Once they identify suppliers and vendors they can trust, Chapman doesn’t shop around. As long as their partner is delivering a quality product or service that “meets spec and meets compliance,” the company will keep calling them. As a result, they have been working with some of the same of the same industry partners 40 years. The company’s team members in-house are also longstanding. Craig, for example, has personally been with the company for over 20 years. He estimates that there are at least 20 other employees who have been there for 15 years or longer. He says some employees have even been working with the company for over 30 years. “ We consider this a great place to work,” he says. “We’ve seen a lot of guys work with us for 10 years, leave to go up north, and then as soon as they come back to the valley we’re the first call they make.” “That shows that we have a really good community here. We’re a big family. That’s one of the big reasons that people stick around. We take the time to get to know our staff and their families.” Another ‘big reason’ people stay, Craig adds, is the company’s drive to stay modern and upto-date. He believes that keeps things interesting and keeps the work engaging. At the same time, it also helps the company win work and endears them to clients. “We have a real drive here to be onestepaheadof everyoneelse. That’s not always the case. A lot has changed over the last 10to-15 years, but the mechanical industry – and the construction industry in general – hasn’t moved as fast as the rest of the world, especially when it comes to prefabrication.” Mark, Brad and Craig, however, have always taken “a big interest” in technology and prefabrication. They have consistently adopted the latest in BIM modelling and prefabrication technology. They have always strived to use that technology to get as much done as they can within the controlled environment of their shop. If possible, they use it to get work done before that work is even required on site. As a result of that commitment, Chapman Mechanical is able to work extremely quickly and efficiently when they do get to the site. They have less field fabrication and, instead, they are arriving to the site with prefabricated systems that are fully skidded out and ready to go. According to Craig, that has given the company the opportunity to be involved in some major projects where the timelines are short: “Historically, mechanical is usually trailing on those kinds of projects,” he explains. “In these instances, however, we’re usually first place. We’re showing up with prefabricated systems and we’re installing them on site in a matter of weeks, when it would otherwise take four-to-five months.” “That’s really exciting to me, I think it’s exciting to our staff, and it’s definitely exciting to our clients,” he says. Craig personally believes that when it comes to technology, Chapman Mechanical is at least five years ahead of most of their competition. Again, he credits that largely to Mark and Brad’s routes and his continued actions in the same direction: “Most company owners, when they are in the later stages of their career are pretty set in their ways,” he says. “They usually like todo things in theold school way. When technological advances come along, most mechanical contractors declare THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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