September 2004
THE ONTARIO CONSTRUCTION REPORT
By Penny Mamais
CHANT CONSTRUCTION
ALL ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

In the hit movie Jerry McGuire, Jerry leaves a very successful company - risking almost certain failure - to start his own business. He builds it from the ground up, instilling his beliefs and morals, and manages to make it a success.

Like Jerry McGuire, Ted Chant left a successful company to start Chant Construction, and has put his heart and soul into it. It's a company that prides itself on looking at the heart of a project, not just the price tag, and Ted Chant is a man with that "special something" that can make a good business great. And that's exactly what he's done.

"Ted Chant is one of the more charismatic and encouraging people I've every known," says Gayle Suderman, Director of Human Resources and Safety for Chant Construction. "At Chant everyone gets a say in the projects we undertake. We are different because we really look at the intrinsic value of each project."

While some people might think that Value Management (VM) is a waste of time, at Chant Construction it's considered a necessity. Chant Construction recognizes that VM has a significant impact on all types of projects.

"The Chant team, comprising representatives from the Owner/Client, Chant Construction, and key subcontractors, are assembled to participate in project specific planning sessions," says Suderman. "We are not just a technical company; we are one that looks at alternatives, in order to derive measurable results that will achieve the best return on investment for our clients."

Chant Construction covers all strands of the construction industry, offering an array of services to a variety of clients. "We have an 'A' side business and a 'B' side business," says Suderman.

"The A side business is what we feel is one of our strengths, as this is the owner representation in the construction management side of the business. Because of our character and corporate foundation of ethics, I think we shine there because of the fact that we don't try to lead anyone astray, we're very up front and 'on the level'" she says.

"We also do construction and design build projects," says Ron Robinson, Controller for Chant Construction. "We see both sides of the business, and we understand the needs of both the contractor and the owner," he says.

Chant Construction Limited was founded on December 3, 1998. Although the company is only five years old, it has an extensive resume of projects under its belt. Chant's primary focus is the power generation and transmission industry.

Services provided by Chant Construction include design-build construction, construction management, program managaement, general contracting, estimating and budgeting, scheduling, construction planning, commissioning assistance, and many more full service design and/or construction services to both private and public sector organizations.

Chant Construction prides itself on making project decisions while keeping morals and ethics in mind. They are performance-orientated and work on the premise that a good reputation, and the people who maintain and enhance their reputation, is Chant Construction's most important asset.

"We say exactly what we are going to do, and then we do it. We have honest, ethical dealings with partners, competitors, owners, subcontractors, suppliers, employees and the public," says Ted Chant, Chant Construction's charismatic president. He continues by saying, "At the end of the day we should be able to look ourselves in the mirror and know we have been honest and ethical. If we've done our very best, without compromising our values, then we've passed the 6 o'clock test."

Chant Construction has a unique portfolio of projects that have come their way. "We like to keep things different and challenging," explains Suderman. The company has worked across Canada in remote places such as the Yukon, Powell River, British Columbia and Wawa, Ontario and as far south as Florida. "This keeps our people interested, it keeps a fire in their blood, and that is essential to successfully completing projects," she says.

From their work for such groups as First Nation organizations to a multi-million dollar company known as Great Lakes Power Generation, a division of Brascan, Chant Construction has been keeping busy. They not only work on a variety of projects, but also with a variety of owners and contractors, varying in scope and size.

One early example: the Creemore sewage treatment plant, which looks more like a farm than a sewage treatment plant. Against the backdrop of the beautiful Creemore landscape, this plant was designed to look like a barn. "The designers wanted to create something that was as beautiful as the scenerey," says Suderman. "Nobody would every guess it was a sewage treatment plant," says Robinson.

The scope of work included yard piping, concrete pump well, digestor tanks and foundation walls, structural steel, a metal clad building and the installation of Zenon supplied equipment. "It is a very interesting project to work on, to see something transform into a real-looking barn," says Robinson. This project was completed in 2000.

Chant worked with the Government of Yukon to build the Mayo-Dawson Transmission System, one of their most challenging projects because of the geographic location, and the challenges with landscape. "There were challenges with the weather, permafrost, isolation as well as 23 hours of darkness in a day to deal with up in Yukon," says Suderman.

This project, commissioned in 2003, involved the full design, construction, training, commissioning and start-up of a 223 kilometre transmission line. It involved complete construction of a new 200 KVA transformer station and modifications to two generating stations as well as two transformer stations.

They have worked with the Wahnapitaeping Development Corporation on a joint venture to pursue the maintenance and decommissioning works at INCO's Whistle Lake Mine property, located on Wahnapitae First Nation lands, and have also worked with Brascan on a hydroelectric redevelopment project on the Michipicoten River. Chant Construction was their representative for the design, construction and commissioning of this new 45 MW hydroelectric generating facility. That project was brought into commercial operation in 2003.

But Chant's largest project to date involves a consortium composed of Chant Construction, Skanska International Civil Works and SNC-Lavalin, to complete a $167-million project to expand an existing 120 megawatt hydroelectric plant located on the Kootenay River near Castlegar, British Columbia.

"This is our most unique endeavor thus far," says Suderman proudly. "This is our largest project and we anticipate completion in 2006."

"Working with such powerful international companies is both challenging and rewarding," Robinson adds.

This project will see the construction of a second powerhouse at the Brilliant Dam, adding 120 MW of hydroelectric capacity on the Lower Kootenay River System. The design includes the construction of a new powerhouse, power tunnel, access tunnel and tailrace adjacent to the eastern end of the existing Brilliant Dam.

Chant Construction's priorities have helped to allow the company to handle such a wide range of projects, despite being a relatively young firm.

"Our overall philosophy is to view employees as our most valuable resources and to install and reinforce management practices which encourage mutual respect, co-operation, trust, equity and employee involvement," remarks Chant, adding that the Chant team dedicates their time and efforts to providing quality service and building healthy relationships.

"We analyse our capabilities and really work through each project, approaching our assignments from many perspectives," says Suderman.

Accordingly, Chant Construction has gained recognition within the construction industry. The company won an Ontario Concrete Award for their involvement in the Gordon Street Bridge Reconstruction project in Guelph in 2001. As well, it was recently ranked 71st amongst Canada's Top 100 Contractors by Heavy Construction News, for the second consecutive year.

Chant Construction is well on its way to becoming totally employee owned and managed. This structure ensures that key employees are highly motivated, involved in the setting of corporate objectives and committed to the attainment of these objectives.

"We believe that the quality, skill sets and level of motivation of our employees will utlimately determine the company's future," says Chant. "We not only build physical things, we build relationships."