Skim through the Yellow Pages in search of a contractor and you’ll find countless one-person operations, from plumbers to pavers, based in Surrey.
But the city is also home to some of B.C.’s largest contractors, one of which is shaking off the shackles of economic uncertainty that have been restraining businesses for years.
Just 18 months into his new position as president of Mainroad Group, Peter Ashcroft has positioned the road maintenance and services company, headquartered in Surrey’s Cloverdale community, on a growth trajectory that would see it heading east.
“These are exciting times for the Mainroad Group,” said Ashcroft, who outlined expansion plans that include seeking opportunities outside of British Columbia.
Mainroad, established in 1988 when the provincial government privatized road and bridge maintenance services, has become one of B.C.’s most diversified groups of civil infrastructure, maintenance and construction experts. It has businesses – acquired through expansions, ventures and acquisitions – involved in contracting in the Lower Mainland, Howe Sound and east Kootenay.
The approximately 500-employee company also has businesses in pavement marking, traffic control, ready-mix concrete and electrical installation. But its mainstay is road maintenance work.
With its first highway operations and maintenance contract in Alberta starting October 1 – a public/private partnership led by SNC Lavalin Inc. for the new Stoney Trail SE ring road in Calgary – the company is now looking at sourcing work all the way to Ontario and possibly the United States.
“I think there’s lots of opportunity for us. We see us moving east out of British Columbia into Alberta and Saskatchewan. We see some large projects coming up there that we’d like to get involved with from a maintenance perspective, whether it be P3 projects or with the province,” Ashcroft said. “We’re looking as far afield as Ontario.”
The company recently tendered, as part of a consortium, for work on a project in Windsor/Essex. Mainroad is hoping its unique setup – it is 100% employee owned – would set it apart from its competition.
“So we have a national advantage in terms of employee engagement. When you have employee owners, there’s a natural interest in the business,” said Ashcroft.
“So people are really wanting to do their best on a daily basis.”
Mainroad is looking to boost its 2012 revenue of approximately $107 million by more than 50% to about $175 million this year.
“And that means geographical expansion and not just looking at the B.C. market and not just in maintenance,” Ashcroft said.
Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, said the city is teeming with small and medium-size businesses, many of them contractors with a sense of entrepreneurialism, “which are really the economic engine of the province.” •
