Keep reading to check out some of our recent milestones.

We are now a Living Wage member

Did you know that RJS is proud to be a member of Living Wage for Families BC?

As a certified Living Wage Employer, we ensure that each employee within our business is paid a living wage.

It’s important to recognize that more and more British Columbians work in low-wage jobs that do not pay enough to live on. A living wage calls on employers to meet a higher standard for both staff and major contractors, to ensure that wages reflect the true costs of living in a community.

As a business, we always look back towards our four core values as a guide. Out of the four, family and accountability are the two that have been a prominent theme that drive our business.

We like to view every person within our company as family and hold ourselves accountable for ensuring that each employee is supported so they are able to support their own families.

RJS expands into the education sector

This year, our team has worked hard to expand our range of projects and grow our business’ portfolio by working in different sectors within BC. We’re proud to say that education is now becoming a prominent piece within our portfolio. 

Do you live in Coquitlam? You might have caught a glimpse of our work while dropping off the kids. Currently, we are in the midst of an exciting expansion project for Panorama Heights elementary school. Once complete, four new additional classrooms will be ready to support the students. 

University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) has been another big part of RJS the past few years as one of our first projects within the education sector. Our recent projects included renovations to the Baker building and adding updates to some of the offices. Heading into the new year, we’ll be at the Abbotsford campus working in their Food and Agriculture Institute. 

Building a brighter future for our communities

As a member of our local communities, we want to hold ourselves accountable by doing our due diligence to help those needing support. We hope to make a positive difference in people’s lives and communities through building safe, affordable, and quality housing. 

Cougar Creek and Jennings Place are the two exciting projects that we have been working on as one of the trusted contractors for BC Housing. Once complete these two sites will provide affordable housing to those within our community. 

In the upcoming months, we’ll begin a new project for BC Housing at the American Hotel. This Downtown Eastside building will provide services to those who have been living in supportive housing and are ready to take the next step toward independent living.

Helping our local small businesses

As you have probably already seen, many businesses have struggled to stay afloat due to COVID-19 in the past year. However, with things slowly opening up, we’ve been hard at work to help local small businesses like Co-Brokr Mortgage, Enterprise, Toro Aluminum, and Belpar prepare for a post-COVID world.

For our Co-Brokr Mortgage site, we are moving through our routine inspections to start off the project. Getting the lay of the land is crucial before starting work on any building. It provides the team with an overview of what and how to tackle the project. In our next few phases, we’ll begin tearing down some of the structural components of the ceiling and eventually turning this space into the perfect office. 

Nothing says a fresh start like the beginning of a demolition.

Our team getaway at the lake

Last but not least, we wanted to take a moment to mention some team updates. At the end of September, our team had the opportunity to go on a fishing trip to Pinantan Lake Resort. 

It was a beautiful weekend with lots of laughs, fishing, and great views! 

We’re grateful to have this opportunity to not only catch the rare sunny weather, but have this time to be together again after so long. As a close knit team, we view ourselves like a family and it was a wonderful experience being able to catch up on each other’s lives. 

In the past year, COVID-19 has made it difficult for team bonding due to social distancing and limited indoor capacities. However, as things slowly open up, we hope to bring back more of our annual fishing trips to celebrate our team and all their hard work.

What’s next for RJS?

When one door closes, another opens. 

Our business is constantly expanding and growing as we take on new challenges. This year, we  wanted to hold ourselves accountable by helping our local community and this was reflected in all our projects. 

We’re already looking toward the future and are excited to see what 2022 has to offer.

Want to keep up to date with the projects mentioned in our blog? Give our social media a follow on our Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram. 

Despite a few roadblocks, we at RJS Construction are extremely grateful to have been able to power through this rollercoaster year. Behind our fearless leader, Ryan Steward, we’ve fortunately been able to stay on schedule with new and ongoing projects due to his commitment to stay up-to-date with new COVID-19 protocols and prioritize the safety of our team and all workers on site and in the office.

As 2020 comes to an end, let’s take a look at some of our most memorable moments from this year.

