November 5, 2009

Leaders 2009

A message from Mark Casaletto, V.P. and General Manager of Reed Construction Data, Canada

Stimulus: Something that incites or rouses to action or exertion or quickens action, feeling, thought; an incentive.

Stimulus. It’s the global buzz word of 2009. Depending who you are, what you do and where you live, it conjures up a flurry of emotions and thoughts.

For some it is salvation, a means to personal economic survival; food on the table and a roof over your family’s head. For others, it is corporate survival. In the political realm, it’s about staking claims or opportunism. Some see trade wars as borders close and protectionist walls are erected. Still others worry about the long-term debt and a mortgaging of our children’s future to pay for the errors and greed of their parents that saw world markets collapse; an economic footing lost in a chasm.

In the end, no matter what your emotions, stimulus in this day and age is about economic recovery; part of the Herculean attempt to stabilize what has been lost in record numbers.

For many in the construction industry, stimulus means survival and hope. In our 2009 survey of industry leaders, the words stimulus and infrastructure were repeated time and time again. Recently Canadian Construction Association Chairman Brad Greene, told us were it not for the federal government spending program, many of the smaller and medium sized contractors across the country would be disappearing from the landscape. In fact, 75 per cent of the general contractors — large and small — that we surveyed said they have already or expect to be awarded stimulus-related work.

But it is not all doom and gloom. There is optimism. Industry leaders are seeing economic recovery on the horizon. While some were fortunate enough to have backlog to carry them through 2009 and are wondering what 2010 will bring, others are actually projecting record revenue years and growth in 2010. It is that kind of private sector confidence that will help create consumer confidence, which in turn will push our economy back in the right direction.

It is those leaders in the industry that we salute with this, the third edition of The Leaders, a national ranking of Canadian General Contractors. This year we have extended our ranking list to include the Top 40 General Contractors. In that list you will see a number of new firms. Some of the 20 contractors ranked last year may have moved down in the ranking despite posting increased revenues for 2008. This is due to the increased number of firms providing revenue figures.

We have also included the self-reported revenues of those firms who did not make the Top 40 to show where they stand among their peers and recognize their achievements. (You will note by their absence some larger General Contractors not on the list. This is because they refused to participate in the survey process in one way or another. We hope they reconsider in 2010.)

Throughout the magazine you will note the use of the distinctive Leaders logo that will allow readers to instantly recognize the most active firms in the Canadian construction industry. Our expectation is that the Leaders logo will become forever linked with Canada’s top contracting firms.

We intend to continue to make The Leaders the most sought-after annual ranking of Canada’s most active general contractors. We welcome your feedback; please let us know what you think.

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