Six Decades of Building Better Roads with E Construction
CONTENTS 3 Message from the President 4 60 Years and Counting
E CONSTRUCTION LTD.
The brainchild of Ron Everall is still paving the way in Alberta road building
10130 21 Street, Edmonton Alberta T6P 1W7
7 Find out about EPI
DOUGLAS ELLETT President
Plus, E Construction’s environmental initiatives
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8 Where Safety Lives Top-down culture keeps E Construction running safe and healthy
16 Black Friday
VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.
A dark day’s catastrophe is felt across the decades
10 Family Matters It says a lot about a company when employees recommend it to their friends and family
GABRIELLE RAHEEM EPI Coordinator
RUTH KELLY Publisher
18 Our Divisions Meet the leaders of our five operational areas and find out some little known facts
20 Great Job Take a look into a notable project
MIFI PURVIS Director of Custom Content SHELLEY WILLIAMSON Managing Editor CHARLES BURKE Art Director
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ANDREA DEBOER, COLIN SPENCE Associate Art Directors
12 Longstanding Employees Meet a trio who grew with the job and helped grow the company
BETTY FENIAK SMITH Production Manager
14 Couldn’t Have Done it Without You!
Thanks to our 500-plus employees
15 All About the Mix Take a look at P36, one of our most advanced asphalt plants
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BRENT FELZIEN, BRANDON HOOVER Production Technicians
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
President’s Message Congratulations and thanks for 60 years of setting higher standards in road building
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his year, 2014, marks our 60th year in business, 46 years as Everall Construction Limited and 14 as E Construction Ltd., a subsidiary of ColasCanada, part of Colas SA. For those of you who have been with us for a number of years, you will surely agree it has been a remarkable ride – particularly over the last 14 years. Despite our growth and ownership change, we have maintained a culture that holds true to the core values that our founder, Ron Everall, set out. I continue to follow those values today, as do you. Our success and relative longevity is due to the efforts and dedication of our 500-plus employees. Your approach to staying ahead of our competitors in new technologies – as well as the tremendous support that our plants/equipment staff has demonstrated – has allowed E Construction to be among the top road building contractors in Western Canada. The ability to adapt to “I would like to thank each and the changing economic every one of our current staff, conditions has been one as well as those that were here of our strongest assets. It has not always before and who have contributed been easy building to our success.” roads for a living, but in true Western Canadian spirit we have addressed all the challenges that we have encountered, including the devastating tornado of 1987. To me, this spirit in the face of challenge is something we all should be very proud of, and it’s something we should share with the generations that follow ours. As president of E Construction, I have taken this opportunity to reflect upon our many achievements, and to identify which is the greatest one. For me, the answer is easy. It is the fact that all 500-plus of you have gone home safely. The safety of our employees takes precedence over everything else. Over the years, Everall/E Construction has been a great place to work. One of the reasons for that is our talented, dedicated and caring staff. I would like to thank each and every one of our current staff, as well as those that were here before and who have contributed to our success. I will be visiting each of you this year to personally thank you. Congratulations again and here’s to “Building Better Roads” for another 60 years. Douglas K. Ellett, R.E.T. President, E Construction Ltd.
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Doug Ellett
Jack Pine Aerodrome
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60 Years and Counting N
o one can survive 60 years in the paving industry without being able to adapt to a changing landscape. That’s the secret behind E Construction’s endurance, says its company president Doug Ellett. “One of the qualities we’re proud of is that we’re very mobile,” he says. “We have paved in Yellowknife, we’ve paved in Pincher Creek, Banff, Jasper, and every place in between.” Jobs have included airports, cities’ main roads, oil sands access routes and major highway projects. “Success for me is measured not just by dollars and cents,” Ellett says. “It’s measured by the buy-in of our employees in terms of the things we want to do – in staying the course of our core business, being safe, providing support and benefits to our employees.” That attitude shows in the company’s history.
1950s
1954 Manitoba engineer Ron Everall starts Everall Construction, paving the roads of mid-century Western Canada, keeping pace with the post-war boom in car travel and trucking.
Paving Main Street, Wainwright, September 1957.
Late 1950s Early Alberta projects include paving main streets in Jasper, Edson, Leduc, Cardston, Provost, Grande Prairie and Peace River. Other early contracts include streets in a number of Saskatchewan towns and cities. The company adds three plants and extensive equipment.
1958 The current office is built on three acres of land in the refinery area of Strathcona County.
1960s
Twinning Hwy 16 in the 1960s.
Head office sees three expansions over the first decade, as its operations and employee counts grow. Drumheller becomes one of many noteworthy highway projects, beginning with several small hot-mix contracts on district roads. Growth continues for Everall, adding larger highway paving plants, enabling the company to bid on larger jobs.
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A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
Late 1968-70 Large gravel surfacing projects happen on the Alaska Highway, as does street resurfacing in Fort St. John and Fort Nelson, B.C.
Late 1970s
1970
Late 1960s The first job in Canmore is on Highway 1 in 1968, which also marks the first base and crushing operation for Everall. Field supervisors of that era include Keith Ellett, Ray Evans, Gordon Barrowman, Dick Furneaux, George Skrypnick, Phil Klein, George Clark, John O’Neil and Ervin Underschultz.
Robin Alton joins as operations manager. Throughout the 1970s, he plays a key role in the company’s growth, a time that also sees a rise in deep strength asphalt construction for the company and industry.
Mid-1970s The company adds one of the province’s first drum plants, which creates a need for other equipment, such as larger rollers and pavers. Everall doubles its fleet between 1973 and 1979. Ron Everall’s sons Earl and Roy Everall join the company.
1962 Murray Hunter takes the second-in-command post, a job he holds for eight years. A Calgary office opens, headed by general manager Jim Watson, and operates until 1965, used mainly for city contracts and commercial paving.
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The company purchases its first highways soil cement plant in 1977. A second one is shop-built in 1979. Everall buys its first airplane, a Beechcraft Baron. A second plane, a Cessna 180, follows. Earl Everall takes flying lessons, but soon opts to stick with building runways and hires pilot Orest Repka instead. Everall upgrades the road from Inuvik to the town’s airport. Crews lose track of time in the non-stop daylight of the Arctic town.
