In business for decades, IWCD, as the company is popularly known, continues to live up to its motto: Building Trust Since 1986. Back in the 80s, Greg Constable was working as a framer when he started the business. Small, single-family home projects very well executed saw Constable attract the interest of developers, and the reputation he acquired for quality and timely delivery opened other avenues, such as strip malls and other commercial contracting work.

Making inroads with auto dealers on Vancouver Island also led from one job to another, and another, with a sizeable portion of IWCD’s work today involving construction of automotive dealerships.

“There is definitely a learning curve that comes along with constructing automotive dealerships. They are not as straightforward as a typical commercial build; however, over the many years of designing and building them, we have them dialed in pretty well now,” says Patrick Brandreth, Vice President and an owner of the family-operated business.

Superior services
Growing over the years, IWCD’s expertise and experience are integral to the success of its many projects, including commercial, light industrial, multi-residential, automotive construction, and seniors housing. Setting itself apart from the competition, IWCD’s wide-ranging capabilities include full-service construction management, design-build, pre-construction, civil construction, tenant improvements, and tilt-up construction.

“We are a very diversified company,” says Brandreth. “Our portfolio is fairly well-balanced between multi-residential, commercial, light industrial, and automotive which I think is important given we operate in a relatively limited marketplace, being that of Vancouver Island.”

Vancouver Island is known for its many dealerships, representing the world’s best-known automobile brands, and many of these locations are updated or even rebuilt every 10 to 15 years. The company has learned a great deal from its many car dealership projects, with IWCD’s design-build service and pre-construction division having initially developed out of that work.

“We put a lot of focus and effort into our pre-construction and design-build services. We find this particular project delivery method serves our client best and ultimately it’s what paves the way for a much smoother execution of construction,” says Brandreth.

Multi-residential growth
Over the years, IWCD has continuously adapted to meet current project needs, beginning when the cost of a single-family house on Vancouver Island was low and multi-residential developments made less sense. All that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic hit, many lower mainland residents shifted to working at home. Tiring of long commutes, people started migrating to Vancouver Island, seeking a better work-life balance. In just a few years, a building boom on the island saw multi-residential projects take off, with IWCD becoming a leader.

“Multi-residential is probably the biggest sector we’ve had to gear up for,” says Brandreth of IWCD, which was a commercial general contracting company a decade ago, building warehouses, strip malls, commercial buildings, automotive, hospitals, airports, and similar works.

Fueled by a desire to reinvent itself and compete in this market, IWCD began by hiring people with strong experience in this sector and as a result, was able to secure the work and strengthen its multi-residential portfolio, growing it substantially in the past three years.

In addition, a shortage of light industrial space on Vancouver Island in recent years has seen developers working with districts to re-zone parcels of land to the appropriate zoning to accommodate light industrial, which opened up another growth area for IWCD.

Industry leaders
About 20 years ago, IWCD became one of the first companies on Vancouver Island to get heavily involved on the front end of planning their clients’ projects, handling design, budgeting, municipal approvals, and more. “Nobody was doing that at the time 20 years ago,” says Brandreth. “No one was doing design-build.”

Having a strong pre-construction division and becoming involved early on in the project’s life cycle has many benefits for IWCD’s clients, such as cost control, early procurement of building materials, a higher level of coordination, and better solutions when it comes to constructability. Brandreth notes that in order to add real value for your client, you need to have your pre-construction division properly structured and have the right people leading the charge, which is not something that happens overnight.

“If you are not properly set up internally for the design-build process and you don’t have the right people steering the ship, you’re just not going to be successful’ it’s that simple,” he says. “Ultimately it’s your client who is going to feel the repercussions of that inexperience when it comes time to construction.”

Keeping concrete tilt construction in-house
With over 36 years in the business, IWCD has gained a wealth of experience that can be leveraged from one project to another, for the benefit of the client. One of those skill sets specifically that has really given IWCD a competitive edge is its ability to self-perform concrete tilt construction.

“We have a real niche for concrete work,” says Brandreth. “Specifically when it comes to concrete tilt, it has always been one of the specialties that we self-perform in-house.”

