November 4, 2009

PCL

Paul Douglas intends to help turn PCL into an $11 billion company by 2018.

Business moves

PCL names new president and CEO

Professional and personal dream realized, Paul Douglas says

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

The road to becoming the new president and CEO of the PCL family of companies for Paul Douglas started with important lessons learned on work sites early in his career.

“If you have not been out there and lived it and breathed it, you are not going to get that full appreciation it takes to run this business,” says Douglas.

“Everything is instantaneous in the field, you plan as much as you can but things happen and then you react.”

Douglas is PCL’s new president and chief executive officer as of yesterday, taking over for Ross Grieve, who is now executive chairman of the PCL board.

Grieve held the post for 12 years. Douglas, who has been with PCL since 1985, says Grieve has been basically mentoring for 20 years. The last 18-months of transition have been filled more with succession planning than any last proverbial “words of wisdom” from his long-time coworker and friend.

“If he hasn’t taught me now, then I’m probably never going to learn,” says Douglas. “When you make a decision at a senior level like this in a major organization like PCL, the snowball effect is huge.

You want to make sure you have the right people in the right place. That’s been happening both south and north of the border as we continue to work on our succession plan.”

Douglas earned a University of Toronto degree in civil engineering in 1978 and started working in construction during his summers at that time. He had worked as a labourer, field engineer and then superintendent, eventually entering the project management realm of construction. That entire journey equipped Douglas with important tools.

“As you work your way up to the superintendent level, you realize what everyone has to do to make these monuments that we build successively. You have to find answers and you have 600 people on your payroll, so you have to be able to respond and be productive.”

Becoming PCL’s president and CEO is both a professional and personal dream realized, he adds.

“I hear a lot of up-and-comers say ‘I want your job one day’ and I remember saying that in 1985 to Bob Stollery (former company president, CEO and chairman),” recalls Douglas. “You do dream about it but as it becomes a reality you get goose bumps and you do have to pinch yourself.”

A steady focus and hand at the wheel of PCL is front of mind for Douglas who intends to strive towards the company’s strategic objectives of strong North America growth and becoming an $11 billion company by 2018. PCL’s current year should clock in at about $6.3 billion, he says.

“Our goal is to continue to implement that strategic plan despite the downturn and increase our footprint so when things take off again we are ready to catch that wave,” Douglas explains. “Our primary focus is on the heavy industrial business and the heavy civil, in both growing what we are able to do and our geographical footprint in Canada and the United States.”

Another primary goal is to also continue fostering growth and innovation within PCL’s ranks.

“We have an engaged company and it is amazing what happens. We cheer our people on and facilitate them to get whatever they need to help them get their job done,” says Douglas. “I guess now I get to be the head cheerleader and go branch to branch and job to job and meet all the people in our company and help them succeed.”

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