Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1477248
Construction at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 | 35 Reinforcing Steel P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y L M S G RO U P ; A& H S T EEL Ron McNeil, CEO and founder at LMS Reinforcing Steel Group in Surrey, B.C., presides over a company that not only continues to grow a portfolio of iconic projects but has also enjoyed considerable success with LMS Academy. This academy offers trade-specific training for new workers, extensive safety training, specialized courses for on-going development, apprenticeship courses to prepare for the Red Seal Certification exam, and leadership and management training. McNeil says of 2022: "Training is key to managing the labour issue, and we're focusing intensely on recruitment because the work opportunities are very strong. For example, we're just finishing Dockside Green in Victoria, busy with the reimagining of Oakridge Centre in Vancouver – which is one of the largest private retail and mixed-use projects in North America – and supplying and installing steel for the new Pattullo Bridge. We're close to 400 active projects in total." But there's no getting around the difficulties in accom- modating steel prices that have shot up by 70 percent since March. "I've never seen anything remotely like it in my career," McNeil says. "Plus, the U.S. steel tariffs have had a drastic effect in keeping prices high, and the recent strike in the concrete sector in B.C. knocked 30 percent out of the market – so, yes, we're in challenging as well as busy times. "But B.C. has a knack for weathering storms, and we're still seeing strong immigration numbers and work opportunities, especially around transportation corridors. We're prevailing." Matthys van Emmenis, VP of operations (Vancouver) at A&H Steel Vancouver, points out that even if a strike such as the one that plagued the concrete sector this summer is fleeting, it has a negative impact. He explains, "Let's say a concrete strike lasts a month. It sounds mild, but the delay is huge because we work with the Ironworkers Union and are forced to send guys home, HERITAGESTEEL.COM 9718 197B Street, Langley, BC V1M 3G3 604.888.1414 | Toll Free: 1.877.988.1414 PRODUCTS • Black, Stainless & Epoxy Coated Rebar • Threaded Rebar • Welded Wire Mesh • Reinforcing Steel Accessories • Plain Round Bars • Post Tensioning Systems • Mechanical Couplers SERVICES • Estimating • Detailing • Fabrication • Installation QUALITY, VALUE, TRUST... OUR HERITAGE Over 38 years of service Heritage Steel.indd 1 Heritage Steel.indd 1 2022-08-09 10:11 AM 2022-08-09 10:11 AM