving and simplifying systems operations and construction practices, specializes in all manner of building overhaul, from high-rise to commercial, institutional, and retail projects.

Moving on from natural gas
“For a lot of our new projects we’ve started focusing on how to reduce onsite carbon production, which means mainly looking at removing the use of natural gas in buildings, generally for heating or domestic hot water,” says Steve Orchard, a Partner at TMP.

“You could in theory just turn all your gas boilers to electric boilers to essentially decarbonize, but it’s not necessarily the best approach. We’re looking at using ground source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and air-source heat pumps. Anything with a higher COP [Coefficient of Performance] than just regular electric resistance.”

As the country looks to a carbon-neutral future, Orchard says the idea of buildings reducing their carbon production is key, as they represent a huge portion of that carbon product.

“A lot of the new buildings we’re working on are seeing that as a goal and a step in the right direction,” he says. “It’s starting to gain traction and we’re working with a few clients right now that are looking at trying to convert their existing buildings to zero carbon buildings. Obviously the inherent challenges with that approach are different than starting from scratch on a new building.”

Orchard sees this becoming a big focus for developers and building owners in next few years as Toronto starts rolling out requirements for existing buildings, similar to what New York has implemented. This is especially true as the Toronto Green standard ratchets up, Tier 2 becomes a requirement, and greenhouse gas emission targets become more onerous.

Orchard also stresses the need for understanding the difference between net zero energy and net zero carbon: Committing to net zero carbon means eliminating greenhouse gas emissions on site, while net zero energy means producing all energy required for the project on site through the use of on site renewables such as solar PV.

“That’s the focus and I think that’s where we’re struggling with some municipalities where the term net zero is thrown around. Distinguishing between net zero energy and net zero carbon is really important. They are two very different things.”

Net Zero success
One of TMP’s highlight net zero projects is the Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation at Mohawk College in Hamilton.

This innovative 96,000 square foot building features a lecture theatre, classrooms, laboratory spaces and study areas. TMP completed the mechanical design for the HVAC and plumbing, ingeniously incorporating heat recovery into each system for outdoor air, variable refrigerant flow, perimeter heating, and service hot water.

The service hot-water system provides short-term thermal storage and interconnects the solar thermal array with the building’s HVAC system through a ground-coupled condenser water system that enables energy to transfer between the systems.

The project has been awarded numerous accolades including the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association’s 2018 Sustainable Project of the Year, and the 2017 Canada Green Building Council Award, Innovation in Sustainability.

“It was the first net zero energy and carbon project that we completed and certified, taking it right from drawing board to realization,” says Orchard. “Over the first few years of operation it’s actually been a net positive building. It’s actually producing more energy than it uses.”

TMP is also working on a number of new projects including relocating the Etobicoke Civic Centre from the West Mall to create a new 500,000 square foot Civic Centre on the Westwood Theatre Lands.

This unique building will include municipal offices with gathering and civic function space, child care centre, a Toronto Public Library district branch, community recreation centre with public pools, and an outdoor civic plaza. The environmental sustainability design aims for a zero carbon target and includes the realization of a progressive wellness standard for the building’s residents, and a geothermal district energy plant integrated into the building design.

“We just recently moved that project into the Tier 4 for Toronto Green Standard requirements which would get us extremely close to a carbon-neutral building,” says Orchard.

On that site TMP is also working with district energy plant Enwave Energy Corporation, a geothermal distribution energy plant.

The TMP way
“That’s the key to many of these buildings getting to carbon neutral – looking at leveraging technology like a ground-source heat pump and geothermal,” says Orchard. “These district systems that they’re looking at help leverage larger site areas for the drilling of bore holes, and also help distribute and share energy between buildings that have dissimilar loads, ultimately resulting in a more efficient system.”

A relatively small, employee-owned company, TMP focuses only on mechanical design, which also serves to make them unique.

“We’ve done one thing well for the 60-plus years we’ve been in business,” says Orchard. “We make sure we do that one thing well. Being employee-owned for us I think gives the shareholders a sense of ownership and a sense of pride in knowing that they can really make a change in the company if they need to.

“Our clients know if they need something from us there’s no process or bureaucracy they need to deal with to get it done. We can pivot as we need to and I think that’s made us very nimble.”

The retrofit challenge
TMP’s plans include continuing to work on new projects, continuing to push the envelope, and continuing to find every way there is to deliver value for clients on projects, whether through decarbonization or retrofitting a building. Orchard thinks a big change will include looking at existing building stock and deciding what to do with them over the next 25 years.

“Designing a new building from scratch and dealing with carbon neutrality is one thing, but going back and trying to figure out how to retrofit a building from the late ’70s or early ’80s and make it comply with the new energy code requirements will be challenging.”

The importance of the work is vital, no matter the obstacles, and it’s something Orchard thinks most clients fully understand, particularly when it comes to environmental issues.

