Part of a family of 17 Coreslab facilities, Coreslab Structures (OKLA) now has the most concrete producing capability in Oklahoma, building a new generation of weather-resistant structures across the Sooner State and beyond.

We spoke with Coreslab’s Oklahoma City-based team last April, to review the company’s latest achievements in precast concrete and its applications. A year of general upheaval and change later, and Coreslab OKLA is continuing to fill its specialized niche with distinction.

While all Coreslab Structures facilities across North America specialize in precast concrete, the Oklahoma plant has found a role uniquely relevant to its location. “Our plant has established expertise in the design and production of Precast Concrete Storm Shelters with occupancies of hundreds of people,” says Engineering Manager Sean Morris.

Concrete growth
Coleman Harrison, project consultant at Coreslab OKLA, describes how the plant has upgraded its batchplant and various casting beds to cope with the company’s growth, much of it due to its Oklahoma-relevant product. Two planetary four-yard mixers now produce four yards of concrete every two minutes.

Additionally, the mixers can be set up to cast concrete in multiple mix designs for differing purposes, such as Coreslab’s Architectural blend. “We can now produce a bunch of concrete very quickly,” Harrison says, with some understatement.

Coreslab’s trademark tornado shelters especially have evolved. The company can now produce 115-foot (35 meter) spans, utilizing 5 foot wide (1.5 meter) Double Tees, for an ICC 500 storm shelter design. “We block out the width of our 8 foot wide Double Tee form to produce a 5 foot wide Double Tee,” Morris remarks, “but that’s a pretty long span for a storm shelter.”

Like all Coreslab’s shelter products, its ICC 500 storm shelters withstand winds of up to 250 miles per hour (400 kph).

Coreslab is continuing to expand the use of insulation and height of its tornado shelters. “The Double Tee spans is the primary area where we’re trying to push the limits,” says Morris and notes that longer span lengths maximize the utility of shelter buildings, many of which take on a double role – such as a school gym – to maximize their use. “Obviously, you don’t want columns in the middle of your basketball court.”

These multi-use solutions fit well with Coreslab’s design strategy of not constructing tornado shelters in a vacuum but fitting these structures harmoniously into the client’s existing architectural design.

Challenges, challenges
As the company’s design portfolio expands across educational institutes of all sizes to casinos, office buildings, and retirement communities and more, Coreslab appears to thrive on the new challenges.

Morris recalls an Oklahoma City high school needing a shelter under stadium bleachers, which were also precast concrete risers. “We had to convert our typical riser design, which was not designed to take on debris impact or the wind load associated with a tornado shelter, and we had to redesign the risers to do that,” he says.

By creating a recessed area similar to a shiplap joint, Coreslab was able to tie its risers together without leaving gaps for debris.

“It was a unique project that we had never done before,” Morris says.

Now Coreslab’s involvement with the FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, or CAMI, has given rise to a challenging new project. This Oklahoma City-based government agency is building a massive facility to test aircraft rescue techniques, known as the Wind and Wave Evacuation and Survival Facility or WiWAVES.

Involving both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ testing areas, the facility uses massive fans and pools to simulate plane crashes and subsequent rescue techniques at sea. “Once the project is done, it’ll be the only facility in the nation to have a dry-test and wet-test area in the same facility,” Coleman Harrison says.

Harrison is forgivably upbeat in describing how the project showcases Coreslab’s ability to provide concrete structures that can withstand the worst of weather both inside and out.

Additionally, the company is working to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its use of recycled products. The production of cement and concrete is still an unfortunately high source of CO₂ emissions in construction, but Morris says Coreslab’s staff has embraced going Green and found it more attainable than many would think.

“A lot of people associate being Green with not being as profitable as doing things unsustainably,” he says. “We have an opportunity to be Green and find ways to make it more cost-effective than if we hadn’t done it that way.”

Recycling comes to concrete
One aspect of this Green attitude is the company’s increased use of recycled products, as well as more responsible disposal of by-products.

Coreslab as a policy is using more waste concrete in its products, with Morris mentioning one of the sister plants in Canada producing hollow-core placements. “100 percent of the waste concrete from that plant is going back into new products,” he says.

Additionally, Coreslab OKLA has introduced the utilization of a common waste by-product to replace some of the cement in its concrete-casting process. “We can replace up to 20 percent of the cement in a product with fly ash,” Harrison says, thus giving this surplus substance a new use. “If you can reduce the volume of cement that it takes to make the same amount of concrete by adding fly ash, you’re helping with that part of it as well.”

At the same time, Coreslab is switching over to more renewable energy, particularly in cement production. And in a highly literal embrace of Green manufacturing, some of Coreslab’s plants are deliberately infusing their concrete with captured carbon dioxide during the casting process.

First of all, the result is an improved product, says Morris. “The CO₂ has the effect of making the concrete stronger, and then it gets trapped in the concrete and doesn’t go back into the atmosphere.” The net result is a cheaper product with better structural integrity, plus a positive impact on the earth’s atmosphere.

While Coreslab OKLA has yet to embrace this technique, Harrison expects it to happen soon.

Bye-bye rebar
But Coreslab’s biggest Green achievement is an increased focus on prestressed concrete. With the reduced need for steel rebar support, Coreslab, with its expertise in concrete production, can produce more efficiently and therefore use fewer resources.

“Prestressed concrete, in a plant environment, is usually more cost-effective than traditionally reinforced members,” Morris notes. “We can produce more products in a single day with a prestressed member.”

An example of this right at hand is Coreslab’s flagship product, Double Tee, which typically measures around 500 feet (150 meters). Morris explains how Coreslab can produce eight prestressed 60-foot concrete sections from a single Double Tee, in a single process.

“Hardly any reinforcement has to be present in the member, because it’s prestressed, and it uses a smaller cross-section of concrete because it’s prestressed.”

Morris remarks that the company’s product line has greatly expanded as a result of Coreslab embracing prestressed concrete.

Coreslab can focus on exclusively concrete products and cast more precise forms while staying within its budget. “Now, we’re pre-stressing almost everything,” he says. “With prestressed strands, the material costs are ridiculously low compared to rebar.”

Since prestressed members can be taller and thinner than traditional members, Coreslab is using less concrete and producing more products.

That’s the aim – as Morris puts it – using less to do more. “Our plant produces more prestressed members than conventionally reinforced members,” he says and remarks that this shift is true across Coreslab’s entire line of products including Double Tees, columns, beams, and more.

He notes that this change helps Coreslab remain profitable while also being more eco-friendly. “When those things happen, there’s always an incentive for businesses to remain sustainable and green.”

As Coreslab and its peers in concrete production fully embrace prestressed concrete, Morris explains that this is one step towards a higher goal: “The industry is moving towards high interest in UHPC,” or Ultra High Performing Concrete.

Ultra-high performing
“That particular type of concrete can reach compressive strengths that are two to three times stronger than traditional precast,” he says.

While current infrastructure costs make UHPC cost-prohibitive, Coreslab’s team is showing that it can be easily automated in its casting process through its lack of required reinforcement and can be extremely thin with an extraordinarily high tensile strength. “It’s almost like pouring liquid steel into a form.”

On the environmental front, prestressed and UHPC can generate positive ripple effects throughout the concrete industry, and others besides.

Morris explains how shipping will be less frequent, leading to less air pollution, as fewer members will need to be shipped via truck. Plants will create a smaller carbon footprint through this less intensive process, and even cranes will be used less frequently, as UHPC weighs an average of 25 percent less than traditional members.

Finally, foundation sizes can be reduced as less weight-bearing ability is mandated. “All of those advantages trickle down for the industry,” he says.

While concrete remains a high carbon emitter, Coreslab OKLA is taking steps to make the process more efficient and eco-friendly.

So, while the company forges ahead, making deep inroads into the market for precast concrete tornado shelters and tornado-resistant architecture, Coreslab is also working to ensure our infrastructure adapts right now to the needs of a changing world.

The post Prestressed, Precast – and it Tops a Tornado in an Eco-Friendly Way<p class="company">Coreslab Structures (OKLA) Inc.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

From tiny Centreville, New Brunswick, with a population of just over 550, one company has established itself as the premier manufacturer of specialty trailers. Now celebrating its fifty-fifth anniversary, BWS Manufacturing is moving forward as one of Atlantic Canada’s most successful enterprises and has an equally successful continent-spanning dealer network.

Like many businesses, BWS sprouted from modest beginnings: a small welding shop begun by Burney MacDougall in 1967 as ‘Burney’s Welding Shop’ to cater to local potato farmers. Potato giant McCain is headquartered just eleven kilometres away, and this proximity fuelled early growth. That growth was further boosted by Burney’s experience in the forestry sector, into which he carved a niche manufacturing trailers for that industry.