1. Annual Winter Summit

After winning the Leader of the Year award in 2019 for outstanding leadership achievement, Ryan was invited to the annual Winter Summit in January to speak on a panel of small business owners. This two-day event, hosted by Breakthrough Academy, brought together hundreds of business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the province to speak about their experiences growing their business. Amid a weekend of snowmobiles, bob-sled races, and team-building exercises, Ryan took this great opportunity to exchange valuable advice with other small business owners and apply new strategies towards our growth here at RJS Construction.

2. University of the Fraser Valley Projects

We crossed quite a few things off the list with our University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) building renewal projects! Still ongoing, we’ve been busy updating their Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses with new department wings, student spaces, and renovations to increase the on-campus experience for all UFV students, staff, and faculty. Throughout the year, we’ve completed updates to the Criminology Department and constructed a new test kitchen for the Stó:lō Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Department (SASET).

The new culinary space, located inside the Trades and Technology Centre, is part of a new culinary arts program at UFV and even made it into the local paper! Read more from the Chilliwack Progress.

3. Cougar Creek – Red Door Housing Project

On the residential side, we started a major project in December 2019 with the Red Door Housing Society’s Cougar Creek neighbourhood in Surrey, where we will be doing a complete envelope remediation, remodelling, and both exterior and interior upgrades. This 45-unit complex provides fully subsidized housing to families, and we’ve been working extra hard to welcome these families back home to newly renovated and updated homes as soon as possible. Although there’s still a lot of work to be done, several units are close to completion as we keep on schedule into the new year.

4. End of Summer Team BBQ

It wasn’t our usual team getaway, but we still got to enjoy each other’s company at our Team BBQ! Taking advantage of the warm weather, we got together – at a safe, respectable distance – to hold a team social at our homebase in Surrey. Great food, warm weather, and some trash talk was definitely involved as a little competitive badminton broke out in the parking lot!

As we enter another round of social restrictions in BC, we’re grateful to be able to look back at these wonderful highlights spent with our team here at RJS Construction. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our staff, we’ve been able to keep everyone safe during this pandemic while abiding to the social restrictions put in place.

2020 wouldn’t have been possible without the support and dedication of every single member of the RJS family. 

Whatever 2021 throws at us, we’ll be ready.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to stay updated on our current and upcoming projects.

When BC opened up again to activity this summer, we were already on our way to completing some big goals for RJS. This blog will take you through our BC construction projects we did in the summer, our plans for fall, and how we commit to being completely COVID-19 safe on site. 

In our last blog we listed the sites finishing up in the spring, such as:

• Tenant Improvement for Aevitas Waste Management in Maple Ridge
• Cougar Creek’s BC Housing Project in Surrey
• And University of the Fraser Valley Trades and Technology Department

The new projects we started this summer were:

• Thirst First Coffee Solutions in Surrey
• Modu-loc Fence Rentals in Port Coquitlam 
• Gateway Pet Memorial in Surrey
• And Enterprise Car Rental in Tsawwassen Mills 

Clearing through the red tape

This summer, we did face some lag time on completion dates as safety protocols and restrictions due to COVID-19 created delays on permits and contract procedures. This wasn’t a complete surprise as many businesses have had to go through the same thing and we’re all just grateful to be working! 

Our ThirstFirst site was paused for construction during the months of July and August as we waited on city approval with Surrey. In any case, we wanted to keep things running smoothly for our clients in between permits, so we made the ThirstFirst garage fully functional for use. While it still needed some paint and finishing touches, the main thing was that ThirstFirst remained busy during the lag time and that was the most important thing to RJS. 

Our BC construction projects for the fall

Fall is when construction really revs up before the rain and winter season begins. People come back from their vacations and get to work on our current projects as well as a few new ones starting! 

Gateway Pet Crematory and Memorial in Surrey

This unique project has sparked a lot of buzz on our social media. We all love pets, and we want to make sure our fur members of the family are treated with respect when they pass on. 

In our last update, we had just started tendering the project. Now we’ve finished its roofing, improving the structure, and creating the most important piece to a crematorium, the cremation stacks. This will be completed as we go into the fall. 

École Panorama Heights Elementary School in Coquitlam 

A school we are excited about is expanding Panorama Heights Elementary in Coquitlam. With a large number of elementary age students in the neighbourhood, the school has exceeded its capacity. The new addition of four classrooms will increase the school’s capacity from 390 students to 480, adding 90 new student spaces. 

