Scholarship Donor - AIT

Donor Since: 2007
Number of Scholarships: 1
Websites: Bird Construction
Scholarship Information: Bird Construction Leadership Scholarship

History:
In 1908, 15 year-old Hubert J. Bird emigrated from Plymouth, England to homestead on the Saskatchewan wheat fields. He soon discovered that farming didn't quench his thirst for entrepreneurial adventure. Over the next several years Hubert apprenticed in the construction industry starting as a timekeeper. In 1920 he started his own construction company based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The current firm was incorporated in 1930 and in 1934 the Company's name was registered as Bird Construction Company Limited. The early years were typical of most small construction contracting firms, where survival, rather than growth, was the immediate objective. Through the 1920's and into the Depression, the Firm subsisted on the construction of rural bank branches, small store renovations, and a variety of small-town post offices and public buildings.

Like many businesses during this era, the Company came very close to closing during the mid-1930's. The firm survived through the tenacity of the staff and management who believed in their dream and took salary reductions rather than lay off staff. Their belief led to the securement of the new railroad terminal station in Regina in 1931. This major project enabled the establishment of a branch operation in Regina and provided the foundation for further expansion in 1938 into Winnipeg.

At this point, Bird was successfully established with three branch operations and well positioned to support the military construction programs that were launched at the advent of the War in the early 1940's.

During the War years, the Company was actively involved in the construction of flight training facilities and airfields for the Commonwealth Air Training Program in locations across western Canada.

Toward the conclusion of the War, the Company entered extensively into home building. This program continued into the early 1950's during which time the Company built thousands of homes throughout western Canada including the first planned community, Wildwood, in south Winnipeg.

The energy, drive and business acumen of the founder, H.J. Bird, enabled the survival of the Company through the 20's and the 30's, and the development of the organization through the 40's and the 50's.

In 1953, H.J. Bird was appointed Chairman of the Board and Donald S. Macdonald, an engineer who had joined the firm in the early 1930's as a project manager, became President.

Through MacDonald's initiative, the Firm expanded its operations into Alberta with the establishment of branches in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge. A building supplies division was also established in parallel to the Company's construction operations.

In 1965, H.J. Bird passed away, and the control of the Company passed into the hands of his son, Robert A. Bird.

The Company expanded into British Columbia with the establishment of an office in Vancouver in 1965 and into Ontario with the establishment of an office in Toronto in 1968.

In 1988 Paul A. Charette was appointed to the office of President. This marked the beginning of the transition of ownership of the Company from the Bird family to the management of Bird Construction Company. In 1991 Paul was appointed Chief Executive Officer and in 2001 he was elected to Chairman of the Board. Under the direction of Mr. Charette the annual volume of construction increased steadily. This commitment to controlled growth has enabled Bird Construction to establish its ranking and recognition as a leader in the construction industry across Canada.

Expansion into the United States started in 1998 with the launch of the Seattle branch office. In 2001 a second opportunity presented itself and the Salt Lake City branch was founded.

As the Company has grown, it has also diversified its operations. While it is still involved in firm price contracting in the residential, institutional and industrial markets, the Company has increased its technical base in order to expand its capability to service clients with other forms of contract services. Principal activity in this area has been through the promotion of pre-construction, construction management and design/build services in which Bird's expertise in the design phase of a project can be utilized in addition to its skills as a builder.

Starting with the transition of ownership the Company has developed a strong management team that has the solid support of its surety, insurance and banking partners. Together they continue to implement the controlled growth strategy launched with the transition of ownership. This, coupled with a very strong list of repeat clientele, has positioned Bird Construction Company as a leader in the construction industry.

In 2005 the Company celebrated its 85th year in business. While it is a record of achievement in a highly competitive industry to have survived and grown for so many years, there is strong recognition within the Firm of the need to plan for future growth and to continue to build on Bird Construction's remarkable record of success.

'A partnership worth building on', proclaims the banner on the cover of the Bird Construction Company corporate brochure. This is not just an empty promise. Instilled throughout the organization is the understanding that the clients of the Company are owed the highest level of service. This focus has created loyal partnerships with many clients that have resulted in Bird Construction participating in the planning and development of their long range capital strategies. The flat management structure of the Company permits the senior management team to keep in close communication with our clients and to help ensure that the client focus of the Company is maintained.

Without a doubt, the key to the success of the Company has been the quality and commitment of the employees. Bird appreciates that it is in a service business and the ability of the Company to create value for its clients is entirely a function of the men and women that are dedicated to delivering an outstanding level of service. The Company has maintained steady employment in a business known for its cyclical nature and the employees, in turn, have demonstrated tremendous loyalty and stability. The Company provides service recognition awards which include a 25 -Year Club, currently approaching 175 inductees.

The Company is fully committed to the growth and development of its employees. Bird has long been a supporter of various local engineering and technical schools and maintains a policy of providing employment to Co-op students in all of its offices. The Company has a long tradition of hiring recent graduates and providing training and development with the goal of maintaining life-long employment for them.

The key members of the management team include Area Managers in Bird's seven offices and the executive team. Bird's commitment to service and loyalty is reflected in the background and tenure of the management team. The majority of the key positions are held by individuals that joined the firm as students or very early in their careers. The length of service of the current management team ranges up to 43 years, which is a remarkable achievement in an industry with historically high turnover.

A key to the success of the Company is the recognition that we are a service oriented organization. This has permitted Bird to strategically distinguish itself by focusing on specialized projects and clients that need a builder that can create value.

A second key success factor for the Company is the flat management structure and the empowerment of employees throughout the organization. Although Bird is a publicly traded company, the majority of the stock is owned by the employees. This helps to further enhance the degree to which employees at all levels identify with the Company and their clients. A 'hands-on' approach to the business has given the Company an edge in being able to make decisions quickly and to adapt to the demands of its clients.