“The biggest challenge in any commercial real estate deal is usually with the financial part of the deal,” he says. “If making changes is adding cost to your bottom line and you’re not able to make the finances of the project work, that’s one of the biggest barriers.”

Initially, the cost of making building changes to meet code requirements or energy requirements has been fairly onerous, which Orchard thinks has scared people away somewhat. However, with costs coming down as technology becomes more accessible, the field has become more competitive.

“What people are seeing at the end of the day is that you maybe spend more up front in the building, but your energy consumption and carbon consumption comes down, so ultimately it’s a benefit for everyone.”

In light of COVID
With the ongoing pandemic crisis, the HVAC industry has been closely scrutinized, says Orchard, which has in turn led to examining ventilation, its merits and the potential changes required.

“Sometimes in the past, to realize energy savings has meant decreasing the amount of fresh air, shutting building systems off, or limiting them. I think the pandemic has highlighted those activities that are detrimental to the occupants in the building.”

Although awareness of the need for preventive maintenance and upkeep is vital, possible building-design alterations have also been examined. In terms of mechanical systems, ensuring good ventilation with optimum filtration and easy access to service equipment is key. “I don’t think there’s any technology we could add to every building that could stop COVID in its tracks,” says Orchard.

Along with the success of the Mohawk College site, Orchard is also proud of TMP’s handling of the COVID situation overall, particularly in keeping people employed, maintaining revenue and moving ahead with projects.

“Generally we’ve ridden through this pandemic very well and I think we see a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re going to be able to come out of this in a stronger position than we went in.”

Making it personal
TMP also prides itself on taking a personal approach when dealing with its clients, being easy to work with and easy to get along with, a philosophy that permeates all its employees’ attitudes.

“We’re very flat management structure. We’ve got very close relationships with our employees. We really do feel like it’s a family. People aren’t afraid to come talk to us. We’ve always prided ourselves on being a very relaxed and easygoing group.”

Moving forward, Orchard wants to highlight the importance of truly understanding the necessity of achieving decarbonization goals, combined with looking holistically at the building design. This involves not only the work of the architects, but also of the mechanical engineers finding ways to reduce energy consumption in buildings in a way that doesn’t carry a cost premium for the client.

“We’re really proud of what we do and I think our clients are starting to understand the value we can bring to their projects by looking at their challenges in a different way and not just deploying unproven technology and gadgets at their problems,” he says.

“We’re not just trying to get to carbon neutral; we want to reduce the overall energy consumption.”

The post Going Green Without Going Into the Red<p class="company">The Mitchell Partnership</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Founded in 1958 by Claude Dupras and his partners, Dupras Ledoux has offices in Montreal and Sainte-Thérèse.

Since its earliest days, Dupras Ledoux has grown continually in size and impact. As it has grown, so too have its clients’ expectations, and these ambitions have become the driver of its success.

Some of the very earliest projects in which Dupras Ledoux participated were of major significance in Quebec, including the erection of the Canadian Pavilion for the International and Universal Exposition (Expo67) in 1967, and the construction of the Olympic Village complex in 1974. Later came iconic projects like 1 Square Phillips, the tallest residential tower in Montreal and the Maestria, Quebec’s largest mixed-use residential space.

Since 1999, the firm has been under the leadership of André Dupras, President and senior partner, who brings forty-one years of mechanical engineering to the company. He was joined by four partners in 2013, James Gabriel, Guillaume Des Trois Maisons-Rose, Frédéric Legentil and Laurent Laframboise.

Youth and experience
Together they have grown Dupras Ledoux to a team of nearly one hundred, including world-class engineers and technicians who bring diverse skills and immense experience to the firm, providing mentorship to the next generation of professionals who will foster and build the firm’s future reputation.

The company’s team includes Pierre Martel, a site supervisor who has an impressive forty-nine years; Alain Marineau, an electrical technician with forty-six years of experience; and Steve Gallant and Daniel Lemieux, mechanical technicians with thirty-six years of experience apiece. These individuals, alongside all the firm’s experienced employees, bring an unmatched level of expertise to projects, securing the company’s leading status in the industry.

There are four elements to Dupras Ledoux’s approach: it is integrated, human, balanced and progressive. Every effort is taken to create a balance between atmosphere, flexibility, and performance, ensuring that the final product is a user-friendly building that is in harmony with its environment and the client’s wishes, including budgets and operating costs.

The secret of the team at Dupras Ledoux is the way it manages the subtle interrelationships between architectural, structural, and electromechanical design, ensuring the client’s objective is achieved. Each project is designed with the foremost commitment to performance and sustainability and clients are supported through attentiveness, collaboration, and technological innovation.

Full potential of REVIT
Consistent innovation brings flawless adaptation to new codes, new standards, new technologies and approaches. Dupras Ledoux is a leader in REVIT integrated design and proud of it, as eight years ago it was amongst the first engineering firms in North America to design projects using the software.

