www.ecao.org 22 S POISED TO THRIVE Somehow it seems only fitting that Pomer- leau’s humble beginnings were born from the Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 1960s. After all, this company has very quietly grown from its local roots to become a revolutionary powerhouse in the construction industry with offices coast to coast, most recently landing in Ontario. Soon, the industry that serves Canada’s most populated province will discover what the rest of the country already knows — that Pom- erleau is not only a company that’s driven to innovate and constantly improve construction techniques, but one that is extremely beneficial to partner with. This success story began in 1964 in the Beauce region near Quebec City with five employees working under founder Hervé Pomerleau, a man whose values remain the guiding princi- ples of the family-run company today: respect, rigour, relationships, solutions and technology. In 1966, the company was incorporated. By the 1970s, Pomerleau expanded from its regional roots into Newfoundland, and by the end of the 2000s, the company had grown nationally to the point it was engaged in projects within six provinces. By Rob Blackstien When Pomerleau acquired most of the assets and projects of Giffels Westpro in 2016, it truly became a national player with a transaction that provided the company with “critical mass” in Ontario, says Sean Strickland, Pomerleau’s Director of Business Development and Industry Relations. Today, Pomerleau is the fifth largest general contractor in Canada, with nearly 4,000 employees across nine regional offices and over 150 worksites. The company’s three main divisions are: •  Quebec Building Operations: responsible for all the ICI work in Quebec; •  Civil and Infrastructure: tackles all the trans- portation, marine works, energy and heavy industrial work nationally; and •  Canadian Building Operations: handles all the ICI work outside of Quebec from offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, St. John’s and Halifax. Now that Pomerleau has firmly planted its flag in Ontario and made a commitment to the marketplace here, the company is build- ing relationships to help take the next step in its evolution. RENOWNED CANADIAN CONTRACTOR SUCCEEDS BY THINKING NATIONALLY AND BUILDING LOCALLY Pomerleau Poised to Thrive in Ontario Market 11 2 _ tools _ logo _ offIcIal VersIon officiaL Version the new pomerleau logo has evolved and now incorporates colours that are part of the new corporate image. a simple, geometric typeface was chosen that reflects solidity. the same can be said of the underlining bar. robust and confident, the bar is foundation of the corporate image and is used in all its various applications and forms. the colours have evolved towards a full- bodied grey acoompanied by a bright blue. the blue emphasizes the presence of the corporate identity on all applications and provides a human quality. the combination of elements communicates the self-confidence and intelligence of the pomerleau people, the results people. logo Finding the right partners That strategy is based on finding the right partners that Pomerleau can work with over the long haul. “We want to work with subcontractors on more than a transactional basis,” Strickland says. “We’re in this for the long run; our commitment to the Ontario marketplace is indelibly linked to our overall success as a company nationwide, and we want to work with people that we can build a relationship with — not just for today’s job, but for the jobs of the future as well.” Patrick Stiles, Regional Vice President, GTA, echoes those sentiments, “We’re really customer oriented, we’re a company built on relationships. We don’t look at projects as transactional, we want to develop relationships with subtrades, with suppliers, with our clients — all the different stakeholders.” The Toronto office in particular has recently bulked-up its estimating team and has “invested extensively in new technologies to help better deliver construction projects and ensure quality,” Strickland says. The fact that the Toronto office has landed Pearson International Airport as a client