Connections
Diverse Strength By Cheryl Mah
Kelowna Hospital P3 project
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any factors influence the success of a company, but none more so than its employees. Stantec, one of B.C.’s largest and most diversified consulting firms, invests a significant amount of resources and money into developing its people. “The company has got a fantastic bandwidth of talent that is in the 25-40 year old range. The most important thing I do is developing our young leaders and giving them opportunities to succeed,” says Michael Kennedy. “I’m proud of the team we’ve got here that are moving into senior leadership positions.” Over the course of his 20 year career, Kennedy has worked on a variety of major infrastructure projects in Canada, the US and Europe. But today Stantec’s vice president and regional leader for B.C devotes much of his time to growing the company and the talent within it. “We put significant resources into training at all levels. We invest in universities, training programs, mentorship programs…,” notes Kennedy. “The demand for skilled trades in this province over the next 10 years is eye-popping. It’s a huge issue that needs to be carefully addressed. I personally put a lot of effort into it because I believe it’s probably the biggest issue facing many companies. We’re going to see some profound changes as the baby boomers really do retire en masse.” 22
construction business
March/April 2013
Born and raised in England, Kennedy was exposed to the construction industry at an early age. As a teenager, he worked with his father who was a carpenter and became fascinated with the dynamic nature of the business. He attended the University of Manchester to initially pursue a civil engineering degree but figured out quickly he didn’t want to be an engineer. “What I wanted to do was to build things,” recalls Kennedy, who graduated in 1992 with a bachelor of science in construction management. A recession at the time meant very few jobs but he was one of the lucky ones finding work with a construction company. “Looking back, it was actually really good experience to come into the industry when it was going through tough times,” reflects Michael Kennedy Kennedy. In 1995, he joined a construction manage- first project was the Millennium Line. The ment company in London as project manager. firm was acquired by Stantec in 2002. He then moved to Vancouver in 1999 with his Other projects followed where he led the wife and joined The RPA Group where his teams on the construction of the BC Cancer