As the fledgling company expanded, so too did its varieties of specialized trailers. By 1975, the rebranded firm was manufacturing snow and ice equipment, truck bodies, and final-stage trailers for a variety of sectors. “We started in agriculture and forestry, and fifty-five years later, we cover many market sectors,” sums up Vice President of Sales and Marketing Scott MacRae. The company’s trailers serve the gravel, agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, nuclear, and even consumer products industries. “We’re very diverse.”

A new chapter for the company came in 2017 when it was purchased by Quebec business magnate Hugo St-Cyr. Today, it boasts over 220,000 square feet of production space where every one of its trailers is made, as well as a continental network of over seventy dealer locations across the U.S. and Canada.

MacRae says the industry is experiencing a boom following the pandemic-induced pause in buying, noting that most trailers enjoy a lifecycle of seven to ten years. “With COVID, with the uncertainty in the market, people extended that purchasing cycle to ten to twelve years,” he says.

New purchasing trends have outpaced production, which has shifted MacRae and his colleagues’ focus away from BWS’s fiftieth anniversary. “We have officially sold out of our production for 2023, and we have shown a forty-plus percent increase in our business sales for next year.” MacRae further commented, “So as far as celebrating, we’re just celebrating the increased sales at the moment.”

MacRae estimates the current increase in trucking will continue for several years and dismisses rumours of a recession on the horizon. “Everything you see around you has been on a truck at one point in its life,” he says. “Transportation is always something that is going to be necessary, so it is always going to be there.”

BWS’s trailers are capable of transporting almost any conceivable material, a testament to its in-house engineering and research and development team. Its cutting-edge painting facility is the largest of its kind in eastern Canada. The steel shot blast, epoxy primer, industrial topcoat and baked finish process guarantee maximum product durability and finish on all BWS trailers.

Finally, many of the company’s senior employees have previous heavy equipment operating experience, giving them the ability to put themselves in customers’ shoes and give a superior product experience.

BWS is now offering the new practice of zinc coated galvanizing as an option to most models of its trailers—an expensive procedure, but necessary in the harsh winter environments of Canada and the northern U.S.

BWS trailers are designed to be dipped into a molten zinc finish at 845 degrees Fahrenheit. “As the trailer is dipped in it, the zinc actually permeates the steel, which gives it a secure coating,” MacRae says.

The results speak for themselves. “You’ve now taken a trailer that typically, with a painted finish, you would get a good solid ten years out of,” says MacRae. “With a zinc finish, we’re seeing twenty-plus years. The return on investment far outweighs the cost in the beginning.”

Admittedly, the process does require each trailer to be designed to accommodate the unique properties of the zinc treatment. The entire process adds a day to the trailer assembly, but the company is adamant that the added benefits far outweigh the cost.

In addition to its extensive product line, BWS maintains a close working relationship with its dealer network across the continent. Trained product specialists visit dealers regularly, ensuring sales professionals—and therefore customers—have comprehensive and accurate information on the company’s products. “We have to ensure that they have the start-to-finish and follow-up of a complete sale package,” he says. The goal is to ensure that customers know everything possible about their new trailer before they leave the dealership.

To ensure consistent quality, the company also sends surveys to end users every six months, collecting data on how both it and its dealers can improve. The result is an annual dealer review, during which the information is filtered back network-wide, identifying both successful practices and those which can be improved.

Every BWS dealer is responsible for warranties, so any of the company’s trailers can be driven to one of those dealers and receive repairs. “We can honestly say we have a warranty network, from coast to coast, in Canada and throughout the U.S. as well,” MacRae says proudly.

In addition to its product line, it maintains a close working relationship with its affiliated company, Stargate Trailers in Ontario. The relationship is relatively new, having begun in 2020 when Hugo St-Cyr purchased Stargate, but the two companies have a naturally complementary relationship. “BWS is an all-steel manufacturing company; Stargate is all-aluminum,” MacRae explains, and this allows BWS to be the yin to Stargate’s yang.

The two companies’ similar business models have also enabled them to work together on their outreach as well. “We have a great overlap in our dealer network as well,” he says, “so that’s actually increased our footprint.”

As part of BWS’s and Stargate’s working relationship, the companies enjoy significant reciprocity in parts; many are interchangeable across models, helping to streamline logistics. The two have also combined their purchasing teams, allowing them to buy better and smarter. The production teams of both companies also work closely together, taking the best practices from both companies.

A prime example of the collaboration between the two comes with BWS’s pony trailers, which are designed to be towed by dump trucks. The trailers’ long central pole assembly and chassis would be made with BWS steel; these are then shipped to Stargate, which will complete the trailers with aluminum.

As with so many businesses in the pandemic and post-pandemic eras, BWS is naturally expanding its supplier network, though it is fortunate to have developed long-term relationships with its suppliers over the years. To MacRae, it is a question of balancing costs and quality.

“We’re creating new relationships, and we are endeavouring to look at any opportunity that is possible and makes sense, without compromising the quality of our product,” he says. With BWS having built a reputation over decades, it must avoid the siren song of cheaper, imported parts. “Our brands are synonymous with quality, and we have to ensure that we maintain that brand.”

To continue its business flexibility, the company is also expanding its workforce from an unexpected source. After growing tired of attempting to recruit with little to show for it, it sent a human resources representative to the Philippines, where she has recruited approximately forty-five skilled workers who are currently en route to Canada. “We just got tired of waiting and decided to take it into our own hands, and it’s a great opportunity for us, it’s a great opportunity for the immigrants,” MacRae says. “We are growing beyond our BWS and Stargate family.”

As it looks to the future, BWS is also experimenting with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics and how they may be integrated into its business model. Yet while the company sees itself as forward-thinking, MacRae is quick to point out that the company is not out to eliminate jobs. “We’re not looking at robotics or AI systems to replace our workers, only to complement who we have here now,” he says. “Our business is here because of our people. We are here because of the people that work with us and for us.”

With over half a century of experience and a bright future in transcontinental transportation before it, BWS is an exemplary member of Atlantic Canada’s manufacturing economy. Thanks to long experience, a dedicated staff, superior customer service, and an eye toward the future, it will continue its cycle of steady growth. “Our mission is to be the number-one specialty trailer manufacturer in North America,” MacRae says, “and we will get there.”

The post Celebrating 55 Years of Trailer Excellence<p class="company">BWS Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Since its 1984 founding, the company has steadily built a solid reputation for excellent customer service and enticing venues. Its signature ‘Harbour Hopper’ tours use repurposed military amphibious vehicles to—as the name implies—traverse Halifax, Dartmouth, and the harbour separating them.

The company’s versatile ‘hop on, hop off’ bus tours provide customers with the flexibility to explore Halifax on their schedule. From seasonal ghost tours to dinner cruises and weddings, Ambassatours has something for everyone thanks to its large array of vehicles and harbour cruisers.         

Ambassatours has expanded from its Haligonian roots and now provides tourism excursions in all four Atlantic Canadian provinces. As cruise ships return to the region in greater numbers, so too are the company’s operations and staffing numbers growing. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Campbell remarks that Ambassatours’ growth and success come down to the value the company generates for cruise ships. “Nobody else achieves the level we achieve per cruise arrival,” he says. “It’s all about [return on investment] for the cruise line.”

This return on investment is also possible through Ambassatours’ exceptional customer service. Its focus on passenger satisfaction has won it numerous awards over the years, most recently Tripadvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Award in 2022. Part of this is due to its ongoing effort to solicit feedback and incorporate changes. This policy has led to many of the company’s latest offerings, such as its regular excursion to historic Georges Island, Canada’s newest national park, in Halifax harbour.

As a result of its exceptional customer service and long history in the region, Ambassatours has developed strong working relationships with the various cruise lines frequenting Atlantic Canada’s major ports of Halifax and Sydney in Nova Scotia, Saint John in New Brunswick, and Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island. In Halifax, the region’s largest tourist destination, the company’s trademark service is its pier-side sales.

When a cruise liner arrives, Ambassatours’ representatives have arrangements with the lines to be able to sell packages to passengers without charging any fees upfront; all charges go instead to the passengers’ cabins. This direct and simple approach helps undecided or busy passengers take stock of the company’s offerings while in Nova Scotia. “It’s not uncommon for us to generate another $14,000 to $15,000 in sales,” Campbell says, adding that sales occasionally go as high as $17,000.

