Delnor Construction - 25th Anniversary Profile

THE DELNOR CONSTRUCTION STORY: BUILDING SUCCESS How do you build a successful company? Delnor Construction has been building its success, one block at a time for over 30 years.

By Nerissa McNaughton

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ou have seen evidence of their work and signs at numerous job sites around town. They are Delnor Construction (Delnor) and they hold the contracts for some of the key construction projects in Alberta and interior B.C. But who is this company? Where did they come from? How did they become the success that they are today?

In this article you will get to know Delnor. You will meet the men who launched the company 30 years ago and you will be introduced to the executive team who oversees the work of over 200 employees completing a blend of small and significant multi-year projects. Most exciting of all, you will understand how this company achieved success.

Success. It is not something that people are magically blessed with. If that was the case, everyone would be living their dream life. Success comes slowly and only with hard work, and plenty of foresight. It comes with taking risks, embracing change, and fostering long-term relationships with clients. It comes with attracting and retain-

ing loyal, dedicated staff. Like any structure, success is built, block by block on a firm foundation. Like any structure, success built on a firm foundation outlasts those who build it, leaving something behind that is solid, tangible and remains long after the initial builders have moved on.

Delnor has achieved this type of success. Here is how they build it.

This story unfolds from the boardroom of Delnor’s beautiful head office in Edmonton’s south end. The building is a testament to Delnor’s creativity; tile marks the entranceway and a floating staircase leads to a second level that is filled with natural light. A calm energy is felt in this hub of activity. Every employee you meet has a smile and a welcoming nod. The boardroom is impressive and clearly the place where decisions are made and futures are decided.

Company founders, principals Ron Hinz and Ed Cyrankiewicz, enter. They are closely followed by Glenn Cyrankiewicz, chief executive officer and Joel Ramer, chief financial officer. All are seated, and the story begins.

Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years

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“We looked for the tough, dirty jobs; jobs nobody wanted to do. We did whatever it took.” ~ Ed Cyrankiewicz

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

Ron Hinz and Ed Cyrankiewicz were Delnor’s Executive Team: Glenn Cyrankiewicz, Ron Hinz, Ed Cyrankiewicz, Joel Ramer high school buddies. This friendship continued into their post-high school life as they apprenticed at the same construction firm. When the recession of the ’80s saw both men unemployed, they made a decision that would affect their lives and have far reaching effects 30 years into the future. At a time when unemployment rates were peaking at 13 per cent and inflation was averaging 12 per cent, Ron and Ed launched a business. On June 23, 1983, Delnor Construction was born.

For the first two years, Delnor consisted solely of Ron and Ed. Starting a business in a failing economy was a great risk, but it was not the only risk this daring duo was willing to take.

“We looked for the tough, dirty jobs; jobs nobody wanted to do,” Ed says as he reflected on the few construction companies were willing to undercompany in its infancy. “We did whatever it took.” take these types of projects, so the Delnor team distinThis meant leaping at opportunities to work out-ofguished themselves early on as a company willing to town jobs and in occupied facilities. When working in roll up their sleeves and do what they needed to do to an occupied space, the Delnor team would work beget the job done. fore or after the occupants were in the building. This Two years after the launch of Delnor, the two princimeant early mornings and very late nights. At the time, pals were able to hire their first employee, Phil Miller. “AfC O M P L E T E

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 2

ter that we just kept hiring,” said Ron. The company grew at a steady rate. Currently, Delnor has approximately 200 employees.

“Since we started in a depressed economy, we learned survival skills and how to function among economic highs and lows,” says Ron. Ed agrees, saying, “As I reflect back, the first years were really about building the foundation.”

Right from the early days, Ron and Ed determined subcontractors were instrumental to this foundation and the success of any project. Then and now, Delnor values their partnerships with the sub trade community and today has solid relationships with many of them through their 30 year history.

It was a strong foundation. Strong enough that after only ten years in businesses, Delnor shifted from looking for clients to having clients look for them. Their industry reputation and repeat business were quickly making Delnor’s team the first choice clients wanted when they needed a job done right.

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As the company grew, so did the variety of projects. One of the first projects the company took on was a small job at the Treasury Branch in Edson, Alberta, a small town 200 kilometres to the west of Edmonton. Contrast that with

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 3

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“Team work has positive results. Delnor is as good as our staff representation. On site, we pride ourselves on the quality, proven people working at Delnor.”

