S p e c i a l F e a t u r e
cost e•ective ‹xed-price costing; and
arranging ‹nancing if required.
Technolo•y also distinguishes Wales
McLelland. It uses the SiteMax IT system,
whereby all parties have access to real-time
reports on construction activities, thus
enhancing engagement opportunities and
records of daily activities. Wales McLelland
sta• also uses BoomBuild, a construction
social network that, amongst many other
things, disseminates important safety data.
Currently, Wales McLelland is enjoying
what president and owner Doug Scott
describes as "a high demand for industrial
and distribution centres that shows signs of
continuing throughout 2016."
But the construction sector upswing
notwithstanding, Scott identi‹es key issues
that he hopes will eventually be addressed
in order for his industry to continue to
prosper. "Because of factors such as our
Agricultural Land Base designations, we
have a lack of industrial land base that
can be developed, and the result is an
extremely high cost of real estate," he
says. "Additionally, governments on all
levels are reluctant to support industry
and jobs; the focus instead is on perceived
green initiatives. We take sustainability
very seriously, but banning pipelines and
discouraging mining doesn't make sense—
not if we are to continue paying for and
supporting social initiatives."
The second challenge of a robust
construction market, labour, is being
addressed by companies such as
ThinkTalent Inc. ThinkTalent's specialty is
matching top talent with premium career
opportunities in the engineering space,
as well as providing specialized technical
recruitment consultation, search and
interviewing services for clients.
ThinkTalent founder and principal
consultant Pierre Blais agrees that growth
in the construction sector will continue
in 2016 and that B.C. may well achieve its
familiar objective of becoming Canadian
leaders in growth. To that end, his company
will continue to help time-starved and
overworked front line managers identify
their labour needs by providing what he
calls skills gap analysis. "In terms of human
resources, we look at what a company
requires in both the near and long term,
and only when we determine exactly what
is needed do we begin presenting highly
quali‹ed candidates," Blais explains.
He believes that the industry overall
must focus more attention on everything
from succession plans to co-op programs,
as well as partnering with First Nations to
minimize the looming gap between job
opportunities and work force capability:
"These elements are critical in moving
forward, and the sooner they are
addressed, the better o• we'll be."
