Acres Enterprises Ltd. – (Left to right) Mike Broadway, Corporate Services Director; Jason Paige, Owner and President; Curtis Tarapaski, Assistant Director of General Department; Tammy Olsen, HSE Advisor; Jeremy Buchner, Director of Civil Department; Kyle Ruppel, Director of General and Industrial Department; Phillip Stagg-Tanner, Vice President
Construction Industry Celebrates Fire and Flood Response Leadership
Awards recognize exceptional contributions as part of BC Construction and Skilled Trades Month
Victoria, B.C. (April 29, 2022) – B.C.’s construction community presented three awards for exceptional leadership to cap the fifth Annual Construction and Skilled Trades Month celebrations. The Leadership Awards are an annual opportunity for industry to acknowledge its outstanding people, and this year the awards recognize those who helped others through the impacts of recent extreme weather events and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The winners are:
Philip Robinson of Pitt Meadows Plumbing and Mechanical (PMP)
James Zelinski, CAO (left) with Phil Robinson, Fabrication Manager
As soon as Phil heard about the flooding in Abbotsford in November, he acted. Phil was raised on a farm and knew how devastating the floods would be for so many large family farms. PMP offers vacation time to employees undertaking humanitarian efforts, so Phil was able to spend time helping in the restoration of several properties. There was a crucial moment when a group of people were working day and night to stave off another diking breach and Phil was there with sandbags, helping the farming families. He brought PMP’s emergency response trailer to Abbotsford for farmers to use, and his heartfelt efforts motivated PMP to donate to the Red Cross.
Phil gathered a small group that included 3 PMP employees who went from farm to farm assessing needs and providing assistance. They removed drywall, insulation, and flooring right after the flooding and then worked on cleaning out the garbage and going into basements and crawl spaces to assist residents.
“Phil has a gift for communicating with people and motivating them to do well, and has a big heart for those who are struggling,” says Sara Searle of Pitt Meadows Plumbing.
Scott Construction (Company award)
(Left to right) Darin Hughes, President; Kaitlyn Cook-Maki, Senior Proposal
& Marketing Specialist; Gavin Frey, Director, Field Operations; Dan Eagen,
Senior Project Manager; Kim Deschaine, Director of HR; John Loop,
Director, Special Projects
The homeless population is particularly affected by floods, fires, and pandemic. In February 2021, Scott Construction (Scott) was the Construction Manager of a 60-bed homeless shelter in Vancouver. The fast-tracked project went from being an empty warehouse with no drawings or permits, to a fully functioning emergency shelter in just six months.
The entire team moved incredibly quickly, while ensuring a quality product and a safe space for the occupants. The synergy between all parties exemplified how Scott produced significant project benefits by having team members work together during the unprecedented challenges of the combined pandemic and homelessness crisis.
The Klahowya Tillicum Lalum shelter (meaning “welcome friend home”) is operated by Lu’ma Native Housing Society and is funded by BC Housing.
Tammy Olsen of Acres Enterprises Ltd.
(Left to right) Mike Broadway, Corporate Services Director; Jason Paige,
Owner and President; Curtis Tarapaski, Assistant Director of General
Department; Tammy Olsen, HSE Advisor; Jeremy Buchner, Director
of Civil Department; Kyle Ruppel, Director of General and Industrial
Department; Phillip Stagg-Tanner, Vice President
By being prepared for the historic B.C. heatwave in June 2021, Tammy was able to keep field employees safe, quickly reschedule work to avoid the hottest times of the day and prove cooling towels and electrolyte products to help hydrate staff and boost morale.
Tammy also checked on the well-being of all staff on projects near wildfire areas, reaching out to employees that were being evacuated from their homes or placed on evacuation notice. She stayed abreast of the wildfire situation, gave regular updates, provided face masks and respirators to all employees, and supported all levels of emergency response for evacuation.
Added measures she implemented for construction site safety during the wildfires were:
- Early site shutdowns, quick access to appropriate fire suppression equipment;
- Additional breaks for throat and eye irritation, with a day to rest inside away from the smoke;
- Daily equipment checks to reduce the potential for a breakdown that could create an ignition source; and
- Daily pre-task assessments, including monitoring outside temperature and wind speed direction.
When the flooding hit in November, Tammy and site supervisors coordinated emergency procedures for the evacuation of projects. Fortunately, only one site was impacted, where Tammy led the safe evacuation of team members.
“We get through challenging times when we stick together and rise to the level that the situation calls for,” said Chris Atchison, President, BCCA. “These awards celebrate just a few of the thousands of leaders that kept our industry going through flood, fire, and pandemic this past year, and we thank them for everything they do to keep our workforce safe and productive.”
The Leadership Awards are sponsored by BCCA and LNG Canada as the Platinum sponsors of Construction Month 2021. For more information please visit: https://www.constructionmonth.ca
About British Columbia Construction Association
The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) works with four Regional Construction Associations to serve more than 10,000 employers in the province’s industrial, commercial, institutional (ICI) construction industry. BCCA’s programs and services include employee benefits (BCCA Employee Benefits), an industry-leading project opportunities platform (BidCentral), HR policies and culture-building services (Builders Code), and employment programs (Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP), Integrating Newcomers, LNG Canada Trades Training Fund, LNG Canada & Coastal GasLink Connect). BCCA advocates on behalf of all employers to ensure British Columbia’s construction sector remains productive and resilient. For more information about BCCA, please visit: https://www.bccassn.com/
CONTACTS:
BC Construction Association
Greg Descantes
604-646-3564
gdescantes@pacegroup.com