IWCD’s ability to cast its own panels on site and tilt them in place eliminates the need to purchase pre-cast concrete panels from third party suppliers. Therefore, the company is able to pass these savings on to its clients while at the same time having more control over the construction schedule and finished product quality.

“It was through our automotive projects where we gained so much concrete tilt experience,” says Brandreth. “Now we are benefitting from that experience because a lot of light industrial buildings are being constructed in concrete due to the price of steel.”

Award-winning
Although 2022 presented its challenges for IWCD, from supply chain issues to labour shortages and rising inflation, it also proved to be one of the company’s best years on record, and 2023 is on track for further growth.

Distinguished as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the past seven years, with Platinum Club Status as one of the nation’s best, IWCD’s biggest asset is its people, says Brandreth.

A family-owned company from the start, IWCD has grown considerably over the past decade, yet the foundation of its culture remains strong. Staff are not ‘numbers’ as happens so often at with other companies.

“With all of our employees, whether junior or senior, they have to be open-minded, have a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic,” he says. “It’s equally important they fit our culture here as well; culture is big within our organization.” Being well-respected amongst the industry and offering generous remuneration packages have earned the company much appreciation and outstanding staff retention.

Working with the benefit of the company’s open-door policy, team members are free to bounce ideas off one another, and learn continually and from one another; an inquisitive attitude is always encouraged.

“Something I always tell new hires, whether senior, mid-level, or junior, is to ask questions. Nobody knows everything in this business. Don’t be too proud to ask questions. If there’s something you don’t know, ask the question, it’s as simple as that… And don’t oversell yourself. Your abilities will speak for themselves once you get the position and we will make sure you are properly compensated.”

For those considering building on Vancouver Island, IWCD is the go-to company. With its focus on pre-construction services and longstanding trade relationships, IWCD has an impressive history and successful track record over many types of projects.

“What differentiates us is our experience on the front end of these projects,” says Brandreth. “That’s where the real value is created and in my opinion that’s what differentiates a successful project from one that is not, both in the eyes of the builder and the owner.”

The post Proof that Building on Experience Builds Trust<p class="company">IWCD</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Coming to Canada from his home in Yugoslavia as a teen, the young Arpi worked in Alberta’s oil patch, later earning his sheet metal ticket. With an entrepreneurial spirit, he started Arpi’s Heating, servicing Calgary-area homes and businesses. Word spread quickly about Arpi’s professionalism, earning him more and more satisfied customers.

Today, the modest company he started back in 1963 has grown into one of Canada’s biggest and most respected full-service mechanical contractors, with hundreds of employees. The company serves customers predominantly in Calgary and surrounding areas.

Under the experienced leadership of Arpi’s daughter Julie, who serves as President, family-owned Arpi’s Industries provides heating and air conditioning services, along with plumbing and ventilation solutions on projects.

Ahead of its time
Arpi’s keeps up with the latest technologies in the market for the benefit of all its clients and projects. The company is active at trade shows and works directly with many manufacturers and suppliers.

Arpi’s residential business includes HVAC and plumbing installations for the homebuilder market as well as maintenance / repair / replacement of equipment for homeowners. This breadth across the residential market supports Arpi’s training program for the most experienced and multi-faceted technicians in the industry.

“On the commercial plumbing side, I, together with our Construction Manager for the department, and all of our Project Managers, have Gold Seal Certification, which is accredited throughout Canada,” he says.

Administered by the Canadian Construction Association, the Certification assures construction management that these professionals have undertaken training and continual skills development to achieve the highest standards of industry excellence. “We encourage that our staff become Gold Seal Certified, because it shows we invest in extracurricular training and our people have as much technical education as possible.”

Investing in solutions
At Arpi’s Industries, one of the company’s biggest advantages is its range of capabilities. Situated on nine acres in South East Calgary since 1980, Arpi’s brings three major commercial components to the company: a commercial sheet-metal fabrication shop, a fabrication shop for piping, and a material handling shop.

Taking on large jobs for years, Arpi’s has grown even more since Julie became President in 2000, increasing the company’s volume and size of projects.

“Her vision of putting the right people in the right place has moved the company to the next level,” says Morrison, who started with the company 19 years ago as an apprentice and worked his way up to building information modelling and senior estimator before becoming business development manager. “From the shoulders of her dad, she’s lifted the company to the next level.”