1977 Edmonton head office grows following the purchase of adjacent land, enabling the addition of 18,000 square feet of shop and office space.
E Construction head office.
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The 1980s The company makes it through the recession, thanks to ongoing activity in Fort McMurray. Doug Ellett moves to Fort McMurray and hires assistant Laura Chrapko, opening a permanent office.
1983
2003 2000 Everall becomes E Construction when Colas International purchases the local paving specialist. Ellett and his management team make changes to the reporting system, quality control and accounting requirements.
Ownership transfers to the younger Everalls and Robin Alton.
Late 1990s-early 2000s 1986 Everall adds a permanent office and shop in Cold Lake.
July 31, 1987 The tornado of Black Friday destroys the Edmonton office and injures four Everall Construction employees, but it does not break the company’s spirit.
Head office on Black Friday.
The emphasis on safety grows in industry and across the company. A safety department starts up with Dan McKinley as safety manager.
1990s Growth happens this decade and the company builds on its long history, expanding operations in Fort McMurray and Cold Lake.
1988 Ruel Bros. is purchased by NPA Ltd., now part of the company. Everall opens a permanent office in Slave Lake in response to post-flood rebuilding.
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Doug Ellett becomes general manager of E Construction.
2003-14 The staff at the Edmonton head office more than quadruples. The company grows from a 100-employee, $60-million-a-year operation to a more than 500-employee, $225,000-million-a-year enterprise. The fleet holds 900 pieces of modern paving equipment. E Construction grows to become one of Western Canada’s largest paving contractors.
2011 NWT Construction joins the family, bringing 25 years of subarctic paving experience to the table.
2012 The company paves the Deh Cho Bridge, linking Yellowknife to the south. An office opens in Lloydminster.
2014 E Construction celebrates its 60th anniversary. A number of exciting contracts are signed, including the Parsons Creek Interchange, leading to a residential subdivision that will house 24,600 people.
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
It’s Called EPI It’s short for E Construction Process Improvement and impacts the way we work and the quality of our work across the company. Five minutes with E Construction’s EPI co-ordinator Gabrielle Raheem tells you why. How long has EPI been part of E Construction’s policy? Gabrielle Raheem: It’s been around since 2010. It was introduced in San Francisco at a conference, by Colas North America. I took on the job in October 2011. What is EPI? GR: EPI stands for E Construction Process Improvement. Basically, you look at the way you do something – the process of accomplishing a task – and try to reduce all the inefficiencies. Why is it important, and what has this program accomplished so far? GR: It’s important because any time you reduce inefficiency, you are making the job easier and faster, more repeatable and less dangerous, but you are also adding money to your bottom line. What’s new in EPI? GR: Right now we’re working on two Study Action Teams, and we are reading The Toyota Way. And this year, we are also working on promoting the culture of process improvement throughout the entire company. It’s really exciting. What changes have you seen since you started in the EPI role? GR: I’d say the biggest change has to be buy-in at every level within the company. When I started out in this position, very few people had heard of EPI, and even fewer understood what it really meant. Over the last three years, through promotional efforts, but mostly through employees’ involvement in successful
projects, everyone is starting to see the point of process improvement. I can’t wait to see the support and enthusiasm generated for EPI this year. What are some of the ways EPI has been implemented so far? GR: Our employees have really been surprising me with their creativity in that regard. From developing smart phone apps that bridge reporting gaps in the field, to the reduction of paperwork errors at their source, to creating new types of partnerships with external suppliers… everyone who’s been involved in an EPI project has really demonstrated creativity to implement their initiatives. What are the goals for EPI? GR: That’s why we have the Study Action Teams. The general goal is to become better; you can say that very loosely or you can say that very specifically. The point of the Study Action Teams is to create all-encompassing company goals for process improvement. How can you tell if it’s working? GR: Process improvement is really more of a mentality than a program. You know it’s really taken hold when you have your front line staff and your top management thinking, “How can I improve my job, and how can I make someone else’s job better?”
The environment: Leading by example
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o hear him tell it, environment advisor Dan McKinley’s job was made a heck of a lot easier, thanks to strong support from the top. Pursuit of excellence in environmental monitoring and best practices is an attitude that has carried clear through the rank and file. “I have been lucky in that E Construction has supplied the tools and support for building a good environmental department,” he says. “There’s been a commitment to ongoing training.” McKinley started out as a truck driver and contractor. Seeing the impact of a fatality early in his career got him interested in safety, and the environmental piece came naturally. Since then, he’s seen a progression in the level of environmental concern. In industry in the old days, there was little regard for digging up vegetation, interrupting rivers, or being mindful of waste in the shop, field or office. “But there are consequences to all our environmental actions,” McKinley says. It’s his job to oversee the company’s environmental compliance and, beyond that, its leadership. And McKinley is also in-
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volved in a road builders environmental committee, a fact that demonstrates his commitment to the field. The company has made strides reducing its carbon footprint, recycling asphalt, and becoming a leader in environmental monitoring. E Construction’s efforts have led to a greater awareness of environmental impacts. “There are times when this job is intense,” McKinley says. “But we are rewarded by encouraging biodiversity on our sites, and acknowledging the species that are there.” This past winter, the team was in charge of overseeing the stripping of a pit at Crow Lake near a sensitive caribou run. “We developed a plan for observing and documenting numbers of animals,” McKinley explains. And if you’ve ever been lucky enough to see an endangered woodland caribou, you’d know that the rewards of a safe and clean environment are every bit as important as he says.
