The 1970s was a decade of incredible growth in Calgary as hundreds of businesses set up shop in the city and the population soared. It created the

perfect opportunity for Colin Lawson to start his project management company, Colin Lawson Projects Ltd., in 1976.

At the time, the concept of independent project management was foreign to most people, and Lawson had to find a way to define the service as he went in order to sell his company to potential clients.

“It required a bit of a leap of faith. There’s no direct comparison between a project we’ve been hired on and a project we haven’t,” says Normand Landry, director and senior project manager.

Colin Lawson spent the first 20 years in business defining what independent project management was and demystifying the often intangible impact the work had on projects. As the message spread and the value was recognized, Lawson Projects grew, one client at a

By Rennay Craats

L A W S O NP R O J E C T S

CONSTRUCTIONEXECUTIVESON CALL

Lawson Projects Celebrates

40 YearsPhotos, clockwise from top left: Atlantic Avenue Art Block, Calgary | FortisAlberta Inc., Office & Service Centre Construction, Airdrie, AB | Southern Alberta Pediatric Hostel Society, Ronald MacDonald House Construction, Calgary, AB | Willow Park on the Bow, Seniors Residence Construction, Calgary, AB | Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Cowboys Casino, Tenant Improvements, Calgary, AB | Telus World of Science, Creative Kids Museum Construction, Calgary, AB | The Banff Centre, Professional Development Centre Construction, Banff, AB | Sheraton Eau Claire Construction, Calgary, AB

Lawson Projects | 40 Years | 1

Clark Builders appreciates the many years of success in working with Lawson Projects.

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary!

www.clarkbuilders.com

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time, to become one of the largest independent project management firms in Western Canada. The management team grew over the years too: Colin Lawson retired in 2000, handing over the reins to Lorne Larrivee and Ian McMurray. Dave Bartle joined in 2006 and became a director in 2007, Normand Landry joined in 2008 and became a director in 2009 and then Bruce Yorga and Jason Ragan joined as directors in 2014.

Now the six owners are implementing a multi-year succession plan that will allow the senior owners to

reduce their work commitments while the newer and future owners carry on with the bulk of the business.

“There’s no foreseeable end in sight to the way we operate,” says Landry.

They are continuing on with what has always worked, and that is providing quality management while forging strong relationships with longtime customers who recognize the benefit of what project managers do.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in understanding how independent project management services adds value to a project,” Landry says.

This value can take many forms depending on the project. Managers lead projects from concept to completion, offering anything from feasibility studies to budgets, assembly and coordination of development and design teams to supervision of contractors. They also offer a fully financed energy savings retrofit program to help clients lower overhead costs and make their buildings more marketable to tenants.

Project managers most commonly act as the owner’s representative on a project. They manage and monitor progress, implement decisions and coordinate all of

Lawson Projects | 40 Years | 2

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Left to right:Normand LandryDave BartleIan McMurrayLorne LarriveeBruce YorgaJason RaganPhoto by Michael Cudjoe Photography Ltd.

SHARING YOUR VISION.BUILDING SUCCESS.

Congratulations to Lawson Projects

on your 40th anniversary.

| BUILDINGS | CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE

| SPECIAL PROJECTS

Construction Management & General Contracting | Building a Better World

2420 39 Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 6X1 • Tel: 403.663.8677 www.westcor.net

Congratulations to Lawson Projects on your

40th Anniversary!From all of us at

Lawson Projects | 40 Years | 3

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Left to right:Normand LandryDave BartleIan McMurrayLorne LarriveeBruce YorgaJason RaganPhoto by Michael Cudjoe Photography Ltd.

Congratulations Lawson ProjectsCelebrating 40 years of being a part of the entrepreneurial energy of our city.

December 19, 2012

Conceptual Design – Proposed Boardwalk and Viewpoint

North Bear Creek – Muskoseepi Park

Congratulations Lawson Projects

on your 40th

Anniversary!

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professionals who share a common desire

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Design for life.

SAHURI congratulates Lawson Projectson 40 years of success.

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the other professionals involved in the process, all the while keeping projects on budget and on schedule. The 16-member Lawson team achieves this with a level of expertise and experience that is well worth the cost.

“Our objective is to reduce the cost of the project by at least the cost of our fee, so the cost of project management services does not add to the total cost of a project. Typically we’re reducing costs beyond our fee so we’re saving the client money when they engage us,” he says.

With exemplary service, quality management and a reverence for budget and schedule, it’s no wonder that Lawson Projects owes much of its growth to referrals. The managers pride themselves on their ability to deliver what they promise and to tailor their service to the clients’ specific requirements.

Offering customized project management services means that Lawson Projects is dedicated to putting the clients’ needs above its own. The principals of the company pay attention to the details, matching each client with the manager who has just the right personality and skill set to foster a smooth and productive relationship. This commitment comes from the top down. There is a principal-in-charge assigned to every project to ensure clients know they are well represented and have access to Lawson Projects’ owners should there be a concern.

“From day one that was the philosophy – to put our clients’ priorities ahead of our own – and it’s still working,” Landry says.

This philosophy is one of the reasons Lawson Projects has endured for four decades. Another is its proven adaptability in both strong and weaker economies over the years. Its clients run the gamut of sectors and many clients, like utilities companies, are relatively isolated from economic downturns and tend to undertake more projects during a slowdown.

Despite the lagging economy in recent years, Lawson Projects has been involved with some exciting, award-winning projects including the dizzying Glacier Skywalk in Jasper, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre expansion and renovation, the Sheraton Eau Claire project, Calgary’s Ronald McDonald House, and a variety of Stampede Park initiatives including Weadick Crossing, Western Event Centre and the current Youth Campus development.

The reinvented Banff Gondola upper terminal is set to open this year, the Calgary Film Centre had its long-awaited grand opening this spring, and the Reid Worldwide Professional Building in Calgary and the Medicine Tree Place seniors’ residence in High River are both slated for completion next year.

With a portfolio of cultural centres, multi-family dwellings, hotels, office buildings, retail locations and industrial developments, this firm truly has done it all over the past 40 years. And no matter the project, from 1976 to 2016, clients have always known that they are in good hands with the dedicated project managers at Lawson Projects. •

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403.265.2000 | www.lawsonprojects.com

Pictured outside of the recently completed Calgary Film Centre are (L-R): Normand Landry, Rick Spiegelberg, Dave Bartle, Jason Ragan, Jordan Lewis, Kris Meyer, Carolyn Boston, Russ Golightly, Sharon Sharpe, Randy Barkley, Judy Jones, Andrea Whitley, Joe Yeryk, Bruce Yorga. Missing: Lorne Larrivee and Ian McMurray. Photo by Michael Cudjoe Photography Ltd.