SPAR CONSTRUCTION RISES AGAIN When the disaster restoration company faced a crisis of their own, they wasted no time in dealing with the situation and moving forward.
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By Nerissa McNaughton
par Construction was already unique in the building industry before the events that radically affected the company two years ago. The restoration contractors were used to dealing with victims of fire, flood, theft and vandalism on a daily basis. Then, they came face to face with the shock, uncertainty and change that their clients face when they suffered a disaster of their own. “Our building burnt down in 2013, which forced us to relocate and set up our business in a short period of time so we could still service our customers and clients,” says Mark Comeau, company president. “We had to rebuild. The irony that we are a flood and fire Mark Comeau restoration company has been brought to my attention many times.” The fire gave the entire company a better insight into what their clients go through. “We have experienced it from a perspective that many of our clients face.” Spar Construction was founded in 1985. Comeau joined in 1988. He had recently graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute
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Spar Construction | 30th anniversary | page 1
of Technology and was working as a draftsperson for a homebuilder. A friend, Ken Lakhram, who was working at Spar, knew Comeau was looking for more opportunity and invited him to check out an open project manager position. It was a perfect fit. Comeau soon became an owner, joining Ken Lakhram and Colin Campbell as partners in 1998. Dave Wilson was later added as partner in 2011. The team loved reacting promptly to the challenges of fire, flood and other devastations, showing their clients that rebuilding and restoring meant fresh, new starts – but they were unprepared to see their own facility go up in flames. “I remember getting a call from Lakhram saying ‘The building is on fire! You should get out here!’ I thought he was kidding around. I sat in one of the control trucks for three or four hours thinking ‘what are we going to do now?’” he reminisces. I went home for a few hours and came back. There was a backhoe on site. They knocked the building down to nothing.”