PHIL MILLER: DELNOR PIONEER

Phil Miller was Delnor’s first employee. When Ron and Ed hired him, little did they know they were setting the stage for a new Miller family tradition. Perhaps it started when Phil would bring his boys with him to work during their summer breaks so they could earn some spending money. Maybe it was because Phil’s love of his job was so obvious and his pride of being a Delnor employee was contagious. Whatever the reason, all of Phil’s sons and Phil’s brother became Delnor employees.

Phil started on July 7, 1985 as a superintendant.

Two of his sons, Jarrod and Dustin, have since moved on, however, his sons Brent and Curtis are still with Delnor. Brent started January 1, 1996, as a carpenter and Curtis started July 1, 2000, as a skilled labourer. Both boys have increased their roles and responsibilities over the years.

From pioneer to personally providing part of Delnor’s labour force, perhaps what Phil can look forward to next is seeing his grandchildren carry on the proud tradition of being a Delnor employee.

today, as Delnor now holds the contracts to renovate ATB Financial’s Corporate Head Offices and relocate over 1200 of their employees into new office space, a project worth over $50 Million dollars in Edmonton and Calgary.

From its humble beginnings as a two-man team with basic tools, Delnor now provides construction management, design build, new construction, commercial renovations and health care renovations for nationally recognized corporations and institutions. Delnor’s client list includes some prominent names such as, Alberta Infrastructure, the University of Alberta, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, regional school boards, major financial institutions, affordable housing organizations, seniors housing organizations, Telus Communications, Alberta Health Services and many more.

Delnor’s roots are firmly planted in Edmonton, but having a successful business has allowed the company to grow into other regions. An office in Kelowna opened in 2009 and another in Calgary in 2011. Delnor’s projects ensure they have a full-time job presence all over Alberta – including in Fort McMurray and projects are also now underway in Saskatchewan.

DELNOR’S EMPLOYEES: THEIR MOST VALUABLE TOOLS

Delnor Construction’s commitment to their employees is reflected in part of their mission statement: “Team work has positive results. Delnor is as good as our staff representation. On site, we pride ourselves on the quality, proven people working at Delnor.”

Glenn Cyrankiewicz has been with Delnor for over 11 years and he knows one of the key building blocks in Delnor’s foundation is its people. “It takes a team to do a successful build,” smiles Glenn. “This includes people in the office as well as the field.”

Ron further points out, “to be a great company, you need great employees.”

This sentiment is put into action with Delnor’s value-added functions and benefits that include both corporate and field staff. Glenn indicated that it is a challenge to bring the very diverse groups of corporate and field staff together, but that does not stop them from trying! Luncheons, barbeques, and other events keep the teams connected. A social committee plans events such as the family gatherings, Christmas party, golf tournament, curling events and Corporate Challenge. Social events, however, are just one of the tools Delnor uses to ensure their employees have the best work experience possible.

Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 4

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“We make sure our project managers have total accountability,” confirms Glenn. “The manager has total ownership of the project from the cradle to the grave.” This method of project management is rarely seen in the industry, and Delnor has utilized this style of managing construction projects as a key building block in their success. With this model, the client has one point of contact for the entire project,

Congratulations

Delnor Construction Ltd. on 30 years of success!

Here’s to 30 more!

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 5

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“We make sure our project managers have total accountability, the manager has total ownership of the project from the cradle to the grave.” ~ Glenn Cyrankiewicz

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long-term relationships Delnor is famous for among their clients as well as their staff.

The executive team collectively agree that their employees are the backbone of their business and they are grateful to each and every one of them.

CHANGES IN THE PLANS

which has gone a long way in building long-lasting relationships with their clients. There are additional benefits for Delnor as well. “It attracts a certain type of manager that is very diverse and motivated,” Ed points out and while he admitted this style of delegation and project control is not ideal for everyone, it works exceptionally well for the type of managers they want at Delnor Construction.

Delnor works hard to provide value for their employees, which is why they experience very little turnover. In fact, Phil Miller – Delnor’s first employee – is still with the company. Not only is Phil still a dedicated employee, his four sons and his brother have followed in his footsteps and have worked for Delnor as well. These are the types of

Any company with three decades worth of experience is bound to see significant changes in all aspects of their operations, and Delnor is no exception.

“The biggest change for me is the technology,” Ron admits. When he co-founded the company, there were no cell phones, computers or even fax machines. Now information technology is at the heart of all their company operations.

For Ed, this change in technology brought about a change in attitude. “Everyone’s expectations are different,” he says. “The way we communicate now changes expectations. Before, we would have to mail in tenders or actually pick up a phone! Now everything is just faxed or emailed.

