Everyday Heroes: Meet Finning's service ... - Finning Canada

A NiceStretchRon Macmillan’s grandpa got resultsbuilding roads with a horse andbuggy. Today there’s no end in sight.Story by Katherine Fawcetthen settler and pioneer ArchibaldMacmillan started clearingthe land to build roadsand homes in the Peace River Valley in the1870s, he didn’t realize he was building afoundation for his own family’s constructionempire.Archibald’s son John, now retired at 76years old, started Red Earth Construction in1956 with a single Cat dozer. Today, John’sson Ron, 48, is president of Macmillan ConstructionLtd., one of the most successfulconstruction companies in northern Albertaand British Columbia. With 20 pieces of Catequipment, Macmillan Construction is activein everything from oil field work to municipalgovernment jobs. Ron Macmillan spokeabout this construction dynasty.What got you started in this business?I’d spend summers working on the roadcrews learning how to operate the equipment.I guess I just stuck with it. All the family hasworked in this business at one time or another;my two older brothers, Archie is oldest,then Billy, Linda, my sister, myself and Brenda,the youngest. My 19-year-old works here fulltime. My 16-year-old and my wife also workhere, part-time.What project are you most proud of?Oh, that’s a hard one. There have been somany. I guess what I’m most proud of wouldbe that all three generations of Macmillanshave worked on the approaches to the bridgesleading into Peace River. Grandpa workedon the first bridge approach with his horseand buggy. My father built the main highwayand bridge approach and me and my brotherAarchie did approaches for the DMI Bridge.What sets Macmillan Construction apart?Probably our people. We’ve always had a lotof long-term people. We try to we maintaina newer, well-maintained fleet of Cat equipmentto keep ourselves with the best operatorsand best people. And we probably pay the bestwages in the industry. We are in a changingworkforce. A few people are starting to retirenow after 25, 30 years. We try to keep a groupof people who are going to stick with us. It’sour main goal, ’cause without the employees,the machines can’t do anything.What’s your favourite equipment to operate?The grader. I ran one on the road crews for afew years, doing the finishing. You’re the guythat does the last pass across the road and it’spolished off. You get the finishing touch.What’s your most unusual project?It was when my brother Archie was here,back in the early 1990s, Shell Canada tookus all the way to Anticosti Island, Quebec, tocut seismic line. They trucked our machinesand our people out of Alberta all the way toQuebec. It’s a long way to go. That was prettyunusual.What’s ahead?I hope to maintain the pace I am at right now.If I could maintain the size and the goodline of employees I have, I would be happy.I don’t care to be the biggest guy on the street.I’m just happy with my stress level when thecompany is the size it is now. At one point wehad more employees. That was in the 1980s.Now there’s between 30 and 40.What’s your greatest challenge, day to day?Our biggest fight is to keep people happy,keep them so they want to stay here. That’swhy we’re always upgrading the equipment.Make it so guys want to stay with us.What’s your dream project?A nice road job. It’s always good to build anice stretch of road, a long-term or plannedproject.www.finning.ca Spring 2008 • tracks & treads 67