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Where Safety Lives E Construction’s 500-plus employees are striving for a nice, round number of safety incidents: zero
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afety is a buzzword in industry today. ago that distracted driving wasn’t a good thing,” Ellett says. Cell phone use behind the wheel has been prohibited But to truly create a culture of safety that permein the manual for years; laws are just now catching up. ates the ranks, management has to live the mesAnother effective step is that new employees wear green sage. “I have to lead by example,” says Doug Ellett, company president. “And our safety culture is supported by our parent vests. “It’s a pretty transient workforce at times,” Babiy says. “The vests make it easier for us to pick out the new workers company. The safety component of my job is the most imand keep an eye on them.” portant thing I do.” The first week of every construction season is Safety To that end, the team at E Construction created a safety Week, and employees are required to take a refresher class. department. Current safety manager Troy Babiy is happy to This start-up orientation promote the ongoing message. The reincludes a review of comsult has been that safety has become pany policies, practices and everyone’s responsibility. “Safety is Green vests signify new workers. procedures. Employees are number one at E Construction,” Their more experienced peers can also taught how to properly Babiy confirms. “We build that culconduct toolbox meetings ture right down to each worker, and help them learn to work safely. and hazard assessments. The throughout the office. Before profit extent of a worker’s required or anything, it’s all about getting safety training depends on the guys back home to their famithe job, says Babiy, adding that lies, and back to the things they like those in “safety sensitive” positions are expected to learn to do.” E Construction has instituted a number of means to meas- the basics, from flag training to WHMIS, as well as defensive driving, transportation of dangerous goods, ground ure and improve safety. A corporate safety committee has disturbance training and first aid. Meanwhile, managers go created safety benchmarks and goals, and it meets once a through Leadership for Safety Excellence (LSE) courses. “It month to update management as to technical safety stats. teaches them to conduct incident investigations, inspections The goal is to maintain a simple safety number: zero lostand hazard assessments,” Babiy adds, “and it covers health time incidents. and safety legislation.” Some initiatives are simple. “We recognized a long time
The safety message is important in the field, too.
Troy Babiy knows his efforts impact all E Construction staff members – and their families.
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A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
Doug Ellett will tell you that taking care of business means taking care of safety. And it starts at the top.
compromise safety,” Ellett says, “because someone needs Colas recently launched a new safety campaign and, a parking lot paved.” so far, it has been well-received by employees, says Babiy. Christina Marshall is a two-year employee and one of He demonstrates the hand signal for the “safety attitude,” several sets of boots on the ground as a safety officer in with his index finger and thumb forming a zero. That’s the Fort McMurray, one of the company’s busiest divisions. number of incidents the company strives for. “It shows it’s It’s her job to see that safe practices are enforced withnot just the safety manager’s job,” he says. The attitude is out exception. “Even though ensuring company-wide. safety takes some time out of your day There are consequences – as opposed to production,” Marshall including suspension and dis“I’m not going to compromise says, “being safe makes us productive missal – if a breach in safety safety,” Doug Ellett says, because everyone goes home at the by an E Construction emend of the day.” ployee is serious. Thankfully, “just because someone needs But it’s not just safety officers who Ellett says, the latter has yet a parking lot paved.” strive for improvement. “No one wants to happen. The company also to work in an unsafe environment. has a drug and alcohol policy, The safety culture here is everyone the purpose of which is to looking out for each other,” Marshall proactively keep worksites says. She says that it’s the whole crew’s free of the safety hazards inresponsibility to speak up and correct potential volved with substance abuse and impairment. “We take this safety infractions. policy very seriously,” Ellett says. The company did a survey last year that showed a Though long hours are commonplace during the busy strong safety culture. “We are pleased to see that our paving season, the company created a new policy in 2013 to workforce believes that safety is the number one priority prevent workers from putting in more time at work than is within our company,” Marshall says. “It was nice to see healthy. Employees typically work 12 hours per day, unless that it’s working.” circumstances warrant exceeding this daily limit. Most crews But Marshall knows that just because it’s working work six days per week with one day off, with the exception doesn’t mean she can relax the standards. “We continue of a few crews in certain working areas who follow a 24to build that safety culture,” she says, “of peer-to-peer indays-on, four-days-off schedule. “No individual can work long terventions and everyone looking out for each other.” hours day after day without it taking a toll. I’m not going to
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Family Matters Our employees recommend E Construction to their friends and family as a great place to work. It says a lot about us THE ELLETTS
Keith Ellett started working at Everall Construction in his 20s after the founder of the company, which started in 1954, brought him on as a labourer. He was one of a few key people. Keith Ellett instilled his passion for paving in his son, Doug. “As he stayed with the company, his position grew,” says Doug. “As part of the family, I grew up, got older and liked what he did. We spent the summers driving around with my dad and it was kind of cool. I went to school, took engineering and liked the business, always have. It was important to me so I came back and did this.” Doug, of course, would become president of E Construction. Ron Everall’s sons, Earl and Roy, both worked at the family business. When they took over the company in the early 1980s, Doug came back to the place he’d spent so many summers. His father, meanwhile, had worked up to a superintendent position, and retired, only to return in various capacities until he passed away in 2007. “His main focus in his career was this company, as mine has been,” says Doug. In fact, three generations of Elletts have carried the E Construction torch. “My second-eldest son Mark worked here for a number of years and is now a project manager for a sister company.”
THE MITCHELLS AND GUDELOTS
Jerry Mitchell started working at Everall in 1974, about the same time as his son Randy did. Jerry moved up in the company, becoming an important part of the team. By 1977, he had been promoted to asphalt superintendent. “I actually worked for my dad when he was superintendent,” says Randy. Over the years, Jerry oversaw many of his other family members, including his wife Armella, another son Brian, and his nephew, Ron Gudelot. All of them either stayed for years or still work at E Construction. Other family members came and went. Meanwhile, Randy had been working positions of increasing responsibility himself. So after Jerry suffered a heart attack in 1984, it seemed natural when Robin Alton suggested Randy step into the superintendent role until his dad’s health improved. Sadly, though, Jerry passed away in 1986. Like Randy, brother Brian would hold several positions with Everall before becoming a superintendent with the
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Circa 1950s, this roller was cutting-edge in its day.
company. Besides being brothers, they had their work in common. So it was tough when Brian passed away of cancer in 2010. He worked until a month before his death, his wife, Brenda, working right alongside him. Jerry’s nephew Ron Gudelot has also had a successful career at Everall. He worked his way up to crew foreman in 2006. His sons George and Jordan are among his crew members. For the Mitchells and Gudelots, it truly has been a family business.
BABIY AND SADOWNYK
TROY BABIY – “My father-in-law worked for Everall back in the 1960s. In 1990, Bren Alton, an uncle-in-law of mine, called and offered me a position as parts driver. At the end of the 1990 construction season, Robin Alton (part owner of Everall) asked if I’d be interested in a heavy duty mechanic apprenticeship. I jumped at the chance! Once I finished my apprenticeship, I worked in the Edmonton shop and occasionally in the field. In 2003, the company needed another person to hold COR (Certificate of Recognition) certification, so I started the Alberta Construction Safety Association courses.
