BURNS & MCDONNELL IS IN GROWTH MODE
Burns & McDonnell was established in 1898 by two Stanford University graduates in Kansas City, Mo., where they felt they could reach the most communities needing water and energy within a day’s travel by train.
It was a good decision as the company today has grown to be a US$2.8-billion firm with more than 5,500 employees in 40 locations around the world.
In 2011, it opened its first Canadian office in Calgary to serve new clients primarily in transmission projects. Under the direction of Don Chase, the local office has been growing ever since and recently moved into the main floor of 115 Quarry Park Rd. S.E.
Today, 45 staff members work out of the new space in the Burns & McDonnell head office for Canada and at 7,500 square feet, regional manager for Canadian business development Ahsan Upal says there is ample room to grow. Already, new environmental scientists have been added to the staff this first quarter and he says he expects a total of 10 additional employees will be required by year end.
Upal hails from Saskatchewan, where he earned engineering degrees from the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan.
After graduation, his first job was as a design engineer with PTI Utility Supply on SaskPower projects. He relocated to Calgary as a power lines project manager for AltaLink and then moved to Edmonton with Enbridge as a project manager working on the upgrading of pipelines.
He joined the Burns & McDonnell office here two years ago after it had won the contract to support AltaLink’s transmission projects in Alberta and a major B.C. Hydro project the company was awarded to design and provide construction support to energize 420 kilometres of lines over mountainous terrain north of Terrace, B.C.
Upal says the simple secret of winning new contracts is to complete them on time and on budget, which is why AltaLink remains the major client today, although Burns & McDonnell has also worked with several other large clients here, including Enmax, TCPL and Suncor.
Power is still its main business, but Upal is working hard to bring the firm’s other experience to Canada. Currently staff is working to relocate power lines below ground around the sub-station at Sarcee Trail and Highway 8, a major transmission upgrade in south Edmonton, and doing a turnkey build of the 350-megawatt Chinook Power Station in Swift Current, Sask., for SaskPower.
He says areas of growth in Canada include gas and renewable generation — taking wind and solar projects from concept to construction — water treatment plants, plant animation and even airports.
The banners are up on bridges announcing April 22 as the 35th annual Law Day. It’s a free, fun, family-friendly and informative event promoting access to justice. It includes tours of the Courts Centre, demonstration trials and sharing the excitement of 100 new Canadians sworn in at the Citizenship Court.