Everything’s coming up Rosie
R
osie Manhas is not only someone who dots her Is and crosses her Ts, but she is also an individual who has consistently taken things to the next level. This applies, of course, to her decade-long tenure at the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) where she earned the utmost respect from industry partners while helping to build a cohesive unit as the association’s operations grew. Rosie began her journey at VICA in 2009 but she was intimately exposed to the industry much before then through a 15-month stint in an administrative role at long-time VICA member Farmer Construction Ltd. At that time, VICA was known as the Construction Association of Victoria (CAV) and it would evolve dramatically to become the association as you know it today. Through a temp agency Rosie landed a two-week assignment at Farmer, which evolved into a permanent role within the general contracting company. With a chuckle she remembers her lack of knowledge of construction when hired, being introduced to estimators and not knowing what their role within the industry entailed. That feeling soon faded as she was introduced to various parts of the industry through typical trades tasks like typing up change orders created by the senior secretary. One of Rosie’s early career highlights was being asked to sit in on a tender opening at Saanich City Hall. No one from Farmer was able to attend, and a company representative needed to be present to get the official bid results at the time of
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opening. This opportunity exposed her to a different side of the industry not often experienced by junior administrative staff. “I felt like I was in the big league,” Rosie said. “Looking back at it, having that experience at Farmer kind of helped me later on.” While at Farmer, Rosie worked with some key industry players on the Island including former presidents Brian Scroggs and Barry Scroggs, who are both well known in the industry as forces to be reckoned with. They provided her with a great introduction to the many faces of construction, while also subtly introducing her to the association. “They would say things like, ‘You should go down to the CAV and look at the project’ and I would think ‘Okay, sure, he’s going to the CAV’ not knowing what that meant just knowing that’s where they went regularly for project information,” Rosie remembers. It took two decades — and a job offer from former VICA CEO Greg Baynton — for her to understand that “the CAV” was the Construction Association of Victoria, later named the South Vancouver Island Construction Association and, finally, VICA. MOVING ON, MOVING FORWARD Rosie’s inherent ability to work her way around the construction industry shone as much at Farmer as it did twenty-someodd years later at VICA. However, life was moving forward in other areas of her life and she left the workforce to rear two children with her husband Garry before
accepting a position as an administrative assistant with the Spectrum Community School Association. Rosie worked at Spectrum for 11 years, climbing the ladder from admin staff to operations manager. Then, one day, she felt she had given everything she could. It was time to move on to her next adventure. “I thought I could do human resources, but I didn’t have the credentials,” Rosie said. Being the avid student that she is, Rosie applied for and earned the post-graduate certificate in human resources from Royal Roads University. Before diving back into the job hunt and workforce, Rosie took a couple of months off to travel India, Singapore, and Indonesia. She came back home expecting to feel refreshed but found herself unsure whether she was on the right path. She then applied for a job opportunity that came through a recruitment company rather than an employer. The deadline had passed, and the title wasn’t what she went to school for, but despite all obstacles, she still applied. “I got a call back from Peter Baillie at The Executive Network,” Rosie said. “He called me in and said, ‘We ran your resume by the CEO and we just don’t think you’re the right fit. We need someone fast, someone who is going to keep up with him.’ And I said, ‘If he’s so fast-moving, doesn’t he need someone who’s going to make sure that the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed?’ And I really think that’s the line that sold me.” Rosie was brought in for a formal interview and from that point on she was a integral part of the VICA team. Greg