Latimer Lake Storm Infrastructure in Surrey

This is an interesting one for us as we haven’t done outside work such as parks and natural spots in a while. Latimer Lake is a gorgeous spot many Surreyites love. Protecting this area from erosion is of utmost importance so that the community can continue to enjoy this green space for years to come. RJS has been tasked with installing storm infrastructure in Latimer Lake to curb the eroding effects of the tough weather we receive in the coming winter months. Storm drains, hardier paths, and flood water management will be added to make sure that Latimer Lake can survive through the generations. 

New Wave, Better Practices 

When COVID-19 first hit in the spring, we were quick to take action to ensure our sites remained safe and didn’t have to close. We followed all protocols from the Canadian Construction Association and the Government of BC in regards to COVID safety. Since spring, masks have been mandatory on site, we have created sanitation and handwashing stations, and we have limited the amount of people who can be on site at a time. 

As cases go up in BC and around the world, we are now preparing for a new flu season and a possible second wave. We know that this time, however, we have our experiences to fall back on. This time we are more than ready to ensure our staff are safe on site and our projects are completed in a timely fashion. We’ve grown a lot in 2020, and it’s our values of Honesty, Accountability, Respect, and Family-First that have helped pull us through this strange year. 

Want to keep up to date with the projects mentioned in our blog? Give our social media a follow on our Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.  

Now that summer is in full swing, BC construction companies are getting ready for a busy summer season. At this time, we have a number of projects we will be working on for the next few months. We’re, without a doubt, excited to share with you what’s coming down the pipeline.

That being said, this year has been a unique and challenging one for many. We had to delay a number of projects as the world fell into a COVID-19 freeze. Thankfully, construction in BC is considered essential work, and that allowed us to continue on many existing sites. However, it wasn’t business as usual, and to remain accountable to our staff and community, we carefully implemented the safety protocols of the Canadian Construction Association and the Government of BC. Overall, we’re proud to say that with the precautions we put in place, not a single staff or contractor on RJS was infected with the coronavirus. And we remain firm with sanitization and social distancing guidelines in order to keep it that way. 

Even with hurdles to leap over, this year we’ve broken ground with new construction projects happening around BC’s lower mainland.

In our last blog about our plans for 2020, we talked about construction on a number of buildings that would help the community expand on educational services, co-op housing and waste management treatment facilities. We are proud to say some of these are completed, including:

• Aevitas Waste Management Site in Maple Ridge 
• Trades and Technology Department of the University of the Fraser Valley
• Culinary Arts Department of the University of the Fraser Valley
• Criminology Department of the University of the Fraser Valley
• Enterprise car rental YVR
• Belpar loading dock

Now, coming up this summer, we have five more projects all being done in and around the city of Surrey. We’re definitely excited to assist in the growth and prosperity of our beloved community. Due to the fact that many of us on our team live and work in Surrey, and we know how much is offered to families here. We want to help keep the city vibrant with new work opportunities and new services and resources, which is why we’re so passionate about building in new innovative and sustainable measures. 

Thirstfirst Coffee Solutions in Surrey

We couldn’t start our list of summer projects without a little dose of caffeine.

Thirstfirst is a locally-roasted coffee wholesaler that’s proudly BC made. We began the tendering process of this project in late March and early April. We started with our plans for the location and put scaffolding up in May. We’re looking forward to breaking ground and setting up a roasting facility, right here in Surrey! 

This project is bringing in a lot of talents from local BC construction workers, contractors, and designers. We have Century Mechanical helping us with our machinery and we’ve included a local interior designer, Cassie Bowman Interior Design, to polish the finishing touches once the rough edges are sanded down. 

We keep updates of our projects during our tendering and construction process found on our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Watch how this project unfolds over the next few months. 

Gateway Pet Memorial in Surrey

Pet lovers will understand how important pets are to the family. It’s a huge loss in companionship when we lose our furry friends. Family-first is one of our values at RJS. Similarly, the pets we bring into our homes definitely become part of our family fabric we create.

Therefore, that’s why it’s meaningful to build a place for pet owners to honour the loss of their loved ones and give them a final resting place. We’re meeting up with the city of Surrey to begin our tendering stage of building Gateway Pet Memorial in Surrey and updates on our social media will be coming soon.  

