This Ontario firm is a specialist in the most comprehensive concrete projects throughout North America
Written by Sarah Wolfe & Produced by Nadim El-Maasseri
When it comes to complex projects requiring travel anywhere throughout the US and Canada, ConCreate-USL Ltd. is always ready for the challenge. Specializing in concrete rehabilitation, specialty works and general construction - particularly for difficult projects - the Bolton, ON-based company is capable of handling everything from bridges, tunnels and parking garages to reservoirs, silos and skate parks – all performed on time and within budget.
This past year, the company finished a notable rehabilitation of the historic Albert Street Memorial Bridge for the city of Regina, SK. Built during the 1930s Depression Era, the 850-foot structure features decorative glazed terra cotta in Egyptian motif and is in The Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest bridge over the shortest span of water. For the $5.2 million project, ConCreate-USL handled restoration of the concrete, alongside US company Edison Coatings, who restored the terra cotta work, and artists from Quebec’s M.A.H., who repainted the bridge’s ballasts.
“Right now we’re doing our biggest rehabilitation project to date with CH2M Hill in Edmonton, AB – worth $80 million and expected to span two years,” says Derek Martin, Vice President of ConCreate-USL. “It’s a very complicated project. We’re adding two lanes of traffic to a pre-existing bridge while staying away from working in the water in order to avoid environmental issues and permits. We like challenging work like this and always welcome the chance to expand and grow in our capabilities.”
A LOOK BACK
In the last four years, ConCreate-USL has tripled its size, from $50 million to in excess of $150 million. It has main offices in Bolton and Niagara Falls, ON, and Calgary and Edmonton, AB, with additional satellite locations scattered around the country.
To see where ConCreate-USL started from, it’s clear the concrete construction company has come a long way since 1971 when it began as Underground Services Ltd.
Originally a tunneling contractor, the business operated out of Moncton, NB, and was primarily focused on building railway tunnels. Its expertise in restoration started that same decade with experiments using shotcrete to strengthen and repair concrete structures.
Employee Gordon Tozer saw the company’s strong potential and went on to purchase it in 1983. Demand for its concrete remediation expertise quickly rose and by 1986 the business had expanded from a subcontractor to full-fledged general contractor under the name of Underground Services (1983) Ltd.
In the following decade the company spread across Canada and the US with branch offices, establishing ConCreate USL Ltd. in Calgary, Constructions ConCreate Ltee. in Montreal and Concrete Solutions Inc. in Amherst, NY. Geo-Foundations Contractors Ltd. was added in 1996 to provide geo-technical expertise and services to clients.
In 2007, the USL Group of Companies was rolled into ConCreate USL Ltd.
“I joined right out of high school 20 years ago as a basic laborer and graduated up the ranks to Vice President and minority partner,” says Martin. “Company founder Gordon Tozer is still involved today in the day-to-day operations as President.”
AN ARRAY OF SERVICES
ConCreate-USL’s staff fluctuates between 400 and 700 depending on the work season, but it has an established, full-time team of skilled engineers, project managers and construction superintendents – some of whom have been with the company for more than two decades.
They offer a unique array of engineering services including structural concrete rehabilitation (aqueducts, bridges, dame, tunnels, parking garages, reservoirs and silos); structural strengthening (aqueducts, bridges, dams, tunnels, underwater structures, reservoirs and silos); expansion joint systems and pressure grouting (cementitious, chemical and bitumen). They also feature waterproofing systems; drilling and anchoring (coring, rotary percussion, post-tensioned rock anchors); construction of pre-stressed reservoirs (preload design systems); and construction of concrete bridges, overpasses, luge tracks and skateboard parks.
ConCreate-USL has a main pool of suppliers for its projects, however it tends to work with many new ones as it moves from site to site in Canada and the US - including the states of Virginia, New York, Delaware and Michigan.
CONTINUED GROWTH, EASTERN EXPANSION
Though the economic downturn hit hard in 2008 and 2009 – particularly in the construction industry- the number of clients approaching ConCreate-USL remained fairly steady throughout. The recession only introduced more competition for the company in the marketplace, Martin says, and the infrastructure continues to remain strong.
If there are any particular industry trends that have had an impact, however, it’s the tightening of environmental and safety regulations, he adds. To meet the latter demands, ConCreate-USL is working toward Energy Star and LEED projects.
“These are relatively new out here in Canada. We just purchased a bulk order of 12 new hybrid vehicles and are looking for more gas-efficient vehicles to replace our fleet of 250,” says Martin.
In terms of safety, ConCreate-USL is ranked in the Top 5 out of 300 companies in Alberta for its program and record. Staff training happens in the winter months and covers not only safety procedures but also equipment operations and technology – the latter for which it recently upgraded to new software for design and engineering purposes.
In addition to its capital investments in a green fleet and proper training, ConCreate-USL is also preparing for a new 50,000sf corporate office in Bolton, ON, for 2010. In the next 12 months the company also plans to continue branching out beyond its most concentrated work areas in Alberta and Ontario.
“We’d like to develop our business more in Eastern Canada; we’re starting to look at the Maritime Provinces,” Martin says. “We’re always focused on increasing our company’s size and region, but in a steady and gradual way. Everything’s been a little easier since reaching that first $100 million. In five years we want to make sure not to overextend ourselves and to maintain steady growth in the company.”
FACTS AT A GLANCE
COMPANY NAME: ConCreate-USL Ltd.
PRESIDENT: Gordon Tozer
OPERATIONS: Concrete rehabilitation, specialty work, general construction
ESTABLISHED: 1971
EMPLOYEES: 400-700
www.usl-1983.com
View Digital Corporate Profile of ConcreteUSL in Construction Digital February 2010