Further, Ambassatours’ partnership with Gray Line provides old-fashioned double-decker motor coaches for the company’s ‘hop on, hop off’ tour programs. These buses, available right at the pier and departing throughout the day, provide passengers with the convenience of jumping on a tour immediately after disembarking, maximizing their time in port. The buses are a particularly welcome sight to American visitors, given Gray Line’s household name status in the U.S. providing a sense of security in an unfamiliar city.

Ambassatours’ packages include not only a myriad of tours around Halifax, but also short excursions to surrounding areas such as Lunenburg, Oak Island, Georges Island, and Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia’s premier tourist attraction. Peggy’s Cove, in particular, has experienced a huge redevelopment, adding a beautiful new visitor look-off platform, creating a far better and safer visitor experience, with parking lots, sidewalks, restrooms, and new safety features to keep visitors off of the infamously slick black rocks.

“It’s fantastic. The visitor experience there is way better and way safer,” Campbell says, noting that the previous facilities were woefully unequipped for large numbers of visitors. Today, Ambassatours is adding new ways to move and spread guests throughout communities for a greater visitor experience, expanded economic impact and overall satisfaction for all stakeholders. Campbell anticipates having the addition ready by summer 2023.    

Newer additions to Ambassatours’ repertoire are programs focusing on the communities and accomplishments of the region’s residents who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour. “We tell our guides now: ‘You really should not do a tour without recognizing that we are touring and travelling on Mi’kmaq unceded territory land,’” he says. Land acknowledgements, common in many Canadian formal events but novel for foreigners, provide an opportunity for conversation, education, and representation.

Ambassatours’ staff is educating new generations on forgotten chapters of Atlantic Canadian history. “Helping to explain them is all part of the fabric of this area and a very important part too.”

Ambassatours’ resources were put to the test during Hurricane Fiona, which battered Nova Scotia and forced 71 liners to cancel their dockings. “We went from what was a great recovery season, to all of a sudden losing $1.4 million worth of revenue,” Campbell says. Yet in the volatile tourism industry, fortune comes as quickly as it goes; just one week later, the company received word it would be responsible for all shuttles and ferrying in October when Halifax played host for several days to the newly-commissioned USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier with a crew of over 5500 sailors, 24 hours per day for four days.

The company can accommodate increasing numbers of cruise passengers due to its highly-trained staff. It has established a reputation as a top regional employer, particularly for younger workers. “We really have done, I think, a really good job in becoming known as the place for university students to work,” Campbell says. Ambassatours’ competitive salaries, vibrant workplace culture, and informal role as Atlantic Canadian Ambassador consistently bring in top talent.

While these students swell the company’s ranks in the heavy summer months, the heaviest traffic comes in early autumn—when the students have returned to school. But Campbell and his staff are also working to court Nova Scotia’s growing number of retirees. These combined demographics provide regular turnover in Ambassatour’s ranks. “Spring and summer, we have university students, and in the fall, we have invested very, very much over the years to hire retired people,” he says.

The company’s large database of retired professionals—teachers, lawyers, and corporate professionals—brings their expertise to Ambassatours’ offices, just in time for the main cruise ship season in September-October. “Having that mix of employment is critical to our business,” he says. “Without the students, I don’t know how we would do it in the spring and summer. Without the retired folks, I don’t know how we’d do the cruise ship business.”

As Ambassatours grows, so too does its pledge to redevelop and expand Halifax’s waterfront. This public-private partnership has already invested significantly in the area, and new developments such as the $200 million Queen’s Marque development are starting to bear fruit with new restaurants, cafes, and attractions for pedestrians.

“Halifax boardwalk, I would argue, is now the best waterfront boardwalk in the country,” Campbell says. After two low years, he and his team are enjoying the city’s resurgence. “Halifax’s time has come. I think the region’s time has come,” he adds.

As Halifax harbour expands, Ambassatours is now looking at expanding its fleet to cater to more visitors. “Halifax Harbour has a lot more upward potential, in terms of meeting the demand,” and the demand is returning with gusto. “This season, we were sold out days in advance for most products,” he says. “Now it’s time to add capacity.”

Apart from its involvement in the harbour expansion, the company is also working on providing off-port docking tenders for cruise liners and using its fleet to ferry passengers to and from ships. “Cruise ships don’t prefer to tender,” Campbell admits, “but to get to a marquee port like Halifax, they will tender rather than not come.”

But if ships are tendered rather than docked, passengers can be ferried to and from other parts of the waterfront. “We can spread the people out, and that spreads the investment out.” The possibility of new cruise berths on the Dartmouth side of the harbour promises an economic generator not just for the Halifax Regional Municipality but for the Annapolis Valley and greater Nova Scotia. Atlantic Canada’s other ports currently have cruise berths that have had over $20 million in investment.  “Now it’s Halifax’s turn,” he says. “When Halifax steps up and does it, it’ll benefit everyone.”

Ambassatours has expanded from humble beginnings to become the premier tourism provider across Atlantic Canada. With its superior customer service, a wide range of activities, and exceptional staff, the company is well-suited to accommodate the return of bigger cruise ships to the region.

Campbell notes that, after two years of quarantine, the public is anxious to travel even as worries of a recession cloud the horizon. “The pent-up demand is still there,” he says, “and I predict even through a recession, we’re going to see that pent-up demand continue for some time.”

The post Providing Top Tourism Attractions Across Atlantic Canada<p class="company">Ambassatours Gray Line</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

In Canada’s Garden Province of Prince Edward Island, Arsenault Bros. Construction has expanded from humble roots to provide full-service drywall construction across Atlantic Canada. With 40 years in business as of 2023, the company is both a shining example of, and a testament to, the regional can-do spirit.

Like many businesses, Arsenault Bros. started up to satisfy a community need. After living in Alberta for several years, Carl and Anne Marie Arsenault returned to their native Prince Edward Island in the early ‘80s. “Dad had learned the drywall trade out in Alberta, and while he was home he saw an opportunity to start a commercial drywall company here on the island,” says son and current company president, Lucas Arsenault.

At the time, any building project involved off-island companies, and Carl resolved to change that. After recruiting several of his brothers and friends, Carl formally founded Arsenault Bros. in 1983.

The fledgling company expanded slowly but steadily, growing from five carpenters to an estimated 30 when Lucas returned to the island, having followed in his parents’ footsteps to Alberta.

Going beyond the Island

In addition to its growth, Arsenault Bros. had also evolved from simply hanging drywall to performing full-service interior construction. After an injury confined him to a desk job, Lucas transitioned from labour into management. “I took a few courses: cost control, project management, drywall estimating,” he recalls.

Lucas’s education continued until 2020 when he and his brother David drew up a formal succession plan with their parents. Today, Arsenault Bros. remains very much a family enterprise, with Lucas as president, David as co-owner,and several other close family members as senior site supervisors and foremen.

Once Lucas had taken the reins, he decided to lead the company in a new expansive direction, not unlike his father. “There are large general contractors that cover all of Atlantic Canada, and there wasn’t a commercial drywall contractor,” he says, “so I thought it would be beneficial.”

With such a seasonal work schedule, Lucas reasoned that establishing the company over as wide an area as possible would provide more projects and enable Arsenault Bros. to maximize productivity. “I had a bit of a growth mindset, and the new areas and new people were of interest to me,” he concludes, “so I decided to branch off the island and try projects in different areas.”

In just over ten years, Arsenault Bros. has expanded from a single office to operations across all four Atlantic Canadian provinces. “This year, we probably will average 350 employees in all of Atlantic Canada,” Lucas says. The company works in commercial, residential, and institutional spaces, providing not merely drywall but all aspects of exterior walls, interior finishing, steel studs as well as walls and ceilings, and soundproofing panels.

Satellite offices in Moncton, New Brunswick and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia now augment the company’s Cornwall, PEI headquarters and enable the team to work throughout the region.

Building on principles

To manage this balancing act, Lucas says, Arsenault Bros. is built entirely on trust and relationships. As a proud union contractor, Arsenault Bros. will typically send a foreman to a local job site, where they will recruit a work crew from local unions. “We might send a foreman that we trust, and then hire local guys.” Lucas says that this ‘delegation’ approach enables Arsenault Bros. to hire locally and complete jobs across Atlantic Canada. 

Additionally, Lucas and his team see themselves as performing a vital community service, and Lucas constantly reminds his work crews: “You’re in service to someone when you go to work, and you have to keep that in mind,” he says, as Arsenault Bros.’ crews are consistently working for either general contractors or building owners.