Toro Aluminum in Coquitlam 

Toro Aluminum is a window and wall supplier for high-rise condominiums, office buildings, and hotels, across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In January, we began tendering their project of building them their newly renovated office space in Port Coquitlam. Now we’re ready to actually break ground on this project for the summer. 

To help with the drawings of the renovation plan, we’re partnering with Igel Architecture Ltd, a Vancouver-based architecture firm. 

Enterprise Car Rental in Tsawwassen Mills

If you’ve ever been to the Tsawwassen ferries, then you know how busy it can get. We’re trying to help commuters by building an Enterprise Car Rental in the Tsawwassen Mills Mall. This is a big project that we started in early June. We’ve gutted the interior of the site to make room for a full-scale renovation. We’ve managed to install plumbing in the first week of June, all with the help of PriceWise Plumbing and Mechanical. This project is going to be exciting and dynamic as it requires lots of moving parts to work, without a doubt, we’re stoked to get to be a part of it. 

Modu-Loc Office in Port Coquitlam

Modu-Loc provides efficient and effective fencing for companies anywhere in the lower mainland of BC. Many BC construction companies depend on Modu-Loc to make sure that their sites remain safe and secure when it’s not being used. Additionally, if you’ve kept up with us in the past, then you’ll know we’ve worked with Modu-Loc fence rental plenty of times. What better way to pay it forward than to help them with their own office space?

The past few months have been busy on the Modu-loc construction site. In May we installed windows thanks to Oasis Window. Now we are working on completing the structural columns and beams as well as working on finishing up electrical by end of week. 

Midway in June and there’s more to do

We’re at the midpoint of the year and there’s a lot to reflect on. What we’ve realized is that completion of our goals is not a 100-meter sprint, but rather a relay. We organize work for many small businesses and contractors in BC’s construction industry as part of a broader community of subcontractors and tradespeople.  Without everyone working in sync and passing the baton forward, we couldn’t have even made it to the half-way point of this year. For that, we thank everyone involved.  

We still have 5 more projects to add to our roster this year. BC Construction is booming now and in six months from now, we’ll have more to look back on and learn from.  More importantly, we’ll know we worked hard to make this year a successful one, even with the restrictions and uncertainties.

Want to know more about our upcoming projects? Follow us on our Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram. 

May 22, 2020

Two months into the pandemic and RJS Constructions is still committed to the highest level of safety for our contractors on site.

With BC starting phase two of its careful restart plan, BC’s updated Public Health Act has given RJS new safety protocols to follow.

These construction protocols for phase two include:

• No more than 50 people on the same site in any circumstance.
• Where possible employees should maintain a distance of 2 metres apart from each other.
• Post signage that limits the number of occupants in any elevator to four people at a time.
• Reduce in-person meetings and other gatherings and hold site meetings in open spaces or outside.
• Increase the number of handwashing stations and post signage that identifies their location.
• Maintain a list of employees that are currently working on sites and update this list daily.
• All common areas and surfaces should be cleaned at the end of each day. Examples include washrooms, shared offices, common tables, desks, light switches, and door handles.
• Anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms such as sore throat, fever, sneezing, or coughing must self-isolate at home for 14 days.

At RJS Constructions, we work hard and tirelessly to get the job done while still adhering to the protocols and advice given to us by medical and safety professionals. As we move forward into helping restart and rebuild our economy, we look forward to doing our part in keeping contractors, and the people who get to enjoy the projects we create, safe during these unprecedented times.

March 19, 2020

Our concern for the health of our clients, employees, families and community is paramount at RJS Construction Ltd. As we continue to monitor the evolving risk of COVID-19, we are taking measures recommended by the World Health Organization, Public Health Agency of Canada and all other government agencies to help reduce the risk of transmission.

Preventative Measures

It is our expectation that any employee and trade staff that have been outside Canada or exposed to anyone who has travelled outside of Canada since the restriction on travel was imposed, stay home for fourteen (14) days from the date of the return or the date of contact of the person returning. Employees of RJS Construction or any trade employees who have been exposed to or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 will not be permitted to work on any RJS job site until the individual has been confirmed to be symptom-free which is normally demonstrated as a period of fourteen (14 ) days.

