working with local municipalities, working with the federal government,” Justin says. “There were a lot of other contracts that were kind of being neglected because everyone else was focusing on the oil and gas. By focusing on community projects, however, we were able to really grow from within.” One of the reasons Justin is so focused on community is his own heritage. His roots are in Kehewin Cree Nation, and a number of members on his team over the years have been First Nations people from Alberta. In Justin’s view, that Indigenous participation has also been vital to Atlantic Fence’s growth and success: “One of the challenges in Alberta that a lot of construction companies face is manpower,” he says. “But we have really found an untapped wellspring of manpower just by going back to my community of First Nations people. We have hired a lot of First Nations people in Edmonton who were looking for work, who previously felt like they were on the outside looking in. We’ve invested in them, we’ve trained them up, and our investment has really paid off.” This summer, Atlantic Fence’s main project was a brand new baseball diamond for the Kehewin Cree Nation. There, not only did they provide the fencing, they also did repairs to the full diamond/ backstop/side, they did the outfield grass and infield shale, and they constructed the bleachers and covered dugouts – “the whole nine yards,” Justin says. Of all the projects the company has done to date, Justin says he’s most proud of that one because of the involvement they had with the community. “You know, a lot of contractors just come in, do the work and leave. We took it a step farther. We SEPTEMBER 2024
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