I find we are expected to do things in half the time we did when we started the company.”

Ed laughs at a memory this brought up about fax machines. “We were so proud of our first fax machine!” He chuckles. Ed recalls constructing a project and noticing a

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 6

15 x 15 foot room called a “facsimile room”. He questioned it and received a very enthusiastic response about this wonderful new technology that could transmit information at the touch of a button. He was blown away by the concept and even more excited when Delnor installed this radical new technology in their own corporate office. But that was years ago. Now faxes are considered outdated as wireless technology pushes ever forward. “Faxes, then computers,” muses Ed. “Things progress so

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We value our relationship, and wish you continued success.

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For Joel Ramer, the executive financial officer with 19 years at Delnor, the biggest change is going from smaller jobs to attracting the attention of the biggest corporate and financial names in Canada.

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quickly.” For Ed, the biggest change he has seen is the speed and ability to move information. “We were always eager to embrace technology,” he says.

Glenn made a salient point about this information exchange and the way Delnor embraced it as he pointed out that Ron and Ed were among the first in the industry to push that technology to the site office level. By making sure the field staff were equipped with the technologies that would enable them to do their best work, Delnor put yet another block in the foundation that holds up their outstanding success.

Glenn has seen another change that has been vital to the well-being of the company: safety regulations. “[They] have impacted productivity in terms of what needs to be in place for each project,” the operations executive notes, but he is on board with whatever works best to protect the workers, the company, and their clients. “It’s good, but it’s a huge change. As prime contractor, we are responsible for the safety of the workers on the site.” We take this responsibility very seriously and ensure all our projects

have safety protocols in place and trained staff to manage these protocols.

For Joel Ramer, the executive financial officer with 19 years at Delnor, the biggest change is going from smaller jobs to attracting the attention of the biggest corporate and financial names in Canada. Now Delnor is named as one of Canada’s top contractors, but Joel remembers the first time the company dealt with a million dollar project.

“Back then it was a very big deal,” he laughs. “We were so

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 8

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“All companies have opportunities. We have been able to prepare to capitalize on opportunities. When opportunities come, we are ready to seize them.” ~ Ron Hinz excited and there was a lot of talk about how we could manage it. Now it’s common. Now we can undertake large, significant projects.”

The ability to not only embrace change but to make it work for them is a cornerstone in the company’s foundation.

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THE SECRETS OF SUCCESS

Congratulations Delnor Construction Ltd.!

1993

There is no doubt that Delnor Construction is one of the most successful companies in Alberta. They launched in the midst of a recession, embraced new technologies, rode the ups and downs of the boom and bust construction industry and attracted clients and employees loyal to the point that they are still clients and employees generations later.

Delnor’s executive team feels the secrets of their success lay in several key areas.

Joel divulges the first secret to success. “Ron and Ed have developed a company where it is still possible to do a handshake deal,” he points out with a smile. “If we say we will do a job, we will do it. If we say we are going to be somewhere, we are there. Integrity. That is the core of Delnor’s success.”

For Glenn, integrity goes hand in hand with having an impeccable reputation. “[Success is] the value of our reputation; to have a company that you take great pride in and a company you are proud to work for.”

Glenn feels that this pride felt throughout all aspects of

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Delnor Construction

on 30 years

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 10

the company, along with their exceptional reputation, make Delnor successful.

Ed finds the secret of success in boundless enthusiasm.

“As an owner, I’m not actively involved in the projects as I once was, but I just love the building process,” he says as his eyes light up. “I love the confidence the industry has in us, and I always want to see the company grow. I want to be around to see what happens [to it] in the next 20, even 30 years!”

Ron reflects for a moment before a serene smile washes over his face. “Success?” he says, “All companies have opportunities. We have been able to prepare to capitalize on opportunities. When opportunities come, we are ready to seize them.”

BUILT TO FACE THE FUTURE

What does the future hold for the company that went from two enthusiastic young men swinging hammers to

200 plus dedicated employees constructing significant projects throughout their service region? Whether being trusted with the contract for expanding a seniors housing facility, upgrading a university laboratory, building or renovating healthcare facilities or building inner city housing, one thing is for certain. For Delnor, the future holds many rewards for jobs well done.

Delnor’s future will be handled the way the company has been handled thus far— one successful block at a time.

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Delnor Construction Ltd. on your 30th Anniversary!

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Delnor Construction Ltd. | 30 Years | Page 11

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