Any employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4 F [37.8 C] or greater), signs of fever and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering symptoms (i.e. cough, suppressants). It is recommended that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and sent home
immediately.
All employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or into an elbow if no tissue is available). Employees should practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands fully and often, with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Or use a hand sanitizer that
contains at least 60-95% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

We will continue to update our policies and procedures in accordance to any recommendations by the health authorities and government agencies as the situation develops.

106-18635 52nd Ave, Surrey BC, V3S 8E5
info@rjs-construction.ca 604-576-6166

RJS Construction Site Spread Prevention

• Speak to all your Sub trades to space them out so people are not working in the same space at the
  same time.
• Avoid physical contact. Stay a minimum of 6’ away from other individuals
• Use cell phones for communication even onsite so that min. distances can be maintained.
• Don’t share tools
• Don’t exchange anything by hand
• Avoid touching your face
• Use approved cleaning methods on items that have been passed between individuals

Government Resources Links
BC Center for Disease control

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19utm_campaign=20200311_GCPE_AM_COVID_2_NOTIFICATION_BCGOV_BCGOV_EN_BC__NOTIFICATION
Federal Government- Information on preventing the spread

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/public-health-measures-mitigate-covid-19.html

Federal Government – Support for Canadians

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2020/03/canadas-covid-19-economic-response-plan-support-for-canadians-and-businesses.html#Support_for_Canadians

Best Regards,

Management
RJS Construction Ltd.

This year RJS Construction received our certificate of accreditation from ContractorCheck. What this means is that RJS was able to complete its standards of policies and procedures to ensure we are able to meet the highest level of safety for our workers and contractors. We use these safety standards on every portfolio we work on. This includes three of our current projects, Aevitas Waste Management, University of the Fraser Valley and Cougar Creek Housing.

What is ContractorCheck?

ContactorCheck assesses different work sites across Canada to make sure they meet the legislative and client requirements of safety. When you get a ContractorCheck you do:

• A full-scale assessment of health and safety, 
• Provide documentation to prove you are upholding training and policy requirements,
• Get accredited to show you meet impeccable  standards

We’ve been loyal to ContractorCheck since 2017 and we’ve made sure to get our certificate renewed every year since then. The same process of getting our documents checked, work environments assessed, and onsite surveying is a part of our four core values: Be Honest, Be Respectful, Be Accountable, and Family First. 

Why is this Important?

We don’t want anything to slip through cracks when we are on-site. So we do routine checks with ContractorCheck to follow compliance and safety standards. We believe accountability is the best and only way to keep a company honest, safe, and respectful to its workers and clients. Not following standards and procedures can mean more injuries to workers, fines, and eventual closures to businesses. If we weren’t following standards and procedures, then it could mean we’re more at risk of work-related injuries and fines. 

Three projects we’re working on around the greater Vancouver region that do pose more challenging safety risks are Aevitas Waste Management Inc, University of Fraser Valley Trades and Technology department, and finally, Cougar Creek Red Door Society and BC Housing project.

Let’s go over the key ways we keep our staff safe in more challenging work environments. 

Aevitas Waste Management: How to Manage Cold Weather

It’s been a cold winter throughout 2020 for the lower mainland, and in response, we prepared our team for the harsher elements. While we may be a hardy bunch of contractors, being in the cold for prolonged periods of time can lead to illness, frostbite, and even hypothermia. 

Our site for the Aevitas Waste Management Inc. is mostly all outside, and we are currently working outdoors on their plumbing and retention tanks.

This is why RJS follows ContractorCheck’s compliance with the Canadian jurisdiction mandate for working in the cold. We provided staff with the proper clothes for sub-zero temperatures and we provided warm zones for when they needed a break. Most importantly, we trained our workers to follow weather conditions and be vigilant about signs of freezing and hypothermia, before it’s too late. 

Doing all of this ensures our sites are safe and productive for our team come rain, snow, wind or shine.

University of Fraser Valley: Working with Electricity

A part of accountability is to be able to train staff in any sort of working environment. How we train our staff has to reflect a changing work environment that can involve working in more dangerous settings such as ones involving electricity. In 2019, ContractorCheck found out the majority of accidents involving machinery on-site could have been prevented if there had been proper training in place.

