R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd.:
Preferred builder of medical and healthcare facilities R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. of Nanaimo, B.C. provides a full suite of Project Management, Construction Management and General Contracting services Written by: Kevin Doyle Produced by: Stephen Marino
www.bobwallcontracting.com
www.bobwallcontracting.com
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hen R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. targeted the healthcare and medical facility market on Vancouver Island, B.C., it worked tirelessly to achieve and cement its reputation as the preferred contracting partner for such projects in and around Nanaimo. “We build all sorts of other commercial projects but the medical community is the market niche we’ve really targeted and we want to be the first call any of them make,” acknowledges company founder and President Bob Wall, an industry veteran of 50 years who cut his teeth as a 16-year-old summer worker for his father’s residential construction firm in the 1960s. “I just love it any time we deliver a
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| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 1 product that’s better than anyone in our small part of the world has seen before,” he declares. Established in 1986, R.W. (Bob) Wall’s expansive portfolio also includes professional office buildings, hotels, warehouses, retail spaces, apartment buildings, schools and churches. The company’s suite of Project Management, Construction Management and General Contracting services enables it to shepherd projects through from concept to closeout and beyond. Wall is a past local President and Provincial Director of the Nation Home Builders Association (NHBA), a Registered Professional Builder with the NHBA and the holder of Gold Seal
| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 2 Certificates for both Project Management and Estimating issued by the Canadian Construction Association. Under his direction and that of his daughter and business partner, General Manager Donna Marie Hais, the company maintains a full-time staff of 20 and partners with a network of trusted sub-contractors developed and nurtured through the years. What differentiates R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. from its competitors? “I think the biggest difference is that [their] project gets priority from our firm. That is very significant for the doctors and caregivers to know that they are on the front burner all the time and that their needs are the most important thing on
our agenda every day,” Wall points out. “And not just that they are our prime concern but that they know they have hired a company that is very knowledgeable and can achieve and deliver all of the special needs and features that the medical community and their facilities require,” he adds.
Showcase Projects
Eden Gardens, a 130-bed dementia care facility in Nanaimo, is replacing an outdated facility with a village-like setting featuring a blend of public and private spaces and will address the specific needs of those requiring dementia care. The foundation and basement are in place, framing is nearly completed and the project is on target for a Spring 2017 completion. “It’s run by a not-for-profit and we were invited to submit a proposal with others. They chose our firm to help with their response to the Government RFP for facility and now we are carrying right on through with construction of facility,” Wall says. To prepare to build the company’s first dementia care facility project, Wall and Hais first visited facilities across Western Canada, gathering ideas and information. “The model we chose is the Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon. We took our architects and
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| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 3 “I just love it any time we deliver a product that’s better than anyone in our small part of the world has seen before.”
- President Bob Wall, R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. engineers and arranged meetings for them with every department head before we turned them loose to design Eden Gardens, using the model we found to be the best in Western Canada,” Wall notes. R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. owns and leases the Harbour City Health Centre and the Millstone Medical Centre, both in Nanaimo. The company customizes each space to the specifications of individual tenants and Millstone has both a café and small gym on the premises. “Whenever there are new tenants, one of first meetings is for the architect who custom designs to their specific needs. They (healthcare
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providers) spend so many hours in there and they are so well educated and the services are so modern and leading edge that we want the facilities to reflect that. It’s a second home and that’s exactly what we’re trying to deliver for them,” Wall explains. The company exhibited its diversity and won a Project Management renovation award for its work at a century-old building at 223 Commercial St. in Nanaimo, gutting and re-building the interior, and restoring a third storey that had been lost to fire in 1930, complete with roof-top patios. Additional projects in Nanaimo include the Salvation Army Transitional Housing, the Oral Facial and Surgery Implant Centre, the Madsen Professional Building, a Ramada Hotel, and the Nanaimo
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Christian School.