One of Arpi’s greatest assets is its 20,000-square-foot commercial sheet metal shop. Complete with over $5 million of shop machinery and tools including a full coil duct machine, spiral machine and plasma table, Arpi’s makes all its own ventilation and sheet metal items and can process over two and a half million pounds of sheet metal annually.

The company’s well-stocked material handling shop carries a large supply of pipe, fittings, valves, and hangers, ensuring the company is not dependent on suppliers when products are needed, which has proved invaluable during the COVID era. Additionally, Arpi’s 7,000-square-foot fabrication shop includes two 5-ton overhead cranes, three welding stations, and two grooving stations able to produce 700 weld / groove inches of fabrication per day.

Range of services
At Arpi’s Industries, size and experience count. Along with residential and commercial services and mechanical contracting, the company takes on large-scale projects with homebuilders and contractors. “People that are familiar with one part of our business are often very surprised to learn about the other areas we operate in,” says Morrison. Across the entire, diverse business, projects may be as small as a hot water tank replacement for a residential customer, or as massive as Calgary’s BMO Centre Expansion.

Serving as the city’s go-to venue for trade shows, conferences, and meetings for 40 years, the BMO Centre is undergoing a $500 million expansion, and Arpi’s is playing a key role in the upgrades as the prime mechanical contractor. The massive project will see the centre’s total floor space increased by more than one million square feet, including 250,000 square feet of contiguous floor space.

The BMO Centre Expansion is a vast, well-publicized project for the business (although not the largest in its 60-year history). “It’s a significant expansion,” says Morrison.

Arpi’s teams are handling plumbing, Hydronics, HVAC, and all ducting. They are also responsible for the BMS (building management systems) contractor, sprinkler contractor, and mechanical installation contractor, with all mechanical elements falling under their umbrella.

The right stuff
From residential home installs to massive convention centres, Arpi’s requires not only an experienced team but dedication and the right mindset.

“We look for people who want to be here and are willing to learn and be engaged,” says Morrison, “and it will only be a matter of time before they overtake someone who has the initial technical expertise but doesn’t really care or want to be here.” The right attitude goes a long way in fulfilling career and personal goals at Arpi’s.

Arpi’s staff includes ticketed Red Seal plumbers, pipefitters, refrigeration technicians, and sheet-metal workers. For the company, that ticket is an endorsement and shows that workers have the knowledge and skill set to practice their trades. Working only with indentured apprentices, Arpi’s stands behind employees entering the trades, encouraging them to get their apprenticeship and ticket, go to school, and finish their certification. Arpi’s staff are actively engaged with SAIT apprenticeship programs, with some participating as curriculum advisors, Board Members, and assisting instructors.

Internally, Arpi’s is known as a great place to work, with many employees recognizing 20, 30 and 40+ years of service to the company. Externally, the company receives both praise from customers and industry awards. Just a few include the 2021 Platinum Club Winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, the HomeStars ‘Best of’ Award for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, and a 15-time winner of the Dave Lennox Award.

As a residential leader in the industry, the company continues to provide clients with the best warranties, competitive prices, 24/7 emergency services, and a labour guarantee.

As for the 60^th anniversary of the company, plans are still in the works, says Morrison, adding that there will likely be a modest grassroots celebration in late spring or early summer. “We are the same company, just with more people than we had 60 years ago, doing the best we can and getting through COVID and all the ups and downs of the last two years,” he shares.

“There won’t be fireworks or anything like that; we will be recognizing long-term staff and showing appreciation to our staff.”

Arpi’s may have grown a lot since it was founded in 1963, but its family values remain, which is more important today than ever before. “In the world of globalization, outsourcing, and overseas everything, we believe in doing things in-house,” says Morrison, “and that translates into those we hire.”

Arpi’s retains a lot of local people. “We genuinely give people careers and, in turn, we hope we do a great job for them. People here aren’t treated like numbers, and that is becoming more and more important as we come out of COVID,” says Morrison. “We want to maintain—and we do maintain—that grassroots, local contractor feel that there is an actual person at the other end of the phone. It’s all about relationships.”

The post Finding Success With Family Values<p class="company">Arpi’s Industries Ltd.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.