This is why getting accredited every year is critical. It allows our journeypersons to maintain the highest level of safety requirements at all times. For example, we’re currently working on installing ventilation and electricity at the University of Fraser Valley’s Trades and Technology department. Identifying potential hazards such as working with electrical systems, confined spaces and exposure to silica dust and asbestos, are just some of the things RJS is taking seriously for the safety of our employees.

Reducing our risk of electrical injury means we’re always ensuring that safety equipment is being provided and proper training is being adhered to. We’re very proud to say we’re incident-free thanks to a high level of training and safety precautions for our staff.

Cougar Creek: Creating Safe and Open Dialogue

A construction site may not be like a typical office environment with boardrooms and water coolers. However, it’s still a workplace and should be treated respectfully. It’s not only physical safety we have to watch out for on-site, but the mental and emotional safety of our contractors and residents as well. 

We are proud to be building more affordable housing for families with the Red Door and BC Housing Cougar Creek expansion project. We are doing this while its current tenants still live there, and we’ve put in place resources so both tenants and employees can express-open and safe dialogue of concerns and questions.  

On-site we organize daily meetings and log any complaints or concerns to our direct supervisors for action to be made quickly. We recognize accountability to our work expands beyond our staff and to the residents, we see on a daily basis. To respond quickly and efficiently to everyone we recommend speaking with the RJS onsite attendant or to call us at 604-576-6166 or email us with questions at info@rjs-construction.ca . 

Accountability and family work hand-in-hand at RJS. In order to keep us united, we must create a safe and open space for dialogue. This ensures everyone feels they are a part of the team and can move forward as one.

At RJS We Measure Twice, Cut Once

There’s a saying that goes: measure twice, cut once. It’s no surprise we have to measure every risk before we can make any sort of action on site. The accreditation from ContractorCheck gives us that second measure so we can be even more confident with the cuts we do, so to speak.

We are putting in the extra work to cover all bases at sites such as Aevitas, UFV and Cougar Creek. We know by doing so it will create a safer and confident work environment, for not only us but for everyone around.  

A month into 2020 and RJS has new projects to share, a new plan, along with the same teamwork and values you can rely on. 

In our last blog we talked about the projects we did in 2019 and the massive growth we were expecting this year with new projects and expansions. We want to share a couple of projects that we’ve been working on this past month. We also want to share our experience at this year’s Winter Summit at the Breakthrough Academy and what it taught us about teamwork. 

Without the committed team we have at RJS, going fearlessly toward the future couldn’t be possible. 

New Portfolios for 2020

We’re excited to announce that we have eleven new portfolios coming up this year! One of the major projects we began this month is the 45 unit townhouse owned by Cougar Creek, Red Door Housing Society  and BC Housing in Surrey. We’re doing a complete envelope remediation as well as re-piping, re-modelling and upgrades. Visit our social media regularly to see project updates. 

One of the portfolios we’ll be working on is the pet crematory at Gateway Pet Memorial. We understand how emotional it can be to say goodbye to our little furry friends, and it’s why we feel this is a much-needed service that gives families the best in pet aftercare. 

Another portfolio we’re happy to announce is the expansion of the office and warehouse of Thirst First Coffee in Surrey, BC. We know how much people love their coffee in BC, so we’re excited that Thirst First will be starting their own roasting site, right here in Surrey. 

Both Gateway and Thirst First will begin their permit process in May. You’ll notice that a lot of our projects this year are happening in Surrey. We’re very proud of the fact that more and more people look to Surrey for growth and opportunity, and we’re honoured to be supporting that growth with the best quality construction possible.

Winter Summit and Moving Forward in 2020

As we explained in our last blog, this year we will be increasing our company’s growth by 60%. But the question of how we move forward with that growth is one we’ve been navigating through.

We began to get our answers when we recently took part in the Winter Summit organized by Breakthrough Academy January 9th-11th. The summit brought together many of our peers and trades professionals to discuss strategy and growth using the BTA Management System. During the summit, our founder, Ryan Steward, was invited to speak on a panel where they discussed:  

• How to strategize a plan and move fast. 
• How to quickly implement that plan.
• The value of good teamwork.

At the summit, Ryan also heard from Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Breakthrough Academy’s keynote speaker, who spoke about vision and teamwork. Brian said that at one point in 1997 he understood that in order for his company to grow, he needed a team that shared his same vision. So, he hired new staff committed to wanting to grow with the company and see it succeed. He even changed his tagline to one that would reflect his culture of his team: It’s All About People. Now, since 1998, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has made over $105 million in revenue and is found in 150 countries. Brian said he attributes this success to a focused and valued team. 

