Flynn Canada Ltd.
One of Canada’s ‘Best Managed Companies’ Flynn Canada explains how it has achieved success and consequential growth
Flynn Canada Ltd.
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Flynn Canada Ltd. One of Canada’s ‘Best Managed Companies’ Flynn Canada explains how it has achieved success and consequential growth Written by: Abigail Phillips Produced by: Rich Gentile >>>
Flynn Canada, a Platinum member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies scheme, talks people management, growth strategies and the importance of long-term relationships
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Flynn Canada Ltd. One of Canada’s ‘Best Managed Companies’ Flynn Canada explains how it has achieved success and consequential growth
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lynn Canada was established in 1978 and according to the company’s website, has from that very moment, “been a team that takes pride in a job well done.” Flynn Canada started as a roofing contractor in Winnipeg and has grown to become one of the country’s only trade contractors to offer complete building envelope solutions. Today the firm has 18 offices across Canada and employs more than 3,000 people.
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The company offers its clients a one-stop solution for roofing services but also complete design and build solutions. As Manager Stephen Teal explains, “We do anything within the building envelope that doesn’t involve a trowel.” Flynn is committed to delivering quality and value with health and safety of its employees and clients as a top priority. So how did a humble roofing company achieve national recognition and constant growth? “We have grown primarily though acquisition,” says Teal. The company has aggressively pursued acquisition in recent years and after ‘saturating’ the Canadian market has its sights set on the US. “We have made the strategic decision to move into the US,” he confirms. “We have completed specialty projects in the US in the past but now we advertising to purchase and acquire companies.” In October, Flynn announced its President for Flynn America LP. The firm is yet to put a workforce on the ground in the US, however it has jobs lined up. On top of this, Flynn is also expanding
its operations into other nonbuilding scopes. “We have acquired 50 percent of a photovoltaic company and also a commercial art company that fabricates large sculptures for both interior and exterior applications,” explains Teal. This growth and diversification, however, has been possible owing to the company’s reputation within the industry. A dedication to quality sets Flynn apart. The company’s website states, “We continue to ask ourselves a very simple, straightforward question: If we were constructing a building to serve ourselves as clients, what
would we want?” By approaching every project in this way Flynn has produced fantastic results time and time again. Training and culture And it’s not just quality that put Flynn in pole position, the firm holds the prestigious Platinum Level as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, meaning it has been ranked within the top 50 for more than 10 years. This award acts to illustrate its continued high level of commitment to the industry and its clients, but equally importantly, its people. 5
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Flynn Canada Ltd. Supplier Profile
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Within its mission statement Flynn outlines the following: “We’ve worked to set ourselves apart in many ways – by offering superior products, by providing unparalleled service, and by giving back to our communities. But none of these things would be possible without one important ingredient: the right people. Our team innovates, educates, and ensures we constantly evolve as a company. And because we understand how important they are, we strive to make Flynn a place they want to work.” As part of this commitment, training is extremely high on the
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company’s agenda owing to the belief that it will help Flynn achieve its vision of being the trade contractor of choice in all its operational markets, for all its clients. “We operate several training programs through the Flynn University. Senior management attend a 10-day course that focuses primarily on management and people skills. While senior foreman and supervisors take part in a shorter course geared towards team leadership,” says Teal. Throughout the year the company constantly runs refresher training to bring its employees up
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Flynn Canada Ltd. Supplier Profile
Sound Solutions At Sound Solutions, we offer some of the most innovative interior and exterior architectural products available anywhere in the world. Sound Solutions is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serves architects, designers, builders and contractors throughout Canada, central North America and the Atlantic seaboard.
