From left, Tina Brooks, Savanna Constable, Cheryl Wilson and Jessica Kologie
NANAIMO – Savanna Constable grew up in the company her parents, Troy-Anne and Greg Constable, started, and knows it like the back of her hand.
Little wonder Savanna is now the Operations Manager at award-winning IWCD, which recently achieved Platinum status for the third straight year in the annual list of Best Managed Companies in the country. After completing the Architectural and Building Technology (ABET) program at BCIT, she returned to her roots at IWCD in Nanaimo in 2015 with her husband, Patrick Brandreth, who is now the company Vice-President.
“The construction field was an easy choice for me as both my mom and dad started IWCD (formally knowns as Island West Coast Developments), back in 1986 so I was always around it, and most of the time there was some form of talk about it around dinner table,” she recalls. “I have been lucky enough to get one-on-one mentorship from my dad, who is a wealth of knowledge, especially in business.
“There are many pros and cons to working with both your spouse and parents all in one office, but we have been getting better at knowing when to end the ‘business talk’ and start family time. We definitely have to be a team in and out of the office.”
IWCD has a large number of females working in project coordinator and project management roles, and Savanna is impressed with their attention to detail and ability to multi-task.
From left, Savanna Constable and Tina Brooks
“Being a women in the construction industry definitely has its challenges, but I’d say as long as you have an ‘easy going’ personality, know your stuff and have fun while doing it, you will get along just fine,” she remarks. “Men in the trades are a wealth of knowledge, so by going out to sites, talking to them, asking questions, showing interest, you gain a ton of expertise and start building those lasting relationships at the same time. Building relationships in the industry is huge, especially when doing business on Vancouver Island.”
Part of Savanna’s responsibilities includes human resource functions like training and recruiting. IWCD has been growing exponentially in the past three years, and the company is always looking for more employees.
“We are hiring like crazy both in our Victoria and Nanaimo offices for all positions, in-office and on-site,” she states, adding their current needs include project managers, site superintendents, estimators and safety officers.
“We need to find the right people to join our team/family,” she notes. “We are a family based company with a fun/family like culture. Team events such as company BBQ’s, summer events, Friday pot luck breakfasts to name a few are important to the company.”
Savanna also points out that IWCD offers industry-leading salaries and benefits that include extended health and dental, RRSP matching, a generous bonus structure and opportunities for career advancement.
