The pillars of Canadian Construction

November 25, 2011

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

Mark Casaletto

Mark Casaletto
V.P. and General Manager,
Reed Construction Data, Canada

Innovation, resiliency and dependability are among the pillars of Canadian construction and this year’s The Leaders 2011 has captured those qualities in the contractors and projects it features.

This year we celebrate the fifth year of The Leaders in its current format of highlighting the top general contractors nationwide.

As we prepared for this year’s edition it became evident that never before have we seen a slate of Canadian mega-projects that could create a decade-long boom in domestic construction.

From hydroelectric projects such as the $6-billion Lower Churchill Development in Gull Island and Muskrat Falls, N.L. to the $7.9-billion Site C Clean Energy Project below British Columbia’s Peace River Dam, mega-projects will be delivering opportunities for Canadian construction expertise and manpower.

The bottom line is that Canada’s construction industry is absolutely primed for some significant growth, possibly doubling in 10 years.

Many of these mega-projects are driven by foreign demand for mining products, fossil fuels and hydroelectricity. A modest but continued demand for such commodities, thanks to developing economies and domestic demand are among the keys to the construction of these Canadian mega-projects. In response to this growing national resource sector, this year’s The Leaders features the top contractors in Canadian oil and gas.

Many of these large resource projects will place a premium on the ability of Canadian builders to service large operations at very remote sites. The leaders in our industry will be tested and I am sure Canada’s leading contractors are up to that challenge to make these projects a reality. Because some of these mega-projects are so remote, builders will literally have to put cities and towns next to them, creating almost as much work as the total projects will over their respective lifetimes.

The heavy work and project prospects do not stop at natural resource mega-projects. Domestic projects such as the $1 billion in construction for the 2015 Pan American Games or the $1-billion Toronto-York Region Spadina Subway Extension are examples of opportunities for Canadian construction to not only flex its muscle but also its ability to innovate and deliver.

With The Leaders 2011 edition we have featured contractors who are evolving and building internal excellence to deliver long-term visions and success. As governments continue to explore how projects are built, Canadian construction continues its evolution in step. Industry leaders, from regional to national levels, are looking at how they do business and what needs to change, what do they need to improve and ultimately, what will result in excellence and success.

Famed management consultant and political economist Peter F. Drucker once wrote: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

The very construction companies featured in The Leaders 2011 have done just that. Their respective leadership helped create the internal cultures of commitment, trust and vision necessary for them to succeed in their own way. These are things we celebrate in the fifth edition of The Leaders.

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