ASSISTING WITH THE TRANSFORMATION OF EDMONTON

Visco Demolition celebrates 55 years in Edmonton

Over the last 55 years of being in business, Visco Demolition has played a role in the evolving landscape of the Edmonton area. Incorporated in 1968, Visco Rentals worked on water and sewer installations in the early years, but by 1980, the company had transitioned to demolition and incorporated as Visco Demolition in 1990.

It is a little bittersweet to consider some of the historic Edmonton landmarks that Visco Demolition has demolished over the years, such as the Burns Meat Packing Plant (1988), Gainers Meat Packing Plant in Mill Creek Ravine (1988), the University of Alberta Hospital

(1992), Canada Packers Meat Processing Plant at Fort Road and Yellowhead Trail (1995), John Ducey Baseball Park (1995), and Clarke Stadium (2000).

Visco Demolition often works on larger construction projects where the demolition makes way for new landmarks or needed infrastructure. The demolition of the Central Post Office in 2013 made room for the new Royal Alberta Museum. Between 2013 and 2017, Visco Demolition removed 14 bridges and over 100 buildings for the NE Anthony Henday Drive. In 2014, Staples came down for Rogers Place, and in 2016, the Greyhound Station made room for Stantec Tower.

In 2017, Union Tractor and four other buildings made room for Valley Line LRT, and between 2020 and 2021, 18 buildings came down for Valley Line West LRT.

While assisting with the transformation of Edmonton, Visco Demolition has also undergone significant growth and transformation. The original founders, Neil and Shirley Visser, were joined by their two sons, Ron Visser and Corey Visser in the late 1980’s. Although Shirley was a pioneer in the construction industry and was often the only woman on a jobsite, she discouraged her daughters from taking on similar roles and as a result, both daughters sought out other careers in unrelated fields. Ron gradually took over the leadership of the company and the focus shifted to recycling the materials from demolition projects. Visco Demolition introduced some of the first concrete crushers into the Edmonton area in 2005 and continues to produce tonnes of recycled concrete aggregate each year.

The most dramatic changes to the demolition sector have occurred in the last 10 years. General contractors were also growing and undertaking changes in leadership. General contractors that had worked with Visco Demolition for many years suddenly were filled with project managers who had no knowledge of our long working relationships. Projects that once were awarded with a handshake, started to require prequalification submissions, bonding, and extensive project documentation. The health and safety expectations also ramped up quickly, which created challenges for a small company in a high-risk environment to manage.

Coincidently, Neil and Shirley’s daughter, Sonya Green, had obtained her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and developed a specialization in finance and risk management. She agreed to join the family company in 2014 and gradually took on more leadership. Green’s focus on financial stability and retaining experienced employees led to tremendous gains in both the number and size of projects.

Green became president in 2019 and Ron continues to be involved with the technical aspects of high-risk demolition projects. Visco Demolition now has an extensive portfolio of multi-milliondollar demolition projects as the prime contractor, with the most noteworthy example being the Michener Centre North Abatement and Demolition project for Alberta Infrastructure that exceeded $15 million in contract value. u

Geotechnical | Civil | Environmental Engineering & Consulting

Providing strategic and cost effective solutions through a culture supporting inclusivity, collaboration and integrity.

Head Office: 780-484-3377

24hr: 1-877-888-6325 nichols.ca

For career opportunities submit resume to hr@nichols.ca