But he also recognizes Arsenault Bros.’ impact lingers long after the dust has settled and the crew has left. “Someone’s going to own the space that we’re working on,” he says. “Someone’s going to live in it, someone could work in it, depending on what it is that we’re building or working on at that time.”

This, he concludes, is what prompts Arsenault Bros. to take the long view and see the people behind their work. “We want to send the message that our service is meaningful and that a person is going to take value from it.”

Reinforcing this philosophy are Arsenault Bros.’ three core values of humility, trust, and pride in the work. “This is a leadership-style company, not a dictatorship,” Lucas says, alluding to his family’s strong religious convictions in fostering an attitude of humble service across all departments.

Trust, meanwhile, is essential to daily operations as well as greater expansions. Lucas remarks that trust in Arsenault Bros.’ satellite offices is the leading company trait that has enabled the company’s expansion across Atlantic Canada, and it is equally important and effective in the office and on the job site.

“It all pushes up and down the ladder,” he says, “so if you build it on trust, then it’s very hard to break.” Finally, pride in the work helps build team competence and inspires team members to attain more skills and share greater accolades.

Making a difference

As Arsenault Bros. consolidates its operations across Atlantic Canada, its trademark quality projects can already be seen in every province in the region. In its native Prince Edward Island, the company has been tapped to provide interior residence space for the upcoming 2023 Canada Winter Games, which PEI will be hosting in February-March 2023.

“It’s the largest project we’ve ever done on PEI,” Lucas remarks. In fact, it’s the largest achievement in the company’s 40-year history. Yet even this is only a small part of the company’s on-island work, most of which continues to be projects that provide housing. A recently purchased subsidiary, Charlottetown-based Top To Floors, is helping in that endeavour.

“We’ll have 212 units fully rented on PEI by spring,” Lucas says with some pride. “We’re making a difference to a lot of people’s lives, which is the purpose.”

Outside its native province, Arsenault Bros.’ satellite operations are hard at work as well.

In New Brunswick, company crews are helping expand Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, as well as a large medical centre on the Canadian Forces Base at Gagetown and a new RCMP building in Moncton.

In neighbouring Nova Scotia, the company is flexing its multi-service muscles by providing a long-term care facility in Mahone Bay, repurposing an old department store, building a new port warehouse in Halifax, and expanding a Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) campus in Sydney.

Finally, the company is helping provide a new community centre in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.    

Help after the hurricane

Apart from its traditional mandate, Arsenault Bros. is assisting in the rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Fiona, which hit Prince Edward Island hard in September. Several ongoing small projects are helping local homes, businesses, and schools get their roofs and water-logged interiors repaired in time for winter. “There were six schools that lost pretty much half their roofs,” Lucas explains, “and so we’re helping there.”

Coordinating with both the provincial government and the Construction Association of PEI, the private sector is setting competition aside, he says. “The industry’s really coming together on the island to help all these people that need this work done before it gets too cold. It’s good to see the generosity of people and the industry.”

Providing opportunities

As Arsenault Bros. continues to expand, it’s also operating a natural pipeline to incentivize younger Islanders to stay close to home and enter the construction industry.

“We give a $1,000 bursary to one student from every high school on the island, every year, who is going into the carpentry trade,” Lucas says. Meanwhile, he and his staff work methodically to foster a positive and inviting culture in the office and on work sites. “That’s what we’re trying to build—a place where people want to be and not a place where they have to be,” he says.

An in-house referral program ensures that employees volunteer leads to like-minded peers, helping Arsenault Bros. ensure a steady employment stream while also fostering the company’s value of trust. “It’s more your everyday atmosphere that recruits and retains people,” Lucas says with conviction.

While Arsenault Bros. has grown significantly over a short period, its new president has even larger plans. A goal is to have at least 600 employees, and the company is well underway with 350-plus currently in its ranks.

But above all, Lucas and his staff are committed to their company becoming the leading interior systems contractor in Atlantic Canada. With the region’s hunger for urban housing likely to increase, Arsenault Bros. is well-established in its market and on its way to becoming a regional powerhouse.

The post An Island Powerhouse<p class="company">Arsenault Bros. Construction</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

From tiny Centreville, New Brunswick, with a population of just over 550, one company has established itself as the premier manufacturer of specialty trailers. Now celebrating its fifty-fifth anniversary, BWS Manufacturing is moving forward as one of Atlantic Canada’s most successful enterprises and has an equally successful continent-spanning dealer network.

Like many businesses, BWS sprouted from modest beginnings: a small welding shop begun by Burney MacDougall in 1967 as ‘Burney’s Welding Shop’ to cater to local potato farmers. Potato giant McCain is headquartered just eleven kilometres away, and this proximity fuelled early growth. That growth was further boosted by Burney’s experience in the forestry sector, into which he carved a niche manufacturing trailers for that industry.

As the fledgling company expanded, so too did its varieties of specialized trailers. By 1975, the rebranded firm was manufacturing snow and ice equipment, truck bodies, and final-stage trailers for a variety of sectors. “We started in agriculture and forestry, and fifty-five years later, we cover many market sectors,” sums up Vice President of Sales and Marketing Scott MacRae. The company’s trailers serve the gravel, agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, nuclear, and even consumer products industries. “We’re very diverse.”

A new chapter for the company came in 2017 when it was purchased by Quebec business magnate Hugo St-Cyr. Today, it boasts over 220,000 square feet of production space where every one of its trailers is made, as well as a continental network of over seventy dealer locations across the U.S. and Canada.

MacRae says the industry is experiencing a boom following the pandemic-induced pause in buying, noting that most trailers enjoy a lifecycle of seven to ten years. “With COVID, with the uncertainty in the market, people extended that purchasing cycle to ten to twelve years,” he says.

New purchasing trends have outpaced production, which has shifted MacRae and his colleagues’ focus away from BWS’s fiftieth anniversary. “We have officially sold out of our production for 2023, and we have shown a forty-plus percent increase in our business sales for next year.” MacRae further commented, “So as far as celebrating, we’re just celebrating the increased sales at the moment.”

MacRae estimates the current increase in trucking will continue for several years and dismisses rumours of a recession on the horizon. “Everything you see around you has been on a truck at one point in its life,” he says. “Transportation is always something that is going to be necessary, so it is always going to be there.”

BWS’s trailers are capable of transporting almost any conceivable material, a testament to its in-house engineering and research and development team. Its cutting-edge painting facility is the largest of its kind in eastern Canada. The steel shot blast, epoxy primer, industrial topcoat and baked finish process guarantee maximum product durability and finish on all BWS trailers.

Finally, many of the company’s senior employees have previous heavy equipment operating experience, giving them the ability to put themselves in customers’ shoes and give a superior product experience.

BWS is now offering the new practice of zinc coated galvanizing as an option to most models of its trailers—an expensive procedure, but necessary in the harsh winter environments of Canada and the northern U.S.

BWS trailers are designed to be dipped into a molten zinc finish at 845 degrees Fahrenheit. “As the trailer is dipped in it, the zinc actually permeates the steel, which gives it a secure coating,” MacRae says.

The results speak for themselves. “You’ve now taken a trailer that typically, with a painted finish, you would get a good solid ten years out of,” says MacRae. “With a zinc finish, we’re seeing twenty-plus years. The return on investment far outweighs the cost in the beginning.”

Admittedly, the process does require each trailer to be designed to accommodate the unique properties of the zinc treatment. The entire process adds a day to the trailer assembly, but the company is adamant that the added benefits far outweigh the cost.

In addition to its extensive product line, BWS maintains a close working relationship with its dealer network across the continent. Trained product specialists visit dealers regularly, ensuring sales professionals—and therefore customers—have comprehensive and accurate information on the company’s products. “We have to ensure that they have the start-to-finish and follow-up of a complete sale package,” he says. The goal is to ensure that customers know everything possible about their new trailer before they leave the dealership.

To ensure consistent quality, the company also sends surveys to end users every six months, collecting data on how both it and its dealers can improve. The result is an annual dealer review, during which the information is filtered back network-wide, identifying both successful practices and those which can be improved.

Every BWS dealer is responsible for warranties, so any of the company’s trailers can be driven to one of those dealers and receive repairs. “We can honestly say we have a warranty network, from coast to coast, in Canada and throughout the U.S. as well,” MacRae says proudly.

In addition to its product line, it maintains a close working relationship with its affiliated company, Stargate Trailers in Ontario. The relationship is relatively new, having begun in 2020 when Hugo St-Cyr purchased Stargate, but the two companies have a naturally complementary relationship. “BWS is an all-steel manufacturing company; Stargate is all-aluminum,” MacRae explains, and this allows BWS to be the yin to Stargate’s yang.

