Building a better world – Chandos Construction does things a little differently

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Chandos Construction does things a little differently

By Jim Timlick

It’s not very often you will see the owner of a multimilliondollar company come into work each day with their sleeves rolled up and prepared to get their hands dirty.

As unusual as such a scenario might seem at many workplaces, it’s an everyday occurrence at Chandos Construction. Founded in 1980, Chandos is one of a growing number of employeeowned Canadian construction companies and has been since day one.

What differentiates it from many other employeeowned enterprises is the fact that its ownership ranks include everyone from frontline employees on job sites to middle management. In fact, every single Chandos employee, including hourly workers, has the option to buy shares in the business and company executives make up less than 40 per cent of Chandos’ nearly 200 employeeowners.

The Chandos ownership model is inspired by the one used by the Mondragon Corporation in Spain, one of the largest and most successful worker cooperatives in the world. Former CEO and current executive The Scenic Grande, one of Chandos Construction’s communityfocused projects, provides seniors with independent and assisted living accommodation and amenity space in northwest Calgary.

chair, Tom Redl, travelled to Spain several years ago to tour Mondragon firsthand. He was so impressed by what he saw overseas that he determined a similar ownership strategy would be a perfect fit for Chandos and give it a competitive advantage here in Canada.

Nicole Monaco, director, marketing and communication, says one of the benefits of Chandos’ employee ownership model is the fact that it encourages a sense of entrepreneurship among workers at every level of the company. It has also helped create a stronger bond among employees.

WORKING TOGETHER

“In most companies, you really only control your own destiny and often times you only think about your own performance or team,” says Monaco. “In this employee ownership model, someone like me is also contributing to the success of the 200 other owners in the company. We’re all working together. We all earn a share of the profits. It’s a great way to incentivize and it attracts talent as well.”

Chandos has been following its own path since it was launched 40 years ago by cofounders Dan O’Brien and Don Coyne. That fact is reflected in the company’s name. Rather than choosing a name that paid homage to themselves, the founders chose the name of a lake in Ontario they both had a connection to so that the company would live on even after they were no longer a part of it.

Now entering its third generation of leadership, Chandos continues to follow that tradition of doing things a little bit differently.

For example, it is the largest B Corp Certified commercial builder in North America and the only one in Canada. B Corp is a thirdparty certification program that has been adopted by more than 3,500 companies around the world. Companies must go through a rigorous certification process that looks at everything from workplace diversity to carbon emissions and community impact.

DIFFERENT KIND OF MEASURE

“Essentially, the program measures a company’s social and environmental performance across the entire organization,” Monaco says. “Instead of just measuring a company based on financial performance, B Corp also looks through a lens of society and the planet.”

Chandos has been B Corp certified since 2016. In its most recent recertification it received a score of 107.4 of a possible 200 points. For the past two years it has been ranked one of the top B Corp certified companies for workers, in large part because of its employee ownership model and a desire to make positive social change in the construction industry.

As part of the company’s pledge to building a better community, Chandos has committed to an ambitious waste diversion goal to divert a minimum of 80 per cent of waste from every project it builds by recycling as much concrete, wood, paper, plastic, metal, and drywall as possible. Over the past four years the company’s waste diversion rates have been close to 80 per cent. Chandos was also an early adopter of LEED, a certification program aimed at promoting human and en

The Scenic Grande consists of an independent living facility, and an assisted living and care facility, connected by a common area that includes administration offices, a swimming pool, fitness space, kitchen and dining rooms, and a lounge.

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vironmental health, which is now part of the company’s standard operating procedures.

“We took a stand on waste diversion almost two decades ago when LEED started to pick up in popularity,” says Monaco. “We realized that LEED mandated a level of recycling that was quite high. We said why don’t we do this on all of our projects. It just makes sense and it feels like the right thing to do.”

Chandos has enjoyed tremendous growth since it opened its first office in Edmonton in 1980. A second office was added a short time later in Calgary and it now has offices in Red Deer, Vancouver, Kelowna, Toronto, and Ottawa. Its employee ranks have swelled to almost 500 people across the country.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY

As Chandos continues to grow, its commitment to diversity and inclusive hiring practices has remained one of the company’s key values. It recently took part in B Corp’s Inclusive Economy Challenge which sets goals to improve diversity, equity, and

As Chandos continues to grow, its commitment to diversity and inclusive hiring practices has remained one of the company’s key values

inclusion efforts through a series of initiatives that include a women’s affinity group, cultural awareness and unconscious bias training for staff, and hiring and promoting women in roles that have been traditionally maledominated. It has also partnered with several community organizations to create employment and training opportunities for individuals facing barriers or who are underrepresented in the construction industry.

“We are an organization that wants to lead the way in the construction industry in creating a more diverse workforce. We’re very focused on how we make sure that in five or 10 years our company across all levels reflects Canadian society,” says Owen Nordmark, Chandos’ vicepresident and district manager for the Calgary district.

Like virtually every Canadian business, Chandos has not escaped the impact of the COVID19 pandemic. It has had to change a number of policies and practices to help keep both staff and members of the public safe. One of the first measures it took after the pandemic was declared was to strike a taskforce to investigate how job sites could continue to function without compromising the safety of employees. Construction managers and superintendents worked closely with staff to implement new safety practices and adjust them based on feedback. That included installing handwashing stations at all job sites and posting safety tips on the social networking website Yammer.

“When the pandemic hit us in March 2020, no one knew exactly what to do or how to deal with it,” Nordmark recalls. “But sometimes the best test of a company and its culture is how it reacts in situations like this. I am amazed at how well the entire leadership team worked together under the extreme pressure of the unknown. We figured

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COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION

One of the trademarks of Chandos during its four decades in business has been its commitment to innovation. That commitment is reflected in initiatives such as its Innovation Leaders program that encourages employees to submit ideas for pilot projects on things such as sustainable building methods, productivity enhancements, and safety improvements. It is also planning to ramp up efforts this year to find ways of reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

The company’s innovative approach is perhaps most notable in many of the building projects it has undertaken. One of the more recent projects was the Scenic Grande seniors housing project in Calgary. The $58 million project is located adjacent to a residential neighbourhood and school and the company put strict procedures in place to minimize any disturbances in the area. It was also the lead builder on a passive housing project in Kamloops that featured a robust super seal to prevent energy loss.

One of Chandos’ most ambitious local projects was extensive upgrades to the historic Calgary Public Building in the city’s downtown district. The upgrades included installing a new building envelope liner to reduce energy leakage, chilled bean technology in the ceilings, solar hot water heating and natural ventilation. The project was completed on time and $8 million under budget, even though the building remained occupied throughout construction.

“It is a heritage building with very old infrastructure, and it had a ton of energy leakage. To get it to LEED platinum status was a huge win for the team,” says Nordmark. “Working through these really complicated projects where others are working or living in the building or the project is in a really tight downtown space; that’s one of our strengths as a builder.” n