People and Training
“We keep ourselves updated as changes come and a lot of that comes from seminars, courses, classes, and the continuing education program we have within our company for the six Superintendents. It really helps us bring up-to-date leading edge technology and information to the table when we join others with whatever board or governing body we are participating,” Wall notes. Superintendents routinely rotate through and observe each other’s projects. “It’s a chance to explain how they have overcome some difficulties on a project. It’s almost inevitable that
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something difficult or challenging will come up,” Wall says. “Sometimes they are just seeking input from the other Supers. They can help each other avoid making mistakes by giving each other good ideas on how to put the building together. They know they have a team to call on.” Wall takes pride in being a hands-on manager who asks nothing of employees he wouldn’t do himself, an approach that fosters a family atmosphere and staff loyalty. Senior Superintendent Ben Nychuk, for example, has been with the company for 42 years. “Sometimes that means jumping down into the ditch and helping to get something ready because the concrete truck is sitting there,” Wall points out.
| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 6 “The biggest thing that defines us is everyone showing each other how they’re doing it and helping each other out. That only works if they see leadership doing it. “We have very good retention level of staff once they are trained. It’s because of the family atmosphere I think, from being part of a greater team and having greater responsibilities than just the job you’re on at a given time. And it’s having an interest in what others are doing off the job site as well, whether that’s fishing or having a barbecue – doing the things that every company that lasts a long time does,” he continues. “Longevity is one of the things that appeals to our people and provides security and peace of mind they really
seem to appreciate.” Wall knows a little support goes a long way: “You can’t always point out to people what could have been done better. You have to take the time to tell them they have done a good job. At least once a week everybody does something good.”
Operations
Superintendents maintain current safety certifications, are trained on all equipment and have the expertise to perform tasks in the field when the need arises. “That makes a difference in the level of respect our Supers get from the workers in all of the trades,” Wall
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asserts. “Something used on most sites now is a zoom boom, a forklift that can pick up materials and lumber and lift it several storeys on a telescoping arm. The Super has to get certified how to operate that piece of equipment and has to be licensed to make sure it is done properly and safely.” Going the extra mile to assure client satisfaction is a company hallmark. “For example, we recently did a radiology clinic and we hadn’t dealt with some of the equipment going into it, so we did some research and found that the leading architect in facilities for radiology has his offices in California. We reached out, got to
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know him, hired him and had him do all the plans and specifications to make sure that what we’re doing is leading edge and as good as it can be,” Wall explains. Operating as a single point of contact, R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. can also arrange project financing and regularly attends meetings with clients to assure compliance with all of the government healthcare guidelines. “It gives the medical community, or whoever it is we’re dealing with, peace of mind that they just need to know one phone number to have things be looked after, that if they don’t have all the answers, we’ll get them the answers,” Wall says.
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| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 9 The company works to avoid the industry stereotype of project delays that cost clients more than they were promised.
reputation and track record of doing a good job for the amount they quoted,” he says.
“Our Supers are really good that way. If it means working evenings or working weekends and making certain a clinic opens on the day they were told it would open, that’s what we do,” stresses Wall, adding that heavy reliance on sub-contractors means treating them well and paying them on time.
The company has already purchased the land for its next healthcare project and HazMat studies have been conducted in advance of demolishing the five existing buildings.
“We have a very short list in each of 20 categories of three or four companies that we will accept prices from to bid the work because of their
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Looking Forward
Wall hints that he will be cutting back in the near future and takes great pride in knowing his daughter is poised to assume control. “When I offered her the job I told her
| R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. | 10 she had to work with me for 20 years before she could be a partner,” Wall recalls. “It’s now been over 25 years and one of the things that has brought me the most joy is being able to pass on what I’ve learned to her and seeing her come to the place that she can now handle anything. “It will give our clientele a considerable degree of comfort knowing that when I start working less that the continuity will be there. They’ve grown to know Donna and they’re going to get the same level of treatment,” he concludes.
COMPANY INFORMATION Company Name: R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. Country: Canada Industry: Construction Est: 1986 Revenue: n/a Premiere Service: Commercial construction with a focus on healthcare and medicalfacilities.
Principal Partners: President Bob Wall General Manager Donna Marie Hais Website: www.bobwallcontracting.com
www.bobwallcontracting.com
6040 Hammond Bay Rd Nanaimo, BC V9T 5M4 P: (250) 756-2707 E: rwbobwallltd@shaw.ca