The two companies’ similar business models have also enabled them to work together on their outreach as well. “We have a great overlap in our dealer network as well,” he says, “so that’s actually increased our footprint.”

As part of BWS’s and Stargate’s working relationship, the companies enjoy significant reciprocity in parts; many are interchangeable across models, helping to streamline logistics. The two have also combined their purchasing teams, allowing them to buy better and smarter. The production teams of both companies also work closely together, taking the best practices from both companies.

A prime example of the collaboration between the two comes with BWS’s pony trailers, which are designed to be towed by dump trucks. The trailers’ long central pole assembly and chassis would be made with BWS steel; these are then shipped to Stargate, which will complete the trailers with aluminum.

As with so many businesses in the pandemic and post-pandemic eras, BWS is naturally expanding its supplier network, though it is fortunate to have developed long-term relationships with its suppliers over the years. To MacRae, it is a question of balancing costs and quality.

“We’re creating new relationships, and we are endeavouring to look at any opportunity that is possible and makes sense, without compromising the quality of our product,” he says. With BWS having built a reputation over decades, it must avoid the siren song of cheaper, imported parts. “Our brands are synonymous with quality, and we have to ensure that we maintain that brand.”

To continue its business flexibility, the company is also expanding its workforce from an unexpected source. After growing tired of attempting to recruit with little to show for it, it sent a human resources representative to the Philippines, where she has recruited approximately forty-five skilled workers who are currently en route to Canada. “We just got tired of waiting and decided to take it into our own hands, and it’s a great opportunity for us, it’s a great opportunity for the immigrants,” MacRae says. “We are growing beyond our BWS and Stargate family.”

As it looks to the future, BWS is also experimenting with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics and how they may be integrated into its business model. Yet while the company sees itself as forward-thinking, MacRae is quick to point out that the company is not out to eliminate jobs. “We’re not looking at robotics or AI systems to replace our workers, only to complement who we have here now,” he says. “Our business is here because of our people. We are here because of the people that work with us and for us.”

With over half a century of experience and a bright future in transcontinental transportation before it, BWS is an exemplary member of Atlantic Canada’s manufacturing economy. Thanks to long experience, a dedicated staff, superior customer service, and an eye toward the future, it will continue its cycle of steady growth. “Our mission is to be the number-one specialty trailer manufacturer in North America,” MacRae says, “and we will get there.”

The post Celebrating 55 Years of Trailer Excellence<p class="company">BWS Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

ESI’s started with humble origins, when it operated “out of a garage,” in the words of Executive Vice President for Customer Experience Robert Day. “It’s grown tremendously since that beginning,” he says. Growth reached a fever pitch with its 2017 purchase by international business machine giant Fellowes.

General Manager for Contract Interiors Todd Holderness notes that ESI’s growth has remained steady thanks to its rock-solid customer focus, seeing itself as filling a necessary—if often overlooked—office role by providing strong yet simple solutions for both its vendors and end customers.

“We’re easy to do business with. We deliver. We do what we say we’re going to do. We ship fast. We create a lot of profit for dealers,” Holderness remarks. “We’re a very profitable line for a dealer.”

This profitability also comes from ESI’s varied lines of ergonomic products, from keyboard trays—the company’s original bread-and-butter—to power solutions, lighting, height-adjustable desks, arms capable of supporting up to six monitors, and more. The wide range of quality products, Day says, is the result of ESI’s collaboration with ESI’s parent company Fellowes and other manufacturers to build a strong team.

“The team… is a highly sophisticated product development team, and that’s part of the evolution that we’ve experienced,” he says.

But a company is only as strong as its workforce, and where ESI truly shines is its intensely customer-focused strategy, which Day only half-jokingly refers to as an “obsession.” The philosophy is all-encompassing from the ground up. “The customer-obsessive model really starts internally,” Day explains. “We have a three-customer model: each other, our reps, and our dealers.”

If ESI’s staff see each other as customers, he reasons, that mindset will eventually extend outside the company. “If it starts at the top and internally, it’s very easy for the dealer to feel it ultimately.” He says that parent company Fellowes also boasts a strongly customer-focused service model, which made ESI’s integration a largely seamless transition. “We were already on the same page, so we didn’t have to start over there.”

Externally, ESI’s customer focus influences every aspect of its operations, with a focus on making transactions as simple as possible through the company’s alliterative maxim of ‘fast, flexible, and friendly.’ Holderness observes that, unlike vendors that favor acquisitions, ESI has instead expanded to meet multiple sectors. This, he explains, has resulted in ESI’s popularity among its regular clients. “We’ve really carved out our niche as the primary solution for that contract-aligned dealer, because of our capabilities.”

A large inventory stockpile capable of filling virtually any order within forty-eight hours, even in today’s supply chain snags, complements this model. According to Holderness, this inventory has contributed to ESI’s continual growth in the face of economic slowdowns. “We’re up significantly, even over last year, from a growth standpoint,” he says, attributing part of the company’s success to having inventory when its competitors have not.

Additionally, ESI is fortunate that, due to its category focus, its products are normally needed towards the end of construction projects, which gives vendors a sense of security. “They can call us up with comfort and know that we’re going to ship something in two days, and it’s going to be there within a week,” Holderness says. “It’s that peace-of-mind solution that we can provide by having all that inventory on hand.”

Naturally, this model may be upset by the onset of hybrid offices, which are rapidly becoming normalized in a COVID-conscious world. Yet, Day says, inventory is shipping faster than ESI’s ability to ship it. Despite the growing popularity of hybrid environments, he and his colleagues see little impact on ESI’s business strategy. “From what we’re seeing, I don’t see the model has changed that much, other than the hybrid,” he says. “I don’t think the office is going away.”

Indeed, since its founding, ESI has deliberately chosen not to embrace the home office market but stick strictly to the office market via contract dealers. Now, despite more offices becoming open-plan to accommodate social distancing rules, the company’s growth is stronger than ever. “It’s reflected in our numbers. We’re up double digits year to date,” says Holderness.

However, the team remains vigilant. Manager of Project Management Ben Hoffman is a key player in ESI’s product development team and says that the company is incorporating the ongoing change into its strategy. “The way that we look at our products, the way that we look at solutions for our customers and end users is definitely affected by what’s happening, and I think it will continue to happen going forward,” he says.

Hoffman and his team continually incorporate client feedback through a tried and tested human-centric approach; far too often ‘ergonomic’ furniture has turned out to be anything but. To avoid falling into this, ESI solicits ongoing feedback from all its potential users—beginning with its staff and moving externally to vendors and clients. “We’re making sure that we’re hitting on all the different touchpoints because everyone has a different viewpoint on how that affects the product,” Hoffman says.

This feedback has resulted in a series of awards, most recently a coveted Red Dot Design Award in 2022 for its Sena series of monitor arms. “We’re highly honored that we were considered for that,” Hoffman states with pride. He and his team view the Sena arms as the ultimate ‘splice’ design, integrating functionality with the latest in ergonomic research.

ESI has managed to cram an amazing amount of features into the arm. Finger-touch adjustability allows incredible ease of use, allowing users to easily transition from sitting to standing. Dual arm with sliders maximize space, and the entire assembly uses a smaller footprint to provide a much larger range of adjustability. “We were trying to integrate functionality with ergonomic excellence,” Hoffman says.

This common design approach is typical of ESI’s products, he explains, and the company’s latest generation of monitor arms follow the same balanced principle. Continuous incorporation of top-to-bottom, internal and external feedback provides the best experience and end product.

“We find that it is a process. It’s very difficult and sometimes time-consuming to go through this process on the front end,” he says, “but we do find that it pays off dividends as we launch these products and we receive the feedback, which is typically been very positive.”

The Sena product family, as well as many other ESI offerings, will soon be available at the company’s planned Design & Experience Center in Chicago’s upscale Fulton Market. Upon its completion in mid-2023, the new showroom will provide a much larger display space than its current showroom.

Day says that the new showroom will allow ESI, as well as its Fellowes sister companies such as Treadway, to increase branding and integration. “It’ll definitely be a big splash for us at Fulton Market in 2023.”

Despite new products, ESI’s attitude towards its dealers and customers is unchanged after over thirty years. More than anything else, it is about the relationships and wanting all parties involved—employees, dealers and customers—to have the best experience possible Day remarks. This, he is sure, will keep ESI moving forward. “It’s a really good value proposition for our customers, for today and in the future. It’s not going away.”

