Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1385297
J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 55 Eastern Construction Company Celebrating 70 Years by ROBIN BRUNET | photography courtesy EASTERN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY I n terms of attitude, the construction com- munity falls into two camps: companies that actively maintain a high profile, and those who prefer to focus exclusively on the work. Eastern Construction Company is def- initely of the latter persuasion. Over the decades its management team has let the work speak for itself, and it speaks volumes. Eastern's portfolio ranges from Roy Thomson Hall and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre South expansion to the Windsor Casino and the Daphne Cockwell Complex at Ryerson University – with innumerable other projects that have helped evolve the skylines of home-base Toronto and neighbour- ing regions. But as Eastern marks its 70th anniversary this year, having completed over 800 projects and with business brisker than ever, president and CEO Bryan Arnold finds himself reflecting on his com- pany's success, as well as identifying the traits that have informed its trajectory. He says, "If I had to summarize our character, I would repeat a description someone once gave me: 'You're a mid-sized company, like a middleweight boxer who punches above his weight.'" Arnold pauses to consider the analogy: "It's pretty accurate. Every day we go toe-to-toe with the EllisDons and PCLs of the world. But we're not so big that we can't go toe-to-toe with the smaller guys either." Eastern Construction Company Eatons Department Store, Eatons Centre, Toronto, ON. Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, ON.