to speed with new products and technology. As an example, Flynn is the only North American firm using a particular European product to send its employees to Manchester in the UK for manufacturer led training. “By sending our key workers on training delivered directly by the manufacturer we gain a far deeper knowledge and understanding of the product, its capabilities, its limitations and how to apply it effectively. Training is very important to our business,� says Teal. As part of this training program, the company is also dedicated it bringing its employees
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Flynn Canada Ltd. Supplier Profile
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Envolution Metl-Span® has expanded its products and services with the introduction of Envolution™, the company’s branded line of architectural products for a comprehensive building envelope solution. Products include Vantaj™ custom panels, architectural sunshades and grilles, column covers and beam wraps and architectural louvers in association with Doralco Architectural Metals plus custom fabrication capabilities. Envolution architectural panel products are manufactured to exact specifications and deliver the highest quality energy efficiency with proven sustainability. www.envolution.com
up through the ranks where possible. As well as training, Flynn also takes great pride in its operational processes and systems that underpin the business. “Our process are not onerous, they make sense,” says Teal. “Its all about ongoing development, assessment and evaluation; it’s about finding the right formula for our business.” When it comes to group-wide management, Flynn is also aware that a one-size-fits-all model will not work in the context of its business. Owing to geographical diversity, the company tends to operate each region somewhat autonomously. Its company values are so deeply embedded that individual managers can run division separately, while maintaining the overarching vision and ethos of Flynn. Health and safety Flynn’s Board of Directors has set safety as a top strategic priority and takes great pride in the fact that its company standards are often higher than those set by regulatory bodies. “All of our employees from coast to coast work hard to ensure that our work sites exceed all provincial safety regulations. This ensures that the safety of all our workers, our client’s employees and their property are well protected,” reads NOVEMBER | 2013 |
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Flynn Canada Ltd.
a statement on the company’s website. Flynn has instituted a top down and bottom up commitment and involvement in its safety program, which instils a positive attitude across every day work practices. The company also has a fully developed, dedicated Health and safety team that has created comprehensive safety programs and practices. The team provides regular training and education, and monitors work sites to ensure all employees work in compliance with outlined safety standards. “Flynn realizes that safety is more than just policies and procedures. Safety comes alive when our leaders, managers, supervisors, foremen and workers all take ownership of safety by leading through their examples. We believe that this is the way that we will truly achieve and maintain a “Safety Culture” within our workforce.” Sustainability in mind “Green” is the word on everyone’s mind these days, and Flynn is no different. Speaking to Teal it is clear that the business is keenly aware that everything it does has an impact on the environment, and as such its always looking for ways
to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability. “We’ve put policies in place that encourage our entire company to work in a ‘greener’ way. We’ve instituted idle-free zones at our offices, many of our branches use hybrid vehicles, and we offer special parking spaces to employees who carpool or ride motorcycles. Our fabricating facilities recycle metal and aluminum, while our office staff embraces reducing our paper use and recycling. High-efficiency lighting and water systems in our branches also help us reduce our footprint,” explains Teal. 15
Flynn Canada Ltd.
Outside of the office, Flynn is also heavily involved when it comes to promoting sustainability. It is a founding member of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, an initiative that aims to increase the awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roof infrastructure across North America and rapidly advance the development of the market for green roof products and services. Furthermore, it has been a member and involved with the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) for many years. Building supplier relationships At Flynn, supplier relationships are very important and a lot of emphasis is put on maintaining those relationships. “We have a list of international preferred suppliers. We source a lot of our products
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from Europe and many of the senior managers attend tradeshows to discover new innovations,” explains Teal. Often products are rolled out across the group, however different divisions also work with different local suppliers to eliminate waste from the supply chain. “We deal with a number of national suppliers, however our markets are different across the country so we also have a lot of regionalized procurement,” he says. Why Flynn? If it is not yet clear, Teal gives yet another reason why Flynn is a contractor of choice in Canada and beyond. With locations spanning the length and breadth of Canada, Flynn is totally accessible for its clients. As an example, the firm has contracts with several national chains and banks and can service
STATISTICS
their numerous locations across the country. “We can cover all locations without there being a problem. Another thing,” says Teal. “Nobody else offers a complete building envelope system approach, we even assist with product selection, design and financial planning.” “As Canada’s only national building envelope contractor, we’ve made sure our expansion is aggressive, yet strategic. We’ve diversified our product offering, acquired companies that complement our approach to quality and service, and continued to make client satisfaction an overarching priority. We’ve fostered a corporate culture that supports our vision and values, and creates an environment that unites all of us in one goal: to provide our clients with the best service possible,” concludes Teal.
Industry: Building envelope trade contracting Founded: 1978 Headquarters: Mississauga, Canada Key People/Titles: Doug Flynn, President. John McManus COO Products: Complete building envelope solutions Revenue: 500 million Employees: 3,000 Website:
www.flynn.ca
Visit us online:
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Flynn Canada Ltd.
6435 Northwest Drive, Mississauga, Ont. L4V 1K2
T: 905-671-3971 www.flynn.ca