The post Over 30 Years of Excellence<p class="company">ESI</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Vice President Patrick McMahon says that the company has maintained its growth for twenty-five years and is pushing forward into a new era. “We have certainly travelled with the increased demands on EPS, and we have certainly been part of that increased growth through homebuilding,” he says.

Amvic’s story began in 1997 when founder Dr. Victor Amend applied his Ph.D. in building science to the private sector. Steady growth followed, with Amend himself providing much of the fledgling company’s research and development. Today, Amvic operates two plants in Ontario, a third in Calgary, and a licensed production facility in Utah to supply the U.S. market.

As Amvic celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, the company is hardly resting on its laurels. McMahon sums up how the company is celebrating in a single word: “quietly.” He and his colleagues recognize more than ever the issues facing our world today and are always refining what makes Amvic stand out—its innovation, design, customer service, and quality.

“We’re continually evaluating what we do and raising the bar to be better,” he says, adding that Amvic is committed to creating and manufacturing products that improve comfort, quality, resilience and performance; we do it every day,” proud to have bettered the well-being of anyone who has used its products in their buildings. “It’s been a quiet celebration for the company but, that said, it’s also one of great pride.”

As part of its ongoing product development, Amvic is offering two new products to help its clients and end-users increase the quality, efficiency and sustainability of their building envelopes. The additions of Envirostrap and Amrad will further raise Amvic’s ability to offer versatile building envelope improvements at manageable costs.

Envirostrap combines the insulation of EPS with the support of two integrated plywood furring strips. These deliver a dual solution, incorporating both insulation and finish attachment surfaces and are applicable in both above grade and below grade interior applications. The furring strips can either protrude from the foam surface or be fully recessed within it, for exterior cladding installation.

Amvic’s newest development is Amrad, insulation paneling designed to mitigate and remove radon gas. Amrad replaces the need for 4” (102mm) gravel and a dedicated soil gas retarding membrane. This panelized solution with its unique channel design, void percentage, film and foam density creates a strong and durable panel, giving builders the ability to build an insulated concrete slab while meeting radon building code requirements and improving the interior air quality for the occupants.

The panel is 48×48” (1219x1219mm), molded from high-density, closed-cell, Type II EPS insulation. Amrad comes as a 3.5” (89mm) thick panel at R12 (RSI 2.11) and is also available in 4.5” (114mm), R16 (RSI 2.82) panel.

McMahon notes that these products, like many in Amvic’s lineup, reflect the company’s goal of improving the building envelope. “When you look at all the components of our products, they’ll all have a degree of enhancing that envelope, one way or the other,” he says. “Comfort, quiet, safe, energy-efficient and responsible, resilient to weather extremes.”

To ensure adequate production levels, and that costs remain manageable for end-users, which is more important than ever in today’s economy, Amvic is investing in automation. This evolution has been in two distinct parts: firstly, and more visibly, is robotic manufacturing equipment to accelerate and enhance production.

Secondly—and more behind-the-scenes—is Amvic’s investment into automation software to aid in all company operations, from warehousing management to lead management to communications with customers. In McMahon’s words, “these investments increase Amvic’s productivity, quality, and business intelligence, improving our customers’ experience working with us. We want to make sure we are able to improve our efficiency so we can improve our costs and provide a better product to the marketplace,” he says. “We also want to ensure that we are accurate, so the degree of accuracy is important to us.”

Additionally, Amvic advances its shipping and receiving processes, essential in an era of supply chain snags, with more of its product coming and going from its plants. “How do we streamline that process?” he asks rhetorically. “How do we take away time delays wherever we can? How do we move product in and out of our plant in an expedient manner?”

While more recent months have offered expansion opportunities to add new distributors, McMahon cautions that it is easy to be overstretched and not be able to provide the same level of service. “At the end of the day, you can only take on so much demand, and you only have access to so much raw material,” he says. “Focus on your current customer as they will be the ones with you for the long term.”

This commitment to quality reflects the company’s history as a company focused on innovation and design. McMahon says that, “in reality, we design exceptional products, then we had to become an excellent manufacturer to ensure the quality and supply chain were in our control. We became a manufacturer to support our products, our innovation.”

Finally, he notes the paramount importance of a strong communications policy and strategy. “Communication is more than just a greeting, more than just celebrating the wins,” he remarks. “Communication is being able to have tough conversations, to be truthful, mindful, and empathetic to those around you.”

Forged during the tough days of COVID, he relates that Amvic’s communication strategy evolved to not assuage staff with vague promises but to lay out the occasionally unpleasant truth, get ahead of the curve, be straight, be honest. “For us, communication was really critical, and the company put a lot of focus and a lot of discipline around that.”

As Amvic celebrates twenty-five years, McMahon retains a quiet pride in the accomplishments of his colleagues. “If I’m going to celebrate anything on our twenty-fifth anniversary, it’s the fact that our people put customers and other employees first; they are focused on not disappointing those that have always supported us. The dedication, perseverance, and resilience of the staff has been amazing. This is worth celebrating.”

He expresses confidence that Amvic’s ongoing commitment to quality over market penetration will continue to drive growth above all else, and give good returns. “People like our product, they like the design,” he says. “That has created significant growth for this company over the last twenty-five years, and it will continue.”

The post Pushing the Envelope of Building Envelopes<p class="company">Amvic Building System</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

A respected local industry player that’s close to this problem is Urchin Property Management Incorporated (UPMI), a member of the strong local industry body, Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia (IPOANS), and one of the voices bringing clarity to the issue.

Nova Scotia is still among the country’s hottest markets, with its capital Halifax now the country’s fastest-growing city. Growth in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), comprising Halifax and its surrounding communities, has been steadily accelerating for over six years despite the pandemic, with the province celebrating its one millionth resident in December 2021.

Yet this rapid growth has outpaced capacity, which is further stretched by the rising costs of energy, building materials and labour. With inflation simultaneously on the rise at generation-high levels, costs are going up for everyone.

To compensate, the provincial government has launched an ambitious campaign to ensure steady growth and prevent a recession.

Raising the industry’s voice

According to property owners, however, the government is attempting to apply a one-size-fits-all fix across all communities, large and small. They claim such a strategy is short-sighted at best and draconian at worst.

As a result and concerned that rental property businesses are not being consulted, a group of property owners is working through IPOANS to ensure their voices are heard.

Since 1978, IPOANS has been representing the interests of these member businesses. One such is UPMI.

From UPMI’s headquarters in Dartmouth, just across the harbour from Halifax, Ursula Prossegger now owns and manages the company her father Roger, who emigrated from Germany in the late 60s, started in the 1980s. “It’s rooted in our ancestry,” she says, and she hopes that her own daughter, who works alongside her, will too someday run the family business.

From humble beginnings, UPMI now boasts a portfolio of 480 apartments, 66,000 square feet of office and retail space, and over 150 parking spaces in the HRM. The company manages both family properties and those of other clients, just as founder Roger did decades before.

UPMI – locally rooted

Like many IPOANS members, UPMI is much smaller than national giants such as Killam REIT. With this smaller size comes better personal local knowledge for Prossegger and her colleagues and a close association with their tenants.

Prossegger argues that the generational ownership also enhances relationships. “This enables reliability, consistency and high level of trust with our clients and tenants because there’s no real change in the point of contact.”

Thanks to UPMI’s profile as both a property owner and manager, she says, it is uniquely qualified to gauge the market. “Being property owners on one hand and managers on the other, I feel like we’re really aware of all the challenges that come with running properties.”

Further, she points out that the company’s medium size allows it the flexibility to react fluidly to challenges, while still addressing administration, maintenance, and leasing. “My clients can be as hands-on or hands-off as they choose.”

Yet in recent years, UPMI and its peers in rental property management have become targets of what Prossegger and her colleagues see as misguided abuse. With the double hit of rising living costs coupled with inflation, she, and the other members of IPOANS feel they’ve had no choice but to raise their own rates to stay afloat.

She argues that, contrary to popular sentiment, rental property owners are not responsible for rising rents. “Actually, property owners cannot influence or control, or minimally control, most of the costs that impact rental properties”.

As Prossegger points out, most of the costs associated with maintaining rental properties – utilities, insurance, interest rates, taxes – are externally controlled and imposed. The notion that rental housing providers “can do whatever they please, whenever they please,” is simply a myth.

The public, she argues, has no idea of the breadth and depth of codes, regulations, and bylaws that must be followed. “It’s not as easy to do whatever you please as media and government and tenant-based organizations think,” she says.

Bearing the brunt

Prossegger recalls how, in the darkest days of the pandemic and even now, she and her colleagues bore the brunt of societal frustration. “Every other night, we were getting slammed in the media as ‘slumlords,’” she says. She recalls how her colleagues originally balked at a public response. “Our industry is not a glamorous one, and most of us do not relish the spotlight for the fear of more negative publicity or aggression.”

