Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1385297
J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 57 Eastern Construction Company Frank DeCaria, chairman at Eastern and former president and CEO, believes his company being 100 percent employee-owned has contributed signifi- cantly to its success. "When I joined in 1978, Eastern was driven by a entrepreneurial spirit, and that spirit is very strong today," he says. "Then as now, senior people took new talent under their wing and mentored them. Also then as now, we were proud of our core values of integrity and professionalism in all of our business dealings." Dean Walker, executive vice president who joined Eastern 16 years ago, adds that the company's mid-range size provides another important benefit. "The door of senior management is always open," he says. "We not only know everyone's names, we know who they are. We're a close group. That's why we can punch above our weight." Eastern began operations as a Windsor-based regional construction company on May 1, 1951. Founder Edmond Odette managed the firm with his brother Bud, initially gaining a foothold with the food processing and industrial projects that flourished fol- lowing World War II. "Even back then, the Odettes were focused on quality, not volume," says Arnold. They also quickly earned a reputation for collabora- tion and completing work on time and on budget. In the 1960s, Eastern relocated to Toronto and secured a significant number of projects in the retail and office segments. It also formed a western subsidiary and became known as Canada's largest builder of retail facilities, constructing 95 shopping centres, 71 department stores, and 67 grocery stores over a period of two decades. By the time Eastern celebrated its 40th anni- versary in 1991, the company had built more than 40 offices within the City of Toronto; seven years later it achieved another distinction by becom- ing 100 percent employee-owned. Today, Eastern is acknowledged for its expertise in three key areas: adaptive re-use of heritage structures, high-per- formance sustainable buildings, and tall wood structures, and it's capable of undertaking a volume of over $250 million per year in a variety of sectors. DeCaria is one of several Eastern staff members who lived through a good deal of the company's history. "I had just come out of the University of Toronto's civil engineering program when I joined Eastern 43 years ago, and my first job was as a field engineer helping to build mezzanines, catwalks, and extend a train shed for a new GO facility at Union Station," he recalls. DeCaria laughs when asked why he wasn't tempted early in his career to jump ship. "I got offers, but I liked the Odettes," he replies. "They were firm but good people, and they valued new talent. At par- ties, they always made it a point to converse with the younger crowd, and they were my mentors." Back then, such nurturing of talent also inspired 'new blood' like DeCaria to find innovative solu- tions to problems. "I'll never forget when we had to move a historic roundhouse rail building to make room for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre expansion," he said. "Nobody knew how to do it, but after a lot of searching I found a specialist, and we wound up moving the 1,300 tonne building 700 feet without damaging the structure." Perhaps it was due to the company's ethos of keeping a low profile, but it wasn't until the early 2000s when, shortly before DeCaria became presi- dent, he realized the significance of Eastern's work. "It happened when the National Ballet School of Canada became a client and I had the chance to see their students perform," he recalls. "Their skill lit- erally took my breath away. I can't properly explain the impact this had other than to make me realize we weren't just in the brick and mortar business, we were building for the future." UTS Renovation Expansion, Toronto, ON. Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON. Ryerson DCC, Toronto, ON. 80 Atlantic, Toronto, ON. Sheraton Centre, Toronto, ON. Halton Police Station, Oakville, ON.