July 2, 2009

AECON

Dave Mackey, who began his career at Peel Construction, is currently in charge of crushing operations at the Aecon quarries.

Aecon honours two 50-year veterans

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

When Everett McIntyre and Dave Mackey joined Aecon Group Inc. back in 1959, they never imagined they would still be there 50 years later.

“You don’t think about things like that,” says McIntyre, who started his career as a bulldozer operator and now acts as a senior special projects adviser at Aecon Infrastructure.

Neither did Mackey. Initially hired as a labourer, Mackey later spent 25 years as an asphalt superintendent. He currently is in charge of crushing operations at the Aecon quarries.

The two were lauded at the company’s recent annual shareholders’ meeting.

“I am very proud to tell you that these two gentlemen are celebrating 50 years, yes, half a century, of continuous employment with Aecon,” said Aecon chairman and chief executive officer John Beck.

In McIntyre’s case, it all started with a stint at Peel Construction, which later would become part of Aecon. His first project was the Highway 400 extension.

AECON

Everett McIntyre’s career highlight was as project manager of the billion-dollar Highway 407 project, where he was in charge of 400 people.

He rose rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to foreman when he was just 23. Two years later, he was a superintendent.

During the course of his career, McIntyre has put down tractor treads on virtually every 400 series highway in Ontario. At one juncture, he helped build Highway 404 from Highway 7 to Highway 9.

His biggest assignment came in 1994, when he was named project manager for the billion-dollar Highway 407 project, then the largest road building job that Aecon had ever tackled. McIntyre had 400 people reporting to him.

“That was probably the highlight of my career,” says McIntyre. “It was a real successful job for everyone.”

He assumed his current position at Aecon Infrastructure upon completion of that project.

Mackey also launched his career at Peel Construction. His first job was cleaning up a subdivision site in Brampton. After a couple of weeks, he was promoted to the asphalt crew. He subsequently was made paving foreman.

In 1967, he took over supervision of a two-tonne portable batch plant in Gananoque. For the next 25 years, he worked as an asphalt superintendent.

Over the years, Mackey and his crews laid asphalt all the way from Gananoque to Exter to Sudbury.

In 1992, Mackey moved over to the Materials Division. As crushing superintendent, he oversees multiple quarry operations.

“I enjoy working with people and I enjoy working with the equipment,” says Mackey, a “hands-on kind of guy” who firmly believes that a good crew is critical to a successful road project.

McIntyre and Mackey are the first Aecon employees to chalk up 50 years with Toronto-based Aecon, Canada’s largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development company.

“Our recognition as one of Canada’s top ten employers (by Hewitt Associates and the Globe and Mail) is evidence that we take the strategic value of our investment in people very seriously,” Beck told shareholders.

“But I believe the real credit for this award is due to the people who have chosen to make Aecon the place where they want to build their careers. We have been very fortunate over the years to have been able to find and develop some very exceptional people.”

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