THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
Stantec wanted to create a symbol of city’s status as global player, former exec says
Tony Franceschini, a key player at Stantec for four decades, said making the Stantec Tower in downtown Edmonton Canada’s tallest building outside of Toronto was done to make a statement: “We are here. We have arrived. We are a global company and the city should be proud, the company should be proud and the employees should be proud …”
We’ve all got our eyes on the sky as the new Stantec skyscraper reaches ever-greater heights on its way to topping out at 69 storeys and 251 metres by the end of the year, making it Canada’s tallest building outside of Toronto.
Tony Franceschini, a key player at Stantec for four decades, takes special pride in the new Stantec Tower. It represents a pinnacle for Edmonton and for Stantec, the remarkable Edmonton company founded in 1954 that has become a global leader in design and engineering.
Making the building so tall was done with a purpose, Franceschini said. “It’s not like you’re showing off, but it’s more like you’re making a statement: We are here. We have arrived. We are a global company and the city should be proud, the company should be proud and the employees should be proud that we have that.”
Stantec’s growth was driven by many people, but Franceschini is at or near the top of that list.
Born Antonio Paulo Franceschini in Italy in 1951, his family immigrated to Toronto when he was nine. His dad, Luigi Franceschini, was a construction labourer and Tony Franceschini spent his summers as a youth in the building trades.
“I realized this was hard work and it would be nice to do something else,” he said.
He became a civil engineer, which led him to Edmonton in 1976, where he worked for a huge national engineering firm, DeLeuw Cather, doing a report on river valley and south side traffic. In 1978, his boss, Ron Triffo, left for Stanley Engineering and two weeks later offered Franceschini a job.
Franceschini and his wife weren’t crazy about the two extra months of winter in Edmonton, but chose to stay. There seemed to be more opportunity at Stanley, a smaller local firm of just 200 people.
Stantec today is a multinational with 23,000 employees. Much of the growth happened from 1998 to 2009 when Franceschini ran the company.
Annual revenue grew in those 10 years from $200 million per year to more than $1 billion per year. Today it’s close to $4 billion.
By the time he took over, Franceschini had been through two boom-and-busts with Stantec, the company surviving not by hunkering down but by seeking business elsewhere, first across Canada in the 1980s, then in the United States in the 1990s.
Franceschini says his focus was not so much to increase revenue but to zero in on three things in order to become a top-tier international firm: 1) work for the best clients 2) work on the best projects and 3) attract and retain the best people.
To get this done, Franceschini sought to hire the most talented and hard-working folks, then enable them to do their best work.
“The business plan was really simple. If you were working for the Stantec organization, you’re kind of like stronger, faster, better ... We’re going to give you better support, better logistical support, better tools, whatever you need.”
The hard working part comes naturally to Edmontonians, he said. “I’ve always said the work ethic in Edmonton is second to none. I’ve been in 100 different places. We have a great work ethic.”
For excellent work to happen, bosses should not be too controlling with staff, Franceschini adds.
“Most people at the end of the day, they really know what to do. And any plan that you develop yourself is so much more powerful than someone that suggests a development plan that says, ‘Here’s what you should do.’ The worst thing you can do to anybody is, ‘You should do this, this, this and this.’ But if you have the conversation, as part of that discussion, you can come up with great ideas.”
Franceschini, who stepped down from the Stantec board in May, is still on three other corporate boards. Stantec is no longer his home, his company, but the concept of what was built still pushes him in business, mainly as an investor.
“One of the reasons I’m an angel investor in startup companies is I think those are the future. One of those is going to be the next Stantec for the city. You may have to fund 10 before you get one, but that’s the reality of it. Not every one is going to be successful so the community has to work together.
“If we want Edmonton to grow and to take its place, we have to really grow and support and nurture companies that start here because otherwise we won’t have any major head offices here.”
If you think this sounds a bit pie-in-the sky, look to the downtown skyline. Big things can happen here.