E Construction Ltd.: Building Better Roads for 60 Years By Mark Kandborg
One of E Construction’s Highway Division plants. It is one of the largest and most technically advanced.
S
mooth, well-constructed and properly maintained roads are a little like oxygen – you don’t think about them until you don’t have any. Luckily, the unsung heroes at E Construction have been working tirelessly for six decades, doing their best to ensure that you never have to think about the road you’re on. They want you to feel like you’re flying. The company we know today as E Construction Ltd. (ECL) was founded by Ron Everall in 1954 under the name Everall Engineering, which became Everall Construction in the 1960s and operated as such until the year 2000, when they were purchased by Colas Inc. and became E Construction. “The company grew as the province grew,” says current E Construction president Doug Ellett. It certainly has. What started out as Ron Everall and a handful of hardy employees has developed into one of the largest paving contractors in Western Canada with a workforce of nearly 600. “That doesn’t include the support staff of subcontractors that work for us,” Ellett points out. “There are probably another 300 truckers and suppliers with us on a day-to-day basis.”
Doug Ellett.
New Thickwood Blvd Interchange, Fort McMurray (2012).
E Construction Ltd. | 60 Years | Page 2
Dave Manchakowski.
“We don’t have the same high turnover as a lot of other businesses, especially in the construction industry. We have a lot of people who’ve come back year after year, with several employees having 30-plus years of service.” ~ Doug Ellett what it is in 2014. “It was just a perfect storm for us to grow,” Ellett says. “The economy in Alberta was expanding rapidly and so were infrastructure improvements in the province. The people we already had were well poised to go forward with the expansion. They’re enthusiastic and very, very knowledgeable. The behind-the-scenes support from Colas was the final piece in the puzzle, enabling us to grow to where we are today.” Vice president of finance Dave Manchakowski joined ECL mere months after the big change in ownership. “A lot of people still refer to the company as Everall, even after 14 years as E
1950s asphalt plant.
ECL’s 1954 annual production of 1,000 tonnes of hot mix asphalt has grown to 1,000,000 tonnes as well as 750,000 tonnes of gravel base. They now run 15 hot mix asphalt plants to keep up with the demand. “I don’t think there is a town, a village or a city in this province we haven’t worked in,” Ellett says. “Our head office is located in Edmonton with divisional offices in Fort McMurray, Peace River and Cold Lake and area offices in Slave Lake and Lloydminster.” ECL’s subsidiary company, N.W.T. Construction, also has an office in Yellowknife. “In addition to that, we have our highway division, based here in Edmonton, which paves highways all across Alberta and NWT as well as selected areas in Saskatchewan.” Each one of those divisions is basically a self-contained business unit, Ellett explains. “They have their own safety people, marketing people, project managers, admin staff and shop/maintenance people, along with their assigned equipment fleet.” Ellett and E Construction have a great respect and appreciation for all of their employees. “We’re especially proud that we have a lot of people who have been here for a very long time,” he says. “We don’t have the same high turnover as a lot of other businesses, especially in the construction industry. We have a lot of people who’ve come back year after year, with several employees having 30-plus years of service.” When ECL was purchased by Colas Inc. in 2000, their volume of work, while substantial, was only about 30 per cent of
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When you think about it, that could be one of E Construction’s slogans. ‘There’s no compromise’ applies not only to their dedication to their people and safety, but to their integrity, their work ethic and their commitment to their customers. Construction, because there’s a lot of history there,” he says. “What’s made this company successful under Colas is decentralization with standardization, which means we still make decisions, but within certain standards that we abide by, and have good leadership starting with Doug through the division management level. After major purchases like that, you usually lose a lot of key people, but we didn’t. I have so much satisfaction being a part of a company that has become such an institution in the paving business in Western Canada.” “It’s wonderful to see how it’s merged together,” says Laura Chrapko, who’s been a part of this company for nearly three decades. Officially, she’s Ellett’s executive assistant, but few know the inner workings of ECL as well as she. “The changes I have seen in the 30 years that I’ve been here…” she says, searching for a way to put it into words. “I mean, we didn’t even have a fax machine. We had nothing. We had landlines. Our resources were very limited as compared to technology today.” Although so much has changed, Chrapko can’t help but marvel at the fact that what’s stayed consistent is the personnel. “There are still people here today who were there when I started in ’84. I have to say over those 30 years, the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with have made it all very enjoyable.”
For Ellett, one key to ECL’s continued growth moving forward is to maintain the company’s vision and the enthusiasm of its people. Another, he says, is to nurture a philosophy of succession. “Every job description below me has a successor’s name attached to it. We’ve identified that the success of our company will only come through succession, not just waiting until the last minute, but instilling the culture of our company – work ethic, honesty, integrity, all those things – on to the next generation. This has already been initiated.” Equally important to ECL’s success is their long-standing dedication to safety. “We’re all proud of a lot of things, but what I’m particularly proud of is the safety of our employees,” Ellett says, and he means it. “It’s something we spend a lot of time, energy and money on. There’s no compromise. Safety first is the priority.” When you think about it, that could be one of E Construction’s slogans. ‘There’s no compromise’ applies not only to their dedication to their people and safety, but to their integrity, their work ethic and their commitment to their customers. A lot has changed in the 60 years since a man named Everall started a company with little more than a name, a dream and a few good men, but the things that matter most haven’t changed at all. Now, that’s something to celebrate. Here’s to another 60 years!
Congratulations on 60 years of Success! 8122 - 102nd Avenue, Peace River, Alberta | Phone: 780-624-2101 / FAX: 780-624-2103
www.glenarmstrongconstruction.com E Construction Ltd. | 60 Years | Page 4
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Congratulations on 60 years of Excellence in the Alberta Construction Industry! Northern Concrete Services Ltd. Is honoured to be a business associate of E Construction Ltd.
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