M. Sullivan & Son works towards the gold standard

Source: Construction Exec

Date :08/05/2008 04:04:59

Exec speaks to M. Sullivan & Son’s senior management team to find out how the family–owned firm became a leader in the Canadian construction industry.

Written by James Hurley & Produced by Michael Gutierrez

M. Sullivan & Son Limited has been enjoying continuous and steady growth ever since it was established in 1914. This has been reflected in the increasing scale of the projects that it handles – and, as president Tommy Sullivan tells me, the changes he has seen in the 51 years he’s spent at the company.

“As a young boy starting out in the business, I had a wheelbarrow with a rubber tire on it,” he says. “From there we went to buggies, then to cranes. We’ve had to dramatically increase our heavy equipment usage so we can do all our own civil work. We’ve grown with the times and we’re up to date. We try to keep ahead of the industry with different construction methods.”

The company provides a full complement of construction contracting services to an impressive array of clients in the industrial, commercial, institutional and public sectors. With head offices located in Arnprior, west of Ottawa, and a regional office located in Kingston it is able to service Ontario and Eastern Canada. It owns a full range of construction heavy equipment, which enables it to minimize dependency on outside sub-contractors and maximize flexibility for scheduling purposes.

Gold standard

A lot of M. Sullivan & Son’s work is what Tommy calls ‘negotiated work’ – i.e. negotiated with clients it has had in the past that understand the company and like the work that it does. “Our reputation has certainly grown over the years,” he says.

“On the public market in Canada today, to bid against an open market, you put your pencil in your pocket…

May 08, 2008