Thinking About Street Lights, Freeway Signs and Electricity So You Never Have To By Mark Kandborg
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magine you’re gliding along one of Calgary’s freeways late at night. What are some things you’d have a hard time living without? Street lights and road signs would definitely make the list. What about at home? Electricity, certainly. Yet street lights, road signs and electricity are probably things you rarely think about, if ever. Why is that? Because JATEC thinks about them for you, then gets the job done. Now that you are thinking about lights, road signs and electricity, here are some numbers for you to consider. When JATEC recently completed work on a the third leg of the Southeast Stoney Trail, they had moved over half a million kilograms of steel, poured over 1,000 square metres of concrete, drilled 81 piles nearly 700 metres into the earth, erected 73 structures and well over 2500 square metres of signage. After racking up 38,584 man hours, the whole incredible undertaking came in on time and on budget.
The completion of huge projects on time with no time lost to injury or property damage is more than just impressive. It’s JATEC’s signature and a testimony to the company’s commitment to safety in all aspects of the job. “Safety is a huge concern for us,” says JATEC owner Jim Allen, “so we put a lot of our energy into training and teaching to ensure it. The way we see it, safety equals efficiency.” As with all equations, this one works equally well in either direction. Not only does working safely make you more efficient, working ef efficiently keeps you safer. Over the years, the name JATEC has become synonymous with efficiency. One very important key to JATEC’s achieving such a high level of efficiency on these big projects has been their ever-increasing ability to ‘self perform’. “It can be difficult to get sub-contractors with the right equipment to the job site when you want them,” Allen explains. They might need pile trucks or big cranes
Jatec • 30 Years
on a Monday, but couldn’t get them until Thursday. “It was really starting to hurt our schedules,” he says. “We needed more control.” The solution? Acquire the equipment and the operators yourself. This means the equipment and operators work for JATEC and no one else. “We’re one of the few construction companies with the ability to self-perform. We don’t have to wait. It’s worked out well.” That simple phrase, “it’s worked out well”, is one that Allen could easily apply to just about every as-
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pect of JATEC’s business. He started the company with a friend 30 years ago this month after the two electricians found themselves laid off and looking for work. “It was either get a job or start a company, and there weren’t a lot of jobs,” Allen recalls. So the decision was a fairly easy one. There was only one problem. “We couldn’t pull permits, so we had to hire a master electrician who could. He’d pull the permits and we’d go to work.” From its beginnings working out of a garage in 1984, JATEC now employs more than 130 people. Much of the company’s success is due to Allen’s focus on working directly with large developers in the city. “You want to get as high up the decision making pyramid as you can,” he says. “You learn a lot more that way. You get to see things. You’re
Jatec • 30 Years
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A N N I V E R S A R Y
What do you get when you build a company on a culture of mutual respect, learning, safety and efficiency? In JATEC’s case, you get loyalty from employees and customers, thirty years of continuous growth and a proud business owner. not bidding, you’re negotiating, dealing with the owners. The relationships we’ve developed are built on trust, on years of service. This allows us to put a personal touch on problem solving and I think it’s another thing that sets us apart. It also gives us control of our own destiny.” If JATEC’s overall efficiency and attention to safety, its ability to self-perform and its familiarity with the top of the decision making pyramid are what sets Allen’s company apart, he believes it’s those 130-plus employees that bind it together. “They’ve all got the same idea. Everyone works together. Everyone learns together. They teach each other. We say to our people, train
your replacement to be able to sit in your seat, then you can move on to a different seat,” Allen says. “No fear. That’s a big part of the culture that drives our company.” What do you get when you build a company on a culture of mutual respect, learning, safety and ef efficiency? In JATEC’s case, you get loyalty from employees and customers, thirty years of continuous growth and a proud business owner. “I sure didn’t see myself running a company of this size when we were working out of that garage,” Allen says. “I’m very proud of our people.” Here’s to the next 30 years. Happy Anniversary, JATEC!
Congratulations to Jatec on their 30 th anniversary! Nova Pole International Inc. is proud to be the sign structures supplier to Jatec Electric for the Anthony Henday and South East Stoney Trail projects. Nova Pole International Inc. wishes you continued success.
Toll Free: 1-866-874-8889 • www.novapole.com Jatec • 30 Years
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H.O. Concrete Supplies Ltd. Unit 10, 2807 107 Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta T2Z 4M2 Phone Number: (587) 352-7148 Fax Number: (587) 352-7235 info@jatec.ca www.jatec.ca
Congratulations Jatec on 30 Years!
PEDDIE ROOFING & Wishing you many years of continued success! WATERPROOFING LTD. Safety COR Certified
UNDERGROUND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALISTS IN DRILLING AND PLACING CONCRETE
Precast Concrete Electrical Bases for Transformers, Switching Cubicles and Lamp Poles and Breakaway Bases
Congratulations to Jatec on 30 years of service in the construction industry. 403-369-5822
Division of Sonepar Canada Inc.
6145-75 Street Edmonton, AB T6E 0T3 Phone: (780) 469-8675 • Fax: (780) 465-7434 hoconcrete.ca
Congratulations on 30 years Jatec
wire and cable specialists since 1978
Proud Supplier of Jatec
Congratulations Jatec! Happy anniversary Jim, Dave and team! Wishing you many more years of success as you celebrate your 30th year in business.
VANCOUVER • EDMONTON • CALGARY • SASKATOON • WINNIPEG
Call 1.800.252.7545 to speak with a wire and cable specialist today.
#201 8403 Coronet Road NW Edmonton, AB T6E 4N7 Phone: (780) 801-2700 • Fax: (780) 801-2701 info@deseng.ca • deseng.ca
texcansales@sonepar.ca www.texcan.com
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Jatec • 30 Years