Caterpillar - Finning Canada

Second generation takingthe family business tonew heightsBuildingLangleyB Y R O B I N B R U N E TPHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB SALMONFrom a second-floor vantage point, Teck ConstructionLtd.’s headquarters boasts a panoramicview of Langley, British Columbia. The townis widely regarded as the rural antidote to theurban sprawl of Vancouver’s Lower Mainland.With little effort, Teck staff can spot some of thebuildings company founder Al Tecklenborg erected here in thepast 40 years. As well, the newer edifices created by his sons,George and Albert are in eyeshot. It could be argued that TeckConstruction has helped foster Langley’s status as one of theLower Mainland’s fastest-growing regions. The company hasgained a reputation as a tilt-up specialist, and despite B.C.’s economicups and downs, suffered surprisingly few setbacks apartfrom the odd mishap – like the time the company’s prized Caterpillar420D backhoe was stolen from a job site.Although Teck runs various types of equipment from differentmanufacturers, Cat backhoes are the keystone in the company’smastery of the design-build format. “Design-build providesthe opportunity to simplify all construction methods in thecommercial and industrial sectors, reduce on-site problems andvalue-engineer all aspects of a project – but it requires that webe versatile in our on-site work capabilities,” explains (George)Tecklenborg. “Among other things, the Cats allow us to providesite servicing to clients. We wouldn’t have become so verticallyintegratedwere it not for those machines.”The company runs a 10-member office staff and 35 field personnel,working projects ranging from $100,000 renovationsto $7-million buildings. True to its Langley country roots, Teckbegan as an informal venture between friends. “My dad helpedbuild a house back in the 1950s,” recalls Tecklenborg. “After theproject was finished he figured he could make a living doing so.”Teck was founded in 1957 when Al was 21. Residential constructionwas the initial bread and butter, but quickly broadened inscope to include commercial facilities, schools and hospitals.Up until recently, Langley was considered a remote outpostof Greater Vancouver, a quiet farming community with an oldfashionedtown centre and modest amenities. Under the elderTecklenborg’s guidance, Teck changed the landscape of thedowntown core, beginning with a series of car dealerships andother commercial/retail facilities in the 1970s. In 1989, Teckadopted the tilt-up method of construction in which massiveslabs of a concrete structure are formed horizontally then tiltedinto place vertically. Through hard work and creative inspiration,Teck successfully avoided the pitfalls of other tilt-up specialistswho erect big-box edifices that are visually unappealing. “Wepushed the envelope of tilt-up construction by adding attractivebox windows, elaborate glazing, reveals, cornices and columns,”says Tecklenborg.George, now 35, and Albert, 37, became involved in theirfather’s business as school kids. The low-key and well-spokenyounger brother credits Albert for pushing Teck into the realm ofdesign-build and himself for purchasing a series of excavators toaugment the company’s range of activities.The first backhoes Teck used were competitor machines, butin 1989 were replaced by a brand new Cat 416 backhoe. Fromthat point on, the Tecklenborgs remained faithful to Cat products.A 416 Series Two backhoe was purchased in 1990, followedwww.finning.ca Summer 2005 • TRACKS & TREADS 13