In her real day-to-day life, in the place of this insulting ‘slumlord’ label, Prossegger sees herself as a ‘parent’ – perhaps an oversimplified metaphor, she admits.

“We just want to apply landlord rules consistently and fairly to all tenants. As a rental housing provider, I’m responsible for more than just myself and my micro-environment. I make difficult decisions every day, where I must consider the consequences of the decisions and how they’ll affect the property, the building, and all the residents,” she says.

This, in her view, is quite like parenting: A property owner is responsible for the welfare of their tenants and integrity of the infrastructure, levels of responsibility the public cannot possibly understand.

“When you’re a parent, what kind of decisions you make changes from when you were in a household without children,” she says. “You have to make decisions for your entire household, not just ‘what’s good for me’ or ‘what’s good for the other person.’ You’re constantly making decisions that are not popular, but the best decisions for the household as a whole.”

It is this disconnect with the public, and the years of being vilified on popular platforms, that has sparked Prossegger and others to put their case. While UPMI has traditionally relied on word-of-mouth for its marketing, Prossegger is now speaking out about IPOANS and UPMI’s role within it.

“We are working with IPOANS to educate the government, non-profit organizations, tenant organizations and related stakeholders on what our industry really represents, who we are, and what challenges we face,” she says. “We believe we can all work together to develop and promote a healthy, cooperative relationship between property owners, rental housing providers and tenants by installing regulations and guidelines that are fair and just for both parties.”

Harnessing IPOANS

As an advocacy agency, IPOANS also not only represents property owners’ interests but also assembles feedback from members and presents the current views and information to external stakeholders.

In the view of Prossegger and her colleagues, IPOANS is the natural private sector group to help form a public-private coalition to address Nova Scotia’s housing crisis. “No one understands the problems and challenges better than the people who house thousands of Nova Scotians each month,” she says. “IPOANS speaks for our members and can be a force for good, if the government will ask and if they will listen.”

Further, IPOANS represents all areas of Nova Scotia, not just the Halifax area. Therefore, Prossegger argues, it is ideally placed to help the provincial government craft a strategy that can be suited to communities both large and small.

“By being closest to the market, the property owners are ideally situated to provide the recommendations that will make a difference with the shortest delay,” she says. “IPOANS represents property owners all over NS, and with their cooperation, can help end this crisis.”

Only through cooperation, she says, can the government hope to craft a strategy to satisfy both tenants and property owners. As she puts it, IPOANS simply wants its voice to be heard moving forward. “All we are asking for is to be a part of the solution by being asked to the table to help forge solutions that will work.”

The solution is in supply

Yet this solution will take more than cooperation. From an economic perspective, she argues, the only factor that will solve the housing crisis is an increase in supply.

Pandemic-induced rent caps are not alleviating the shortage, and IPOANS argues that these are in fact diminishing their ability to maintain their properties. Only if the economic cooperation works in favour of rental housing providers and builders can the supply increase, she says. “IPOANS can help the government ensure more units are built by setting the climate for property investment.”

As Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada continue to struggle with a constantly changing economic landscape, a cooperative public-private coalition is essential to addressing the housing shortfall and rising costs.

Through the actions of IPOANS, and members such as UPMI, property owners can make their voices heard and contribute to the discussion and ensure every resident has a safe place to live, securing a stable housing future as we move into the post-pandemic era.

The post The Fight for Affordable Canadian Housing<p class="company">Urchin Property Management Incorporated (UPMI)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Ben Lamb, 1Berkshire’s Director of Economic Development, remarks how many saw the Berkshires as a safe refuge during the pandemic, especially for its lush outdoor space. This natural beauty, he observes, has both boosted the area’s growth and continued to support its many artistic programs.

“There’s been a really big appetite for all of the offerings that our arts and cultural scene has historically had, and I think that the motivations to access those things is as high, if not higher than it was coming into the pandemic,” he says.

He notes that the Berkshires was seeing major development leading into the pandemic and that growth is now resuming. “2019 was a banner year for the Berkshires,” he says, “and I see us getting back into that pace in fairly short order.”

Since 2016, 1Berkshire has consolidated the interests of the Berkshire Economic Development Corporation, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire Visitors Bureau, and Berkshire Creative into a singular organization that embodies the goals of those entities and creates new layers of high-impact synergy to positively impact the Berkshires. In this evolving industry landscape, 1Berkshire’s goals through its work with the Tech Impact Collaborative are to develop the Berkshires as an inclusive tech economy ecosystem and bolster a rural innovation hub identity in the region.

As the pandemic has decisively proven the feasibility of remote work in many technology jobs, Lamb and his team are taking advantage of the Berkshires’ lower cost of living, quality of life, natural beauty, and proximity to larger metropolitan areas like Boston and New York City to bring in entrepreneurs and innovators.

Perhaps the largest driving force behind this new growth is the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC). Opening just before pandemic shutdowns in late February 2020, the BIC has thrived and consolidated the interests of many local business owners to provide a common space to strategize, and as restrictions ease, growth is continuing to accelerate. “Over the last six weeks, it’s been amazing to see the place re-activated with bigger groups,” states Executive Director Ben Sosne. The BIC is also countering the workforce crisis with educational programs, giving workers the skills they need to succeed in the modern economy.

These educational programs are taking a particular interest in the next generation. The BIC’s BeTA program ushers youth into a pipeline of innovation, placing them into internships and shadowing opportunities. “This program, through and during the pandemic, has been this crucial gravitational point that continues to grow and change, and I think we’re going to see more of that as we go forward,” says Lamb.

The program aims to give local students the skills they need to remain closer to home, developing their career path in the Berkshires, rather than heading for larger cities. Other educational programs are geared toward the later career workforce, as retirement ages increase and workers want their skills to remain relevant.

Additionally, 1Berkshire and the BIC are capitalizing on Massachusetts’ leadership position in technology jobs. Sosne says that the drive and talent among its residents were already there—all that was needed was space. “By creating a physical hub for these companies, it allows us to interact with these agencies in a way that they’re more effective,” he says.

This technology leadership continues through state support, as federal and state funding are now supporting educational programs and hiring incentives. The state government is recognizing rural equity and increasing funding to more rural areas, and the Berkshires is the most rural area in Massachusetts. These programs will allow area businesses to offset operational costs through green energy investments like state-subsidized solar panels, or gain hiring incentives through salary subsidization.

A new red tape-cutting measure, the Community One Stop for Growth, amalgamates twelve grant programs into a single application pipeline. “That allows us to work with businesses, potential businesses, developers, and agency partners to apply for the best chance of getting those resources into their hands so they can be immediately put into action,” Lamb says.

This support is helping to drive the spirit of partnership even further. “We’ll talk about who we’ll bring around a table like it’s nothing, like it’s second nature,” Lamb says, mentioning the ease to bring together college professors, local delegates, non-profits and state agencies. “It’s not an afterthought to bring these agencies together. They’re already there.”

This cooperative mindset helped the region weather the worst of the pandemic and is continuing to inform 1Berkshire’s decisions. “We’re actually working as an organic, interconnected beast, if you were, toward that collective impact approach to economic development and innovation as it applies to the regional economy,” Lamb says.

The result of these efforts is a thriving digital entrepreneurial community in life sciences, aerospace, financial technology, and other sectors. 1Berkshire’s Berkshire Blueprint 2.0 outlines new developments in advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare, as well as enhancing the region’s hospitality and tourism. “Every corner you look around, innovation and entrepreneurship are happening, and that’s really exciting,” Sosne says.

This work catalyzed the bold development of the Tech Impact Collaborative. Since late 2020, it has provided a common space to develop opportunities for technology innovation in a rural network. Through cooperation with The Center on Rural Innovation, the collaborative continues to begin developing new opportunities, particularly focusing on inclusive programming that supports people of color, immigrants, and the formerly incarcerated. Communication with the business community ensures steady growth and that the organization remains cognizant of the rapidly changing needs of modern business.

Lamb says the Collaborative is the culmination of years of planning and work. “This is that next big step for us: to be able to really scale our digital ecosystem here so that we are advancing as fast as, if not faster than, the rest of the Commonwealth,” he says. Sosne says that as both the BIC and the Berkshires as a region have both grown, some work involves stepping back and assessing the region’s strength, particularly in its proximity to other metropolitan areas across New England and the Northeast.