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
Doug Ellett expressed an early interest in construction. He’s pictured here with his father, Keith.
As a safety rep, I started holding regular toolbox safety meetings for the shop. By 2005, my role had expanded to the assistant safety manager position and in 2012, I became the safety manager at the company. It’s a really interesting field and I’ve always been interested in affecting people’s lives for the better. I want to see everyone go home to their families at the end of each day.” COLIN SADOWNYK – “My cousin Troy – who’s also my brother-in-law – had a great job at Everall. When his shop foreman Doug deBeurs asked if he
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knew an automotive technician looking for a job, he referred me. I began working at Everall on June 10, 1996 and have remained here ever since then. I have been able to watch the company grow from $15-20 million a year to $200 million a year. Plus, I’ve witnessed it expand in employees and assets a lot over the last 18 years. I’ve stayed because I really enjoy the great people I have been able to work alongside over the years. I also enjoy the camaraderie of the many activities the company brings to its employees, such as the Christmas party, kids’ party, golf tournament, as well as the Colas Cup hockey tournament. The people here are truly like family.”
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Longstanding Employees Laura Chrapko: At work in head office
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AURA CHRAPKO BEGAN HER CAREER AT EVERALL Construction in 1984, when she was hired as Doug Ellett’s assistant – it’s still her official position. A stayat-home mom until she started with the company in Fort McMurray, she has learned by doing. “We didn’t have training – it was ‘OK, use it.’ Nothing was computerized when I started so payroll was – interesting,” she explains. Ellett, now president of E Construction, recalls working with Laura in Fort McMurray, for the first half-decade of her career. “The office basically consisted of Laura and me, in an old house trailer. We worked there for five or six years until we could get something more elaborate,” Ellett says. Along with her post as Ellett’s executive assistant, Laura is responsible for the company’s insurance and bonding functions. But of all the hats Laura wears, her most important is keeping Ellett in line, he jokes. “People in positions with titles sometimes think they can’t do anything wrong,” he says. “Someone has to put you back on track.” She agrees that being Ellett’s right hand is the bulk of her job. She characterizes the breakdown as 50 per cent “looking after Doug,” with his travel arrangements, correspondence and meetings; 25 per cent bonding and insurance; and the other 25 per cent, employee relations. She is known for her kindness. “When I first started here in 1989, the first person that helped me was Laura, from Fort McMurray. I was out in the field in Anzac, and I had no idea what I was doing. I phoned her with a question and she has
Laura Chrapko keeps business running smoothly.
helped me every day since,” says Wanda Block-Blixrud. “She gets everybody involved, which is an admirable attribute because we all get too busy around here. She’s that person.” Her knowledge of the industry has grown, alongside the company’s growth, Laura admits. “The first couple of years, we were pretty green. I had no idea what a paving company did, except that the roads were black,” she says. “I spent a lot of time asking a lot of questions.”
Brian McBride: Four decades strong
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F ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF E Construction and its reputation for retaining staff, it’s Brian McBride, who just marked his 42year milestone. The veteran employee started at Everall in 1972, initially working for company founder Ron Everall as a purchaser. To this day McBride recalls starting out at the company with just a parts-covered desk and a rotary phone. Now,
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with four decades, many thousand kilometres of road and one tornado behind him, he has worn many hats at the company and made hundreds of work acquaintances along the way. McBride even gave current president Doug Ellett a job, hiring him as a part-time parts man. “What Brian brings to E Construction, the rest of the paving world can only imagine,” says Ellett of the veteran employee. “Brian
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
FIRST AMONG EQUALS “I don’t know if we were exactly pioneers in hiring women in operational roles, but we saw the importance of an excellent employee in a tight labour market. When we opened a branch office in Fort McMurray in the mid-1980s, the big oil and gas players were actively recruiting women for non-traditional roles. So we looked around at our own company, and realized we already had been hiring women for equipment operating positions. Paving is traditionally a pretty male-dominated job, but by the 1980s we were already seeing that change. We encouraged women to apply and trained them on road building equipment. The trickle down benefit to our family of employees has been that many husband-and-wife teams have worked side by side. E Construction continues to hire women in diverse positions throughout the company.” – Doug Ellett, President
McBride has been the glue, guiding us along and contributing greatly to our success by having our asphalt plants ready and able to work anywhere, any time.” McBride was promoted to equipment manager in 1978, with eight plants under his watch at the time. By 1995, McBride also took over troubled RSE as part of his responsibility – now called SPAC – and began running this division, pulling its nine tankers out of debt. McBride saw the potential that the takeover by Colas would bring, and he was a strong proponent of the prospect. When it happened, it gave him plenty more responsibility and much more equipment to oversee. As current plants manager, McBride is responsible for the mobilization and maintenance of E Construction’s 15 asphalt plants. He remains a fixture at the company today.
THE LONG HAUL E Construction prides itself on the loyalty of its employees. There are a few veterans who’ve been around for a while: Armando Cardamone Jules Champigny Brian McBride Frank Stolk Ron Gudelot Lorne Madu Randy Mitchell Doug deBeurs Randy Fandrick Doug Ellett Bob Hill Laura Chrapko Bryan Betteridge
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Retired Trucker Plant Foreman Plant Manager Welding Shop Foreman Paving Foreman Trucker Superintendent Equipment Manager Lead Mechanic President Paving Foreman Executive Assistant General Superintendent
52 years 48 years 42 years 39 years 38 years 38 years 38 years 34 years 34 years 33 years 32 years 30 years 29 years
Loading equipment in Fort Chipewyan.