André Dupras views REVIT as not just an invaluable modelling tool but as a business strategy that allows for seamless integration across disciplines. As such, it minimizes the need for design corrections as the project construction progresses and results in greater client understanding, involvement and satisfaction.

Further to client satisfaction, the team at Dupras Ledoux is tirelessly dedicated to the professional oath they are sworn to as engineers: to design structures and implement processes that are optimized for efficiency and performance. Every effort is taken to minimize energy consumption and limit environmental impacts while maximizing comfort levels for building occupants.

The company’s commitment is borne out in the many LEED-certified projects in its portfolio, in particular the $125 million, 280,000 square foot Balmoral Building in Montreal’s Entertainment District (Quartier des spectacles). Dupras Ledoux delivered a complete package in this twelve-storey project that features an atrium, cultural spaces, offices, commercial units, a rooftop patio, and parking.

Balmoral was designed to LEED Gold NC standards and is esteemed for the optimal occupant health and comfort it provides thanks to air quality and pollutant controls that ensure total elimination of contaminants. Dupras Ledoux installed energy-efficient electromechanical systems, a comprehensive fire protection system, access control, security systems on each floor, and a lighting control system.

Balmoral features ASHRAE-compliant ventilation and heating/cooling systems, heat recovery from exhaust air and chillers, a cooling tower with a chilled water system, fresh air intake via a variable airflow system, direct digital control (DDC) centralized control systems for HVAC, and hot water is used for the perimeter heating system.

The building’s electrical facilities feature space for six public electric vehicle charging stations connected to Hydro-Quebec’s circuit, and a 300-kilowatt generator, as well as empty conduits for data and telephone telecommunications.

Warehouse re-conceived
Another great is Le Phenix in Montreal. The firm was tasked with renovating an abandoned industrial building for Lemay, an architectural firm of 350 employees, that would occupy 40,000 square feet of the 100,000 square feet available in the three-storey building, conceived and designed to provide flexibility for future growth and expansion.

Dupras Ledoux employed new concepts, using this opportunity to test and demonstrate design excellence and leadership in sustainable design, rehabilitating and breathing new life into the obsolete shell of a building. The project aimed to achieve the highest environmental certifications, including net-zero energy consumption, zero-carbon practices, and LEED Platinum. The building received Zero Carbon Building certification and the 2020 Green Building Excellence Award for New Construction by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), as well as the maximum three-star Fitwel rating in support of its focus on occupant health and well-being.

This was all achieved through the use of filtered water systems, heat recovery systems, LED lighting, motion-activated lighting, and what is referred to as an “eco-machine” to filter all water from the building and site using a bio-retention basin and sophisticated vegetation. The project also features photovoltaic roof panels and it was the second time in Quebec, after Dupras Ledoux itself, where GPON technology was employed, a network which consumes considerably less energy and space for telecommunications equipment.

Further, the design included a displacement ventilation system for fresh-air distribution that is decoupled from the air-conditioning distribution system and a heat-recovery system designed in the curtain walls. Variable-flow demand-responsive fans keep carbon dioxide levels within ASHRAE standards for optimal workspace comfort.

The House of Radio
There are countless examples of Dupras Ledoux’s expertise at work. The company was sought out for the design and construction of the new Maison de Radio-Canada building in Montreal, a project with a surface area of 415,000 square feet and a construction value of $275 million.

The complex consists of three main sections, a seven-storey tower with a four-storey tower, and a four-storey atrium, as well as a functional centre that houses studios, workshops, warehouses and a technical equipment centre, plus a data centre with two megawatts of servers, which was built and operational twelve months prior to the rest of the project.

The multi-use space is also home to offices, control rooms, technical labs, collaborative spaces, a radio station, television studios and sets; dressing rooms, a 200-seat café with a commercial kitchen, a gym, daycare centre, doctor’s office, rooftop patios and a large public square. On top of all of this, the project also aspired to LEED Silver certification, as well as achieving Radio-Canada’s annual energy target.

To achieve its targets, Dupras integrated LED lighting and sensors, heat recovery from the chiller condensers and exhaust air, DDC building management system and active chilled beams in fifty-five percent of the building’s open surface areas which diffuse air and allow for local heating and cooling, thus reducing fan capacity and energy requirements by sixty-six per cent.

Living green
The team at Dupras Ledoux not only designs green buildings, it also lives green. Its own headquarters feature large windows to promote the use of natural light, and where this is not possible, time sensitive, motion-activated LED lights are used. For over fifteen years, efforts have been made to reduce paper use, in addition to several other initiatives.

Indeed, in all that it does, Dupras Ledoux consciously seeks to nurture its relationships with clients, employees, and the environment. The company undertakes projects that are challenging from both a technical and creative standpoint and it continuously motivates its employees to go beyond expectations to create sustainable buildings and spaces that are truly remarkable.

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