He places his faith in its talented residents and readily repurposed infrastructure, thanks to the Berkshires’ industrial past. “These are huge assets that we bring to the table,” he says, “and we want to be right out in front of that. We really think that there’s a lot of potential here, and we’re excited to double down and do it in a coordinated, strategic way.”

This strategy of recruitment and retention will hopefully help keep the cost of living manageable as the Berkshires continues to grow. 1Berkshire operates a job site, offering only opportunities with salaries of $40,000 or higher or their hourly equivalents, and Lamb relates that it is bringing in new applicants. “That’s been extremely successful over the past three years. We’re actually growing the system right now. It’s going to have a big bump in the next couple of months.”

1Berkshire is also being proactive in focusing attention toward civic essentials like affordable housing, schools, and transportation. A recent housing strategy has outlined sixty actions to ensure families can still call the Berkshires home. As a result of this, 1Berkshire can continue to focus the area’s resources and major players to guarantee a united vision and approach.

In Lamb’s view, it is an obvious choice. “We know that we need to be doing those things in order for everyone to be pulling on the rope in the same direction,” he says. 1Berkshire is also a strong advocate of Massachusetts’ West-East Passenger Rail, which aims to bring high-speed rail to link Boston to Pittsfield, in the Berkshires. As the Berkshires area connects to three other states, this would further aid the region’s development.

The main development organizations of 1Berkshire and the BIC are leading the Berkshires into a bright future as the region continues to grow. Its history of teamwork brings decisive action followed by measurable results. “We’re able to get around the table together, brainstorm together, and then act and take tactical approaches to making things happen,” Lamb says, commenting on the stereotype of arduous government studies sitting on shelves with no further action. “In the Berkshires, that’s never going to be the case as long as 1Berkshire is involved.”

He says that the Berkshires has firmly formed its identity as a new digital economy, and it is just getting started. “Whether it’s this year or next year, this identity of the Berkshires becoming a true home for innovation and center of gravity in a rural space is going to be a narrative that you hear more about, because it’s something that we’ve identified as a capacity to grow into, and we see the assets and the gaps and how we’re going to fill them,” he says. “We’re charging full speed ahead, in that respect.”

The post A Growing Digital Innovation Hub in the Heart of New England<p class="company">1Berkshire and the Berkshire Innovation Center</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Founder and President Brad Moline reflects on ALLO’s approaching twentieth anniversary, recalling how ALLO rose from humble beginnings. “When we started, I was focused on voice lines,” he says. But in those early days, ALLO’s sales pitch was an uphill battle. “We needed to offer internet, but convincing people that fiber and Layer 2 services were better than TDM circuits and T1 lines back in 2004 and 2005… it’s obviously changed pretty dramatically,” Moline remarks.

Despite initial challenges, expansion proved steady thanks to ALLO’s products and exemplary customer service, and the company expanded from business networks to residential offerings in 2011. A further turning point came in 2015, when the company was acquired by Lincoln-based financial services provider, Nelnet, ensuring a steady stream of both business and financial support. Since then, ALLO has expanded across the Cornhusker State to new horizons in Colorado and Arizona.

As ALLO has grown steadily, its employee numbers have also grown to accommodate the expansion. “When we started, I never thought we would have more than fifty associates,” Moline recalls. “We’re quickly approaching eight hundred right now.” Extensive training and robust benefits packages ensure new hires see the company as a long-term, stable career. He says ALLO views its employees less as a resource and more as an achievement. “We’ve had a philosophy, for a few years, that we need to compete just as hard for teammates as we do for our customers,” he says. “We’ve moved a long way toward that end.”

Moline notes that employees are attracted by the company’s benefits and steady salaries, and the prospect of building and creating something tangible. “It’s really rewarding to look at a community and say, ‘Yeah, we did this,’” he says. “People want to work for a company that does that and believes in their communities and teammates.”

ALLO works closely with local two- and four-year colleges, providing work placement and internship programs that ensure a steady stream of qualified graduates. This opportunity contributes further to the company’s goal of long-term staff. “When somebody joins ALLO, we really want them here for the ten and fifteen-year anniversaries,” Moline says.

These staff members continue to serve their communities as part of ALLO’s business model. The company has implemented a highly localized customer service system, ensuring that employees are customers’ friends and neighbors. This ensures familiarity with client regions and creates a decentralized corporate structure that gives client communities high degrees of autonomy. A large community like Lincoln naturally differs from a smaller town like neighboring Seward, but ALLO successfully serves both.

In its most recent expansion, ALLO announced new 10-gigabit bandwidth projects in five Nebraska communities, bringing the total projects in its home state to twenty-one upon their completion in 2022. These will provide 10 gigabits of speed in both uploading and downloading content, as well as data transport, video, voice, phone systems, and redundant connectivity to leading cloud storage providers.

These communities reflect ALLO’s commitment to building Gigabit Societies rather than mere networks. As their name implies, these Societies connect homes and businesses to create new digital communities. Moline says that faster internet increases connection speeds and changes how societies operate. As so many activities moved online with the onset of the pandemic, providing fast, stable service without traditional industry impediments such as data caps is proving essential.

As our lives continue to be online-focused, ALLO is working to turn internet connection from a luxury to a utility for all. “You don’t think about getting enough connectivity, you just try to figure out how you can use it,” Moline observes. “You almost take it for granted, much like you do with water or electricity—any other utility.”

Although traditional ISPs have usually given consumers slightly less than they need, ALLO is looking to create a new connectivity standard for the modern world. “To me, a Gigabit Society means you have all you need. You have all the connectivity with the Cloud, and you get to figure out how to use it,” he says.

To Moline and ALLO, fiber-based Gigabit Societies represent the future of modern telecommunications, and the pandemic has been the proof that cable and DSL internet services are not enough anymore. “It’s not future-proof,” he explains simply. He believes the market has spoken, as fiber networks step up to relieve overburdened infrastructure. “COVID moved the fiber business model up, probably three or four years, and I think we’re seeing that with the enormous investments in infrastructure funds, other private investments, as well as the governmental investment in fiber.”

While ALLO can provide Gigabit Societies in smaller and mid-size towns, larger cities present a greater challenge. However, more public-private partnerships are springing up throughout the United States, representing the next major change in American technological development. Moline compares it to the building of the first electrical grids in the late nineteenth century—a project of equal scope, requiring equally sizable investments.

In his view, ALLO will handle the mid-size projects, with larger metropolitan areas requiring more investment. “The last two pieces will be the metro areas and the very rural areas, and they’ll come along,” he says. “I personally feel, by 2025, there aren’t going to be many markets that aren’t either fully constructed or under construction, from rural to metro.”

Moline has high hopes for these projects despite current shortages across the international supply chain. Due to his decades of business experience, he takes the long view despite comments about the ‘unprecedented times’ in which we live. “This is the meaningful fourth business cycle I’ve been through,” he says, and he has used this experience to plan ahead.

“More than a year ago, we began ordering equipment and materials for 2022,” he says, further estimating all orders are filled for 2023 as well. This preparation, like ALLO’s customer service, comes down to building good relationships with clients. “That’s part of being a good partner with our vendors. They should know our expectations and demands in order to fulfill them quickly and efficiently.”

With short-term challenges solved, Moline and his colleagues are looking for long-term solutions. ALLO represents an evolution in the ISP field, yet it too must look to future trends to remain competitive. “The industry has evolved, so the challenges have evolved, and our leadership has evolved,” Moline remarks. “We’re always saying, ‘Is that a thirty-year solution?’” He notes that the company’s innovations are increasing the ‘thirty-year solution’ to fifty years, as it is building infrastructure networks built to stand the test of time.

Despite its strong, local-focused networks and highly personalized customer service, leadership resists the lure of expanding beyond the company’s capabilities. “We’re not trying to dominate the world,” Moline says, but instead be meaningful to smaller communities in a small number of states. “I think that helps keep you grounded and keep you focused on not just the thirty-year strategy but the tasks that are necessary for the next several years.”

As ALLO continues to look ahead, it is applying its experience in building large and small fiber networks into Gigabit Societies. Moline points out that successful business practices outweigh technological advances. “There will be different technologies, but we don’t need to bet on the future,” he remarks. “We connect people, and we enable them to live, work, and play. If you look at it from that simplistic situation, you make the right decisions three, four, five years ahead.”

No one can truly know the next big leap in telecom innovation, but ALLO aims to be a part of it through its practices and networks. “If you provide a service that meets the needs and values of the customer, charge a fair price, and create a hassle-free experience, everything kind of works out,” Moline says. “If you focus on that, the future will take care of itself.”

The post Building the Connected Community<p class="company">ALLO Communications</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.