Jules Champigny: Since the beginning
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WAS FRESH OFF THE BOAT FROM HOLLAND when I met Jules,” Frank Stolk says. That was nearly 40 years ago, and Stolk had just started his apprenticeship with Everall Construction. Jules Champigny (who had been hired in 1966 by Keith Ellett) was a plant foreman, and he went out of his way to welcome the young Stolk to the company and the country. Soon Stolk found the easy-going Champigny to be a great mentor and a good friend, too. “He’s good at his job. He goes out into the field every year and runs a plant well,” Stolk says. “He makes things happen without too much hoopla.” Their friendship comes from a lot of years of shared experiences, most of them ordinary – some less so. There was the time in 1987 when Stolk, Champigny, Brian McBride and Doug deBeurs had just reconvened in the Everall yard after a coffee break. The Black Friday tornado came barrelling over Baseline Road. “Jules took one look at it and said ‘adios amigos,’” Stolk recalls. The group scattered, and Jules made for his truck, but as the storm closed in and the debris swirled, he realized he wouldn’t make it. He ran for the shop to take cover. The shop basically came down around him and pinned him under debris. After the tornado passed, the guys dug him out, and hailed a passing car to carry him to the hospital. Champigny recovered from broken ribs and a punctured lung and was back at work in pretty short order. And despite that Champigny is into his 70s now, he’s still working. “He’s got this bushy grey hair and he’s in good enough shape to put most young men to shame,” Stolk says. “Every year we ask ‘Are you coming back next year?’ He just says, ‘We’ll see.’”
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Thank You! We couldn’t have done it without you!
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t E Construction we got our start doing small-scale paving jobs. Success didn’t come overnight, and we’re proud of our ability to scale up quickly from small to mid-size to large projects. Anywhere you step in Alberta, you’ll find us. We’ve paved in all four corners and beyond. But a company, whether it’s six years old or 60, is only as good as its employees. And ours are the best. Thanks, and congratulations to all of you.
Boyce Abbott, Lucas Abbott, Merill (Cecil) Abbott, Donovan Adam, George Adam, Gerald Adams, Joshawah Adie, Lawana Adie, Trevor Ahola, Rodney Allain, Samantha Allan, Naomi Allison-Tremblay, Dylan Ames, Michael Amey, Devon Anderson, Mark Anderson, Cory Angell, Dwight Angell, Graeme Arnison, Sarmed Asadie, Kim Auge, Edward Avery, Jamie Axani, Troy Babiy, Donald Baker, Jordan Baker, Paul Bambrick, Albert Banfield, Aaron Lee Banks, James Banks, Larry Banks, Susan Beattie, Evelyn Beckwith, Dawn Belcourt, Jerrett Bennett, Cole Benoit, Trevor Benteau, Terra Berg, Christelle Bernabe, Bryan Betteridge, Candice Betteridge, Guillaume Beudet, Bill Bittner, Taylor Bittorf, Darren Blair, Craig Blake, Andre Blanchard, Isaac Blimke, Wanda Block-Blixrud, Andrew Blundon, Bruce Blundon, Michael Bohme, Muneeb Bokhari, Jesse Booker, Michelle Bordynuik, Steve Boucher, Jewell Bougie, Mark Bower, Ian Boychuk, Kim Bradford, Shelly Brennan, Sylvie Brideau, Michael Bridgeman, Natalie Bridgeman, Larissa Broderick, Brett Brown, Colleen Brown, Mark Brown, Reisha Brown, Shane Brown, Toby Bugden, Beverly Bulkeley, Ashley Burgess, Jonathan Burgoyne, Wesley Burkhart, Trevor Cairns, Lee Campbell, Keanan Cardinal, Chris Carlson, Terry Carvell, Dave Castle, Jules Champigny, Elisha Chase, Don Cheney, Evgeny Cherniak, Laura Chrapko, Jordan Christianson, Paul Christofferson, Lynn Cisco, Kyle Clarke, Nathan Clifford, Mario Collette, Debbie Cooper, John Cooper, Randy Cooper, Raymond Copeland, John Cormier, Chris Coughlin, Roger Coulombe, Cheri Courtorielle, Ozzie Crocker, Shaun Dagenais, Jolene Dauphinais, Kenneth Davey, Keith Davidson, Theresa Davies, Douglas Debeurs, Amelia Debogorski, Brian Decker, Dennis Decker, Katherine Delorme, Line Demers, Lee Roy Dennison, Wallace Denty, Keith Deringer, David Desroches, Margaret Dickert, Blair Dillman, Fred Dillman, Robert Dillman, Shawn Dixon, Arthur Domke, Chris Domke, Blair J Donovan, Brian Dormody, Blair Doucet, Victoria Down, Daniel Drechsel, Basil Duncanson, Christopher Duncanson, Craig Duncanson, Tara Dutchak, Scott Dyke, Joel Dynna, Evan Dyson, Laura Earle, Dennis Eastman, Keith Edwardson,
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Leif Edwardson, Darrell Eklund, Douglas Ellett, Elias (Jr) Ellsworth, Genevieve Emmelkamp, Gerald Ergang, Matthew Evans, Stan Fabish, Jack Farrar, Shane Farrell, Serhiy Fedorenko, Ryan Feener, Arson Fern, Andy Ferrie, Daina Firomski, Kelvin Flowers, Valerie Forcade, Bradley Ford, Kevin Fowler, Christopher Freake, Stephanie Freake, Dan Friesen, Clarke Fuller, Erik Fuller, Jacob Fulton, Malcolm Gale, Sarah Garbowski, Jeff Gariepy, Dewayne Garrow, Lindy Gates, Jordan Gaudet, Matthieu Gauthier, Steve Gauthier, Arlana Genest, Pete Gervais, Terry Gessell, Grady Gibson, Cory Gillingham, Nathan Gillingham, Tyson Gillingham, Francis Gladue, Ken Glass, Steven Gnauck, Brian Godwin, Brian Goods, Kyle Gray, Kyle Green, Nicole Griffin, Ben Grimmelt, Gregor Grimmelt, Brenton Grundy, George Gudelot, Jordon Gudelot, Ron Gudelot, Sharon Gunderson, Jozef Hajcik, Tiffany Hall, Aubrey Hancott, Derek Hann, Liam Hannah, Chad Harrison, David Hayward, David (Jr) Hayward, Tammy Hayward, James Hazel, Cody Heath, Jeffery Heath, Dwaine (Opie) Henderson, Thomas Herrera, Bernie Hiemstra, Rod Hildebrandt, Robert Hill, Greg Hillier, Jason