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P r o m o t e d c o n t e n t G E O R G E T H I R D & S O N "We excel in steel contracting and we are committed to service and quality. Our reputation is what I am most proud of. Everyone has heard of GTS, knows our reputation for tackling tough jobs and wants us on their project" –Rob Third, president, George Third & Son entrance canopy that includes a complex hybrid steel, glulam and glass design. "We are delighted to have George Third & Son working on TELUS Garden," said Greg Henriquez, managing partner of Henriquez Partners Architects. "Their reputation for exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail is unsurpassed. Our design for the project is very complex and has demanded multiple mock-ups and creativity, which has improved our design solutions. This is a rare contractor who contributes meaningfully as a true partner in making our ideas manifest in the world. Thank you George Third & Son." The project will also feature a six-storey structural steel horizontal cantliver extending over Richards Street and Seymour Street. "The TELUS Garden's project is really going to be a showcase, and we are proud that GTS was sought out to do this project," says Rob. "This is the work George Third & Son is known for. This is why my guys in the shop love working with us! It's challenging and complex, but the rewards of making the architect's dream become a reality, and seeing another timeless landmark that we built standing blocks from where George Third started the business 104 years ago, makes it worthwhile," he adds. The iconic Audain Art Museum will be 55,230-square-feet in size, house a unique collection of B.C. art in the heart of Whistler Village and boast a 900-ton structural steel art gallery that will be tucked into a forest. "Architect Arthur Erickson once asked us to replicate the heavy ornamental rails on the old courthouse we were renovating to the present Art Gallery," Brett Third explains. "We gave him a price to make some new rails to match the old ones, but Mr. Erickson thought the price was too high and he said he was going to go into the City's archives and find out who built them originally." Erickson had hoped the City of Vancouver would have drawings and templates, and could offer a better price. "He came back three weeks later and said he found out that my grandfather had made them originally," Brett recalls. "So he paid our price." The generations of Third family members who worked at the company learned their craft in the steel fabricating plant. Rob's elder brother Brett is mostly retired from the business and now advises the family as a director. Like the generation before him, Rob's son Geordie joined the business in his teens and started in the shop before becoming a draftsman. Eventually he made his way into project management, and now oversees the operations. "Us Third's all have rust running through our veins," Geordie quips during a tour of the plant. "We are truly 'Men of Steel'— except for Bruce's wife Violet Third who, at 92, still keeps a watchful eye on the business that she managed the books for 30 years." The GTS production office and fabricating plant located in Burnaby is a busy scene with 35 employees working on fabricating, rolling and forming steel for industrial and architectural projects. "The family history of our business helps us remember the men that came before us and built this company, and their strong business ethic of doing business on a handshake," Rob explains. "We also take pride looking after our employees, and realizing they are the strength of the firm's longevity." p56-62-George Third & Son.indd 59 2014-04-09 3:16 PM