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1131 Melville Street, Vancouver, B.C. M A R C H 2 0 2 3 | 41 Structural Steel to attract people with high skill sets, not just labourers, because to work in our shop you need not only fabrication skills but computer skills as well. Young folk like to build, but they also have an aptitude for computers and technology." George Sze, president at Wesbridge Steelworks Limited, says his company continues to enjoy some competitive advantages, including retaining over 50 employees with more than 500 years of combined experience, and a 37,000-square-foot fabrication shop on five acres at the centre of Vancouver's Lower Mainland. Using Tekla Structures (formerly Xsteel), StruMIS, and other software to streamline the construction process, "I would describe business in 2023 as looking reasonable, with material pricing and anticipated wage inflation stabilizing. "We're not really involved in many warehouse projects, which appear to be slowing; instead, we do mostly institutional and commercial work, and these sectors are still robust. We recently finished work on the Peace Arch Hospital expansion and the Willoughby Mall upgrade in Langley, and as of January we wrapped up work on The Stack, a 38-storey premium office building on Melville Street in Vancouver. But arguably the biggest project for us – one that occupied most of our time last year and continues to require our undivided efforts this year – is the Oakridge Redevelopment project." Sze is referring to the $5-billion Oakridge Centre redevelopment, a 5.5-million square foot masterplan undertaking that consists of residential, office, retail, civic uses, and park above a consolidated below-grade parking garage. "This is a once in a lifetime develop- ment and we are pleased with our participation and contribution to this mega project," he says. Considerably smaller, but no less important to the creative minds at Wesbridge, is the ongoing renovation of the 1911-era First Baptist Church build- ing, whose floorplate is being expanded to provide 45,000-square-feet of new additional community spaces, including a 37-space childcare facility, multi-purpose rooms, gymnasium, counselling services, cafe, and church offices, which will link the church to the new Butterfly tower. "We are also involved with the First Nations Health Authority building in North Vancouver, a steel and wood structure with many traditional First Nations ele- ments," Sze says. Unsurprisingly, given its 42 years of history developing the landscape of Ontario and abroad (and winning awards for its work along the way), Benson Steel is making the most of the post-pandemic economic recovery. As was the case in 2022, it continues fabrication on a number of major projects in Ottawa, Ontario, including work on the two new Porter Airlines' hangars for aircraft maintenance at the Ottawa airport. The 150,000-square-foot facility will house all of Porter's E-2 aircraft maintenance, and the hangars will have indoor parking for up to eight aircraft, helping position Ottawa airport for future growth. The other two large commercial projects are West Memorial Building Rehabilitation and the Ādisōke Public Library, both landmark projects for the City of Ottawa. Benson Steel is also busy with a number of transit projects including the Toronto Transit Commission's Donlands Station (Line 2 Bloor-Danforth) revamp. For this project the company is fabricating and erect- ing customized steel pieces to form the arches of the newly designed station as part of the Toronto Transit Commission accessibility program. Benson Steel president, Steve Benson, credits the experienced team at Maystar Construction for contributing to the positive progress that has characterized this challenging build. Benson is also involved in the Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown project constructing the Eglinton, Cedarvale, and Salvation Army stations and looking forward to their completion in early 2023. P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y W E S B R I D G E S T EELWO R K S L I M I T ED Steel Structures Steel & Timber Miscellaneous Steel Architecture Steel Plate Forming & Rolling Public Art www.gthird.com — info@gthird.com George Third & Sun.indd 1 George Third & Sun.indd 1 2023-02-20 12:13 PM 2023-02-20 12:13 PM

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