Hillier, Kevin Hillier, Ryan Hobart, Clifford Hodder, Eugene Hodder, Ivan Hodder, Jamie Hodder, Jerry Hodder, Juanita Hodder, Philip Hodder, Shawn Hodder, Wanda Hodder, Yvonne Hodder, Harvey Hoknes, Tim Hoknes, Dalton Holley, Frederick Holloway, Francis Honish, Ashley Hourie, Jennifer Hourie, Kevin Howe, Michael Howlett, Patrick Huber, Rob Huber, Herwin Humphries, Levenia (Joyce) Humphries, Trista Humphries, Courtney Hurst, Robert S. Ionitescu, Calvin Isaacs, Jerry Isaacs, Bernard Jackman, Liam James, Shane Janzen, Tara Marie Lynn Janzen, Cody Jensen, Hal Jones, Stephen Jones, Insun Joo, Andrea-Leigh Kalechyn, Alan Keehn, Kohl Kehler, Leonard Kelly, Thomas Kenzie, Henrico Kleinhans, Jordan Kloosterman, Paul Kolybaba, Raymond Kolybaba, Aurey Kreutzer, Thomas Krywitsky, Samantha Lacombe-Giroux, Thomas Lado, Robert Lambert, Scott Lamont, Dave Land, Mitchell Langdon, Julianna Lanning, Thomas Lapeyre, Gerard Larocque, Matthew Laturnas, Dana Laurie, Woodrow Layte, Austin Lee, Vilmos (Val) Legler,
William Legler, Jeremie (JL) Lemay, Brad Lepage, Susan Lepage, Dustin Lepine, Jean-Claude Lepine, Ryan Lepine, Claude Lessard, Bruce Letkeman, Eli Leyte, Manuel Patricio Leyton-Rojas, Tamara Loetscher, Jarrod Loranger, Jaydene Loranger, Rene Loranger, Roland Loranger, Tara Losier, Michelle Lundrigan, Brandon Lundrigon, Davina Lussier, Alec Macdonald, Daniel Macinnis, Dylan Macisaac, Bruce Mackenzie, Lorne Madu, Michael Maksymchuk, Dave Manchakowski, Jacie Marcellus, Kevin Marcotte, Christina Marshall, Phillip Mathias, Christine Matijak, David Scott Maxwell, Madison Mayer, John Mayo, Brian Mcbride, Chris Mcbride, Dennis Mccarthy, Ken Mccormick, Tyrell Mccoy, Paul Mccullough, Ambrose Mcdonald, Barry Mcdonald, David Mcdonald, Roderick Mcdonald, Stephen P. Mcelhatton, Dan Mckinley, Daniel Mclean, Dionne Mclean, Kyle Mclean, Brett Mcmillin, Ron Mcphee, Ron Megley, Jarrod Mehaney, Tanner Mielke, George Miller, Kelly Miller, Ella-Grace Miron, Randy Mitchell, Ryan Mitchell, Trent Mitchell, Jessica Mittelstadt, Richard Mittelstadt, Kieran Moore, Anny Morand, Jeremy Morgan, Dean Morrow, Fallon Morton, Samuel Mottishaw, Matt Mountney, Rahim Mugambwa, Mukunde Mukurarinda, Brandon Munroe, Brian Murphy, Whitney Murray, Vicky Murray-Friend, Austin Myers, Kate Nadeau, Sue Neilson, Sean Nemcsok, Katie Newman, Melissa Nippard, Perry Nippard, Christopher Noble, Lorne Noble, George Normore, Melody Norris, Yves Ntwali, Jodie O’Donnell, Stephanie O’Donnell, Terri O’KeefeHynes, Clarence O’Neill, Mike Ozechowski, Jason Pacquette, Lorne Pardy, Rodney Pardy, Bryan Patterson, Britni Pattison, Brad Paulsen, Kacie Paulsen, Rick Peckford, Kevin Pendrak, Kimberly Penny, Pedro Perez Taylor, Ken Perry, Thomas Peters, Jesse Peterson, Terry Peterson, Dang Pham, Curits Phillips, Bradley Pike, Vanessa Pike, Kelly Pinnell, Justin Pittman, Leighton Pittman, Jesse Ponath, Renee-Lydia Poulin, Kevin Pretula, Brent Pritchett, Juan Mauricio Pugliese, Andreas Puls, Shane Purchase, Jean-Francois Quesnel, Gabrielle Raheem, Robert Ramsay, Lisa Ratte, David Reber, Kevin Reddick, Dana Redwood, Joey Reid,
Kenneth Reid, Ryan Reimer, Jasmine Renaud, Christopher Revega, Claudette Rioux, Jonathan Rioux, Noel Roberts, Donald Robichaud, Carlos Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez, Derrick Roebotham, Jonathan Roebothan, Lenard Rogers, Tyrone Rogers, Les Roll, Jessica Rollin, Rachel Rollins, David Ronald, Marlene Rose, Maxwell Rose, Bruce Ross, Christian Rousselle, Eddie Rowan, Mike Rowan, Robert Rowan, Pierre-Claver Rubabaza, Scott Russell, Linda Sabroski, Tom Sabroski, Colin Sadownyk, Malcolm Samms, Shawn Samms, Victor Sandberg, Neil Saunders, Clement Michel Savoie, Keith Savoie, Conor Sawyer, Ronald Seamone, Nicole Seib, Andy Senger, Lacy Senio, Bradley Shakotko, Nicole Shannon, Raymond Simms, Scott Simms, Ivy Simpson, Robert Lloyd Skiffington, Ernest Skinner, Mark Skinner, Thomas Skjeie, James Smith, Larry Smith, Mackenzie Smith, Wayne Smith, Ira Snow, Willow Snowden, Allen Somers, Jesse Sorenson, Jim Sorenson, Ray Sorenson, Sharon Sorenson, Malcolm Stanley, Kevin S. Stannard, Irwin Steen, David Cory Stenberg, Jared Stevens, Jim Stevenson, Carolyn Stewart-Ellett, Doug Still, Frank Stolk, Frank Storimans, Stephanie Sturgess-Smart, Rob Swanson, Larry Sweeney, Mitchell Sweeney, Brian Sweetapple, Jared Symes, Sheldon Szamata, Gabrielle Thireau, Patrice-alexandre Thireau, Jim Thompson, Tony Thornhill, Kevin Tiedeman, Dillon Tomyn, Michelle Toole, Frederic Tremblay, Cory Tucker, Ricky Tulk, Wendy Tupper, Kyla Tymchatyn, Rousselle Urbain, Aime Vaillancort, Aziz Van Gassen, Crysta Vandenhouten, Melissa Vanderspoel, Jeffrey Vickers, Donovan Vivian, Brandon Voyageur, Lillian Voyageur, Joshua Waldner, Allison Walker, Margaret Walsh, Wangjie Wang, Theresa Wardell, Verna Warner, Morgan Warner-valin, Kenny Warren, Isaac Warrener, Wayne Watkins, Linton (Gordon) Weikle, Julia Weitzel, Devin Wentzell, Devon Wesley, Don Westerman, Timothy Wettlaufer, Mitchell Whalen, Devon White, Chad Wiggins, Paul Williams, Linda (Lyn) Williamson, William Wilson, Ryan Wiseman, Ken Wolanski, Lawrence Wooldridge, Jordan Yaceyko, Darryl Zaharichuk, Kaihe Zhang, Jerome Zinger
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
A Great Mix You can’t talk about paving without talking about the asphalt
T
here are 15 asphalt plants keeping the pavers in business at E Construction. One of the largest, P36, is also one of the most technically advanced in the business. It helps keep the company competitive in the road building landscape. And frankly, it’s also pretty cool. Superintendent Art Domke supplied a few details about P36.
