Because of its ability to operate under all kinds of conditions and its high standard of work, the construction arm of the Dawson Group of companies – Dawson & Hall – has progressed from the day of its formation in 1946.
And the man who today directs the company, Lloyd Blain was one of the original members of the work force. He entered the industry in the early ’40s serving his carpenter apprenticeship.
“The firm has moved steadily ahead every year,” said Blain, “to the point where today no project is too large. We have the capabilities to build anything.”
Vice-president and managing director for the past 12 years, Blain worked in the field for several years, moving up the ladder to become foreman and later superintendent before embarking on his administrative and executive career.
Past president of the Amalgamated Construction Association of B.C., Blain recalled in an interview that in the first five years, the company – operating throughout B.C. and the Yukon-completed about $2 million of business annually.
“Today, the company with millions of dollars worth of equipment and some 600 persons on the payroll, is capable of performing $20 million of volume per year,” said Blain.
He noted, however, that the labour dispute this year will seriously affect final figures “but, all going well, we will complete in excess of $10 million worth of work this year.”
Blain sees an even greater building ‘boom’ than that of the past few years and said his company “is well-prepared to handle large volumes of work and complex construction projects.
“We anticipate that the construction volume in Western Canada will continue to increase… and the expertise and experience of every construction company will be taxed to the limit.
“In anticipation of this ever-increasing building volume, Dawson & Hall is continually strengthening its organization.
“We are now in a position to handle all forms of contracts, including firm-price contracts, management contracts and owner-developer contracts.
“Because of our versatility, the future obviously holds great promise.”
Dawson & Hall was formed 26 years ago as the building division of Dawson, Wade and Company, Limited, who at that time were mainly involved in road construction.
Specializing in the building of housing and schools, and with the support of the parent company, Dawson & Hall progressed much faster than would normally be expected with a small company.
Among major projects handled over the years are numerous buildings on the University of B.C. campus, the Centennial Pavilion of Vancouver General Hospital and the hospital at Whitehorse, Yukon.
Residential projects include such impressive highrise structures in Vancouver as Denman Place and Panorama Place.
Dawson and Hall also constructed Neptune Terminals bulk loading facilities in North Vancouver, the Deas Island Tunnel, the Granville Street bridge and a number of banks and office buildings.
One project that taxed the ingenuity and capability of the company was installation of the Grouse Mountain Sky Ride. The rugged mountain terrain made access to the job extremely difficult.
Blain, whose activities encompass all phases of building construction, is also vice president and managing director of Sansan Installations Ltd., and a director of several other companies in the Dawson Group.