The winter summit was a great opportunity for RJS Construction to network with other peers and strategize our plans for the future. After the summit, Ryan recognized now was the time to meet with the rest of his team and understand what they saw for themselves and for RJS in the next five years. He held a company-wide meeting to ask them what they thought.

How RJS values teamwork to move forward as a whole

A main theme at the meeting was how to keep good communication going among our team. In the last few months we’ve hired new employees and accepted new opportunities, and of course this new growth brings on it’s own set of challenges. We discussed how to revamp our Goal Setting Review meetings with each employee by making them more efficient and consistent. We also discussed having regular company wide meetings in order to become more transparent as a company. 

Another theme was continuing our company culture. RJS takes pride in every team member and we treat each other like family. Our staff explained this is a big reason why they stay with us and hope to continue these team outings as we grow larger. We agreed to budget for quarterly fun events organized by a different team member each time. We agreed this a great way to build morale and share in a little friendly competition on who can organize the best event. 

No matter how much we grow, RJS is a company that values everyone’s role on the team. We frequently host company wide fishing trips and camping trips to bond our staff together, and we’ll continue those traditions throughout the next five years. We do this because, as Brian Scudamore said, we can’t move forward into the future without our team looking in the same direction. 

At RJS It’s About the People

We feel confident about the future thanks in part to the winter summit, our new portfolios and our team vision. We are excited by the prospect of success in 2020 and we feel we have the right tools to see RJS thrive in the next 5 years.

When everyone looks forward in the same direction, then the sky’s the limit.

Read on to learn what contracts were most memorable for us this year, what our highlights included and which value we take most to heart.

Memorable Portfolios of 2019

Our Aevitas and BC Housing contracts were two huge sources of pride for our entire team this year. Our hard work paid off and thanks to our growing reputation within Metro Surrey, we were pre-selected for RFPs with Coquitlam & Surrey Schools, UFV and YVR Airport. 

We were deeply satisfied with the work completed on commercial projects like Shaughnessy Station, Cloverdale Curling Rink, and University of the Fraser Valley.

Our residential projects also increased this year, thanks to referrals from our fantastic clients. Small businesses like ours rely on referrals and it warms our hearts to know our clients recommend us to their friends and family.

You might notice that a great many of our 2019 contracts were for medium to larger organizations. We’re happy to say that this year we gained the trust of crown corporations and it led us to branching out into institutional contracts.

Awards and Recognition

In June, after months of meetings and quite a large presentation, we were selected as a contractor for the YVR Vancouver Airport. We’re looking forward to showing how we can help our local airport grow, based on mutual values and quality standards of our company.

We also attended the 2019 Construction Leadership Forum in Whistler, BC, last May. We came back with some amazing new insights and inspiration to help grow our business!

And, last February, we celebrated the success of our President Ryan Steward, who was featured in an edition of Renovation Contractor Magazine. Ryan was also awarded Leader of the Year Award from Breakthrough Academy for outstanding leadership achievement. Go Ryan!

Internal Development and Team Building

One of our core values is “family first.” This doesn’t mean just our families at home, but our work family too. As our business grows, it becomes more important to us in providing internal development opportunities and team building events for our staff. 

One of our recent staff outings was a fishing trip! Our staff were able to relax and let loose at Pinantan Lake Resort near Kamloops. It was a fantastic weekend of fishing, bonfires, some great poker games, and even a few beers! Our whole team looks forward to this annual trip each year.

We promise to continue these retreats and events as we move into the new year.

What We Have in Store for 2020

We’re on track to grow our business by 40% in 2020 but we couldn’t have done it all without your help. Word of mouth is a cornerstone to how we grew our business and we’re humbled by your support when you keep us in mind for referrals.

Going into 2020, our tight-knit team is dedicated to providing quality and integrity, good customer service and exceptional craftsmanship. Our office staff will be on the other end of the phone when you need them. Our on-site project managers and site superintendents will continue to be honest, respectful, accountable, and help you with all your renovation or construction needs. 

From our family to yours we wish you a very happy holiday season and a prosperous start to 2020!