Line by Line Line by Line - Toronto Construction Association

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CHAIRMAN'S message The Positive Picture For board chair Lee Baker, being a part of the TCA means even more in tough economic times LEE BAKER HAS A UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT ON today’s troubled economy. In fact he has more than one. As the senior sales representative of Tremco Canada, he sees things as a supplier of building envelope products and services. As chair of the board of the Toronto Construction Association, he takes the perspective of an organization that represents the nation’s largest industry in the nation’s economic centre. So it’s not a question of taking the big-picture view. The question is: which big picture? From the perspective of Tremco, Baker says, the fiscal year that ended in May was “pretty much on a par” with the previous one. The company hasn’t so far seen much of a decrease in the Canadian market. One reason may be the fact that building envelope products have customers in all sectors of the industry: residential and commercial, for new building projects and for restoration and renovation work. This broad base gives the company a survival edge. “When new construction By Andrew Brooks 2009 TCA board chairman Lee Baker is down the restoration market picks up, and vice versa,” Baker says. “Right now we’re seeing a boom in restoration. That helps to equalize our years.” Baker holds to the adage that Canadian construction lags nine to 12 months behind its U.S. counterpart, and he does see signs that Canadian construction is entering a slowdown. For one thing, subtrades are reporting fewer jobs to bid on, he says. But he isn’t ready to panic yet. “We’re optimistic that if the U.S. pain moves north it may not be as bad as we think,” Baker says. “Sure, some guys who used to bid hundreds of jobs a year might now be down to 10 or 20. But if they were only winning a couple before anyway, they’re not necessarily in trouble if they can still win the same number.” In today’s straitened circumstances, owners and project managers have to do their homework and have financing and other elements firmly nailed down before going to tender, whereas when money was more readily available they could Builders’ Digest Toronto Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective Toronto Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective TCA Builders’ Digest is published for the Toronto Construction Association 70 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H1 Tel: (416) 499-4000 • Fax: (416) 499-8752 www.tcaconnect.com Publisher Editor Associate Editor Sales Manager Sales Executives Contributing Writers Production Team Leader Senior Graphic Design Specialist Published by: 5255 Yonge Street, Suite 1000 Toronto, Ontario M2N 6P4 Toll Free: (866) 216-0860 ext. 229 robertt@mediaedge.ca 1 Wesley Avenue, Suite 301 Winnipeg, MB Canada R3C 4C6 Toll Free: (866) 201-3096 Fax: (204) 480-4420 www.mediaedgepublishing.com President Senior Vice-President Branch Manager Kevin Brown Robert Thompson Jeanne Fronda Andrew Brooks Sharon Komoski Nolan Ackman Pat Johnston Josh Pashko Andrew Brooks Adrienne N. Wilson James T. Mitchell Robert Thompson Nancie Privé All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the association. Published October 2009. Publication Mail Agreement #40787580 Return undeliverable copies to: Toronto Construction Association 70 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H1 Phone: (416) 499-4000 • Fax: (416) 499-8752 4 | Builders' Digest Quarter 2 2009
look after some of those details later on in the project cycle. “The numbers of tenders may be down but they’re better qualified now,” says Baker. “It’s like we’re greenhousing our seedlings first, making sure they’re viable, where we used to throw seeds out randomly.” Lee Baker at a TCA executive meeting in September INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH The influx of public stimulus funding is benefitting a select number of trades, Baker says. “In the civil area there’s a lot of stimulus coming in, and also with some of the institutional work. There’s lots of new stuff on the boards, general contractors have announced new work and there seems to be a lot of confidence right now.” Confidence aside, Baker supports TCA President John Mollenhauer’s view that now is the time for construction businesses to stretch beyond the comfort zone. “ There’s lots of new stuff on the boards, general contractors have announced new work and there seems to be a lot of confidence right now ” — Lee Baker, Senior Sales Representative, Tremco Canada “At the TCA annual general meeting in January, Geoff Smith [president of EllisDon] was a speaker, and that was his message too,” Baker says. “How do you survive a recession? Think outside the box; look for new kinds of work. That doesn’t mean going off on a wild tangent, like going from building bridges to building old-age homes. It’s just about changing what you normally do and adding something new, incrementally." This is where the TCA really comes into its own as a member-driven organization that takes the notion of “members supporting members” very seriously, Baker says. The TCA helps members look at new opportunities in numerous ways, notably via the seminar series it’s running this fall where major public-sector agencies are highlighting their construction activities for TCA members. “Government tenders aren’t as large, people don’t do their homework, and they don’t see them as worth going after,” Baker says. Also discouraging potential bidders is the fact that public-sector spending has strict requirements when it comes to openness and fairness, and these tend to complicate and lengthen the process of qualifying to bid and winning work. Still, Baker feels it’s worth the effort. “The more you prepare, the better off you’ll be as you go forward with these projects.” The TCA can play a huge role in introducing members to the opportunities that are out there. Baker points to the association’s huge range of services, such as job boards, courses and seminars on a wide range of topics, and resources like the “Construction Book” — TCA’s membership directory and industry buyer’s guide. But for Baker, the real strength of TCA membership lies in the networking opportunities it brings. “As a contractor or a trade looking for help, where do you turn? You look to your peers, and the TCA is simply the best way to do that. We’ve been there, we know how the industry works and we can connect you with everybody and anybody. “It’s really true — it’s all about members supporting members.” |BD Builders' Digest Quarter 2 2009 | 5
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Line by Line Line by Line - Toronto Construction Association

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