TYPE: Drum plant LOCATION: Pictured in Entwistle, this mobile plant
sets up anywhere in Alberta EQUIPMENT: Two loaders – one that feeds “virgin material,” the other feeds recycled asphalt (RAP); a skid steer; scale; drum and silo; lab for testing to ensure the asphalt is within job specifications TEMPERATURE: Rock is heated (to 145˚-150˚C) and mixed in a drum
PRODUCTION: 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of asphalt a year
MIX CAPABILITY: 350 tonnes an hour EMPLOYEES: 10, including a foreman; plant
operator; ground man; two loader operators; two night men; two testers; and a scale person OPERATION: From May to November
IN THE MIX: “The exact mix on every job is a little bit different,” Art Domke says. Here’s what a typical aggregate mix might look like:
CLAIM TO FAME: “We were ahead of the game with the recycled material,” Art Domke says. “P36 was responsible for one of the first recycled asphalt jobs completed for Alberta Transportation. The percentage of RAP (recycled asphalt) varies from job to job. We now have several RAP-capable plants.”
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5% 10% 10% 75%
E Construction Ltd.
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Black Friday A catastrophic day’s impact is felt throughout the company, and across the decades
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T WAS A STICKY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JUST “It” was a category F4 tornado – one of the strongest ever reminutes before quitting time. It had been hot all day corded in the area. Before it ran its course, the twister would cut long, the humidity unusually high for Edmonton. a swath of devastation 40 kilometres long and up to a kilometre People all over town welcomed the gathering clouds that afterwide. deBeurs estimates that the tornado took no more than noon, anticipating the relief of a summer rainfall to ring in the 20 seconds to rip through the Everall vicinity of Refinery Row. August long weekend. “When it hit the building, the doors flew It was July 31, 1987 – a day off and everything went black. Basically, Edmontonians would come to know as it picked the truck up in the air, turned “When it hit the building,” Black Friday. it sideways and laid it over. When we Doug deBeurs says, “the The clouds, at first promising to got out of it, we had to jump down doors flew off and everybring cool relief, were starting to take about 10 feet. The whole building was on a menacing, greenish hue. lying down and everything all smashed thing went black.” In the yard at Everall Construction, up – we were on top of it.” Doug deBeurs and his colleagues were In and around a nearby mobile home getting ready to head out to Inuvik park, 27 people were killed. As many for a big job. “There was myself, Frank Stolk, and another felas 300 Edmontonians were injured and as many as 300 homes low, Larry Andre. We had a big power van backed into the shop, destroyed. The loss of life, and property damage and destruction hooked into a truck.” One of the three men glanced up from the ($581 million at 2013 values) made it one of the worst natural task at hand, saw something dark barrelling over the horizon, disasters in Alberta, and one of the worst in Canadian history. and called to the others. After the twister hit, everything went quiet. “There was no“We saw it coming from the south, overtop of the hills – we body around,” deBeurs says. “We thought everybody was gone. didn’t know what it was. It was getting closer fast so we ran, and It was bad. Then we walked around and guys started coming out crawled into the back of the power van,” deBeurs says. of the woodwork.”
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A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
It took about 20 seconds for the tornado to do its damage to the Edmonton shop and office.
One Everall employee was hit in the head with debris and suffered a spinal injury; another was struck by a massive door from the welding shop and was buried, suffering a punctured lung. “There were people really badly hurt around us. We basically got everybody out and made sure everybody was OK. There were probably about 20 people. Then we started helping other people,” says deBeurs. Though no Everall workers’ lives were lost, there were several people killed around the immediate industrial area, and four employees were injured, says deBeurs. “There was a pickup truck driving out near here and a two-by-four went through the driver.” People helped stabilize him until the ambulance came, but luck was against him. “That fellow passed away two days later,” deBeurs says. Both deBeurs and Brian McBride drove company vehicles and they were badly damaged. Brian’s was beyond repair, so the two, still in shock, left work in deBeurs’ truck, which had its windows blown out. “We drove across the river and came back down the Capilano freeway,” he says. “It was really strange because people were in their campers and had their boats and everything, going away for the weekend and they’re looking at us like we’d gone through a war.” When employees returned on Tuesday after the long weekend,
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the relatively new Everall facility was a write-off. It would take a year before the new headquarters, built to the same design as the storm-affected one, was up and running. “There was no office, there was nothing. We had to find office space and start over again,” Laura Chrapko says. Office and shop spaces were rented, and business was up and running in a week. Payroll was only two days late that week. Brian McBride was tasked with the job of surveying the devastation and accounting for every piece of Everall equipment – a job that would take 11 months, with damages at the company estimated in the $2.75-million range. Though it was 26 years ago, deBeurs’ memories are crystal clear, and so are the feelings stirred up by talking about the events of the day. “It’s weird. After you go through something like that, it’s life changing. It’s humbling.” While deBeurs says he thinks the experience brought the company closer together, the long-term impact on its survivors was felt long after the dust settled. “There are still quite a few people here that were here when the tornado hit.” He pauses, and shakes his head at the memory. “It took two years before I could be around a thunderstorm without having a heart attack.”
