BUILDING PREFABS
Work ‘ camps’ redefined
On Kevin Read’s office wall is a diploma that says he graduated in a course in business entrepreneurship at Mount Royal College. He has used that education well, as after a couple of jobs working for others he is now the proud owner and CEO of his own successful company, Nomodic Modular Structures.
Read began his working life with an instrumentation company before joining a manufacturer supplying camps to the energy industry. But he was soon looking at ways of being his own boss and, after finding out there might be an opportunity to provide custombuilt units for remote areas, set about organizing Nomodic.
He started on his own and, after rounding up investors to raise the necessary capital, hired a designer and looked for his first client.
That was in 2012 and today his company provides flexible, purpose- built modular and prefabricated buildings, including remote workforce accommodations and recreational buildings, operational control facilities, relocatable workspace and pre- engineering storage and warehousing.
Nomodic’s first client was Canbriam Energy, a private intermediate exploration and production company with a focus on finding and developing new liquids- rich natural gas resources in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
After interviewing more established manufacturers, it selected the new company to build an eight- unit residence for employees who would be living in them for a considerable length of time.
Attracting workers to live in remote areas is a challenge for companies and salary alone will not get them there; the quality of accommodation is an important part of the total package.
The first project was built successfully to provide 21,200 square feet of completely furnished living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens shared by two people.
Nomodic has since grown alongside Canbriam by supplying a 10- unit camp, pre- fabricated panelled warehouse and control centre in the same area near Fort St. John, B. C., and was recently awarded the custom design and turnkey supply contract for a state- of- the- art permanent camp facility at Canbriam’s Montney natural gas development.
Built to serve Canbriam’s facility and operations teams, it has been designed to have housing and support facilities for up to 68 employees and contractors while designed to minimize the footprint on the northeast British Columbia site.
Read’s eight permanent employees, working out of his Calgary office, custom design the structures and then assemble and lead the best and most competitive manufacturing operations and remote installation teams.
Phase 1 of the Montney camp is currently under construction in Edmonton.
Besides the 34 residential units with their own bathrooms, computer work stations and TV sets, it will also give the workers a large commercial kitchen, games room, fitness centre, gas fireplace lounge and sloped- floor theatre.
Spray foam insulation, thicker floors, walls and ceilings will cut down sound and, being a two- storey building, has the efficiencies of needing less roof space and less foundation.
Modular buildings are perfect for remote locations and Read is already designing a number of cottages for a development on Saltspring Island, as well as a 12- suite multi- family development in Victoria.
He is making good use of his entrepreneurial skills.
Attracting workers to live in remote areas is a challenge for companies and salary alone will not get them there
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has named Amber Ruddy as the new director of provincial affairs for Alberta, representing the interest of its 10,000 members in this province.
Ruddy was elevated from her previous position as senior political analyst with CFIB.
Her experience includes time as an intern with a federal cabinet minister, legislative assistant with an Ontario member of provincial parliament, and as national government relations co- ordinator with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation based in Toronto.
David Parker appears Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Read his columns online at calgaryherald. com/ business. He can be reached at 403- 830- 4622 or by email at info@ davidparker. ca