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Divide and Conquer Meet E Construction’s operational divisions
E
Construction is one of the largest paving contractors in Western Canada. Our five divisions serve all of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and parts of Saskatchewan. We own more asphalt plants than any other paving contractor in our operating area, which makes it easy for us to take on any size job. Our divisions know their own backyard best, and their success is our success.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE The strength of the North Division is built on the hard work and dedication of our employees. Their commitment to safety, quality and customer service represent the company’s core values. Our business goals are driven by that commitment and our future is bright. Given the competitive nature of the Alberta construction market, 60 years in business is an extraordinary achievement for E Construction. With ongoing dedication to our core values and business ethics, our employees will guarantee the continued success of E Construction; a company that our customers prefer to work with, and one that we can all be proud of. – Jack Farrar, Division Manager
GO WEST The West Division is successful due to its mobility and ability to react quickly. We’ve secured strategic regions by establishing and maintaining a permanent presence with our offices and asphalt plants in Peace River, Slave Lake and Whitecourt. Our people are motivated and, unlike many of our competitors, unafraid of tackling complex, demanding projects. We’ll also attack projects outside our territory when the job suits our capabilities (e.g., the Pincher Creek Airport and Fort Chipewyan paving). Our clients know we’ll work to guarantee high quality projects that fit their timeframe and budget. We’ve successfully negotiated work that would normally have gone to tender, and we’ve won tendered projects even when we weren’t the lowest bidder. – Ben Grimmelt, Division Manager
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NORTH DIVISION BY THE NUMBERS: North Division is the largest of the company’s five The number of years the company has operated in the Fort McMurray area The number of its full-service civil contractor crews that service the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo A few of the operations at North Division include site grading and development, gravel production, granular base construction, underground utility installation, asphalt paving and civil concrete installations The number of great employees
WEST DIVISION BY THE NUMBERS: West Division services the largest geographical area of the five divisions The number of tonnes of asphalt the company used to pave the hamlet of Fort Chipewyan. Equipment and materials had to be barged up the Athabasca River This division has the highest number of asphalt plants at its disposal The number of airports West Division has completed The number of great employees
A Celebration of 60 Years
YEARS STRONG
NWT CONSTRUCTION, BY THE NUMBERS The number of years of northern experience NWT Construction Ltd. had before joining E Construction The number of employees who paved the Hay River airport using two pavers, four rollers, a skid steer and a tack truck The number of NWT Construction employees who survived a plane crash after take off from Yellowknife in 2013
NORTHWEST PASSAGE NWT Construction is privileged to share this exciting celebration of 60 years of construction excellence. Located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in a challenging environment, NWT Construction joined the E Construction family in 2011. E Construction’s corporate structure and expertise in mobile plants, equipment, and personnel has been a boost to operations. NWT Construction successfully seeks out large and small opportunities, including municipal, runway, parking lot and driveway paving, underground utility installation, site servicing, pavement maintenance, walking trails and quarry sales. Our people are what push us to the forefront of our marketplace and our team leaders help us honour commitments to clients. They know that “when we say we will, we will.” On behalf of NWT Construction, congratulations to E Construction for its success and thanks for the empowerment and support it gives each division. – Rod Hildebrandt, NWT Construction Manager
OF HIGHWAYS AND EASTERN PROMISE For 60 years, E Construction has built a solid reputation, providing on-time, on-spec and on-budget performance, while constructing some of industry’s most interesting and challenging projects. The Highways Division and East Division build success on the efforts and talents of our employees who work under pressure to make hay while the sun shines. The short construction season involves scheduling demands, and it occasionally forces employees to make personal sacrifices. It is their loyalty and commitment that separates us from the competition. We look to the future with confidence. Growth will continue in a planned and deliberate manner. Our goal is to continue to provide a safe work environment that allows employees to use exceptional skills to exceed the expectations of our customers. We’ll continue to lead through innovation, environmental stewardship and market knowledge. – Darryl Zaharichuk, Division Manager
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What no job is. We scale up to airports, roads, highways and supply aggregate to civil construction services, such as water and sewer; and we do underground work The number of great employees
HIGHWAYS DIVISION, BY THE NUMBERS The number of crews at work in a season for the Highways Division The number of high-production portable asphalt plants the division deploys each season The number of employees who paved a 50-km stretch of Hwy 16 near Mundare, a project valued at $14.4 million The division delivers grading, aggregate production, granular base course and paving to major public and private projects in Alberta The number of great employees
EAST DIVISION, BY THE NUMBERS The number of kilometres the Lloydminster office is from Edmonton E Construction has had a presence at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Canada’s busiest air force fighter base, since the 1950s The value of the Cold Lake roundabout, which included a detour for large trucks bound for the Imperial Oil plant The year the permanent plant & office in Cold Lake opened The year the Lloydminster permanent office opened The number of great employees
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YEARS STRONG
Notable Project THE FORT MCMURRAY AIRPORT EXPANSION This is the largest project E Construction has executed in its 60-year history. Completed in 2013, the $70-million airport extension included a major upgrade and expansion of the existing 1986 terminal; construction of underground services; new access roads; parking facilities; taxiways; de-icing facilities; aircraft apron and upgraded airfield electrical installations. This project, executed at the same time a new terminal was being built, achieved some truly notable feats.
THE JOB BY THE NUMBERS:
290,000 645,600 286,000 62,500 9,600 6,900 3,300 4,060 2,375 3,345 820 495 78 125
cubic metres of over burden removal cubic metres of common excavation tonnes of sub-base gravel tonnes of asphalt square metres of Airside Portland Cement concrete metres of concrete curb and gutter square metres of concrete sidewalk metres of PVC water main pipe metres of PVC sanitary sewer, including 21 manholes metres of PVC and concrete storm sewer metres of culverts concrete block heater pedestals in parking lot with 12,900 metres of PVC conduit street lights on roadways with 4,600 metres of PVC conduit edge lights for the apron and taxiway with 16,340 metres of cable