Teamwork Makes Campbell River Construction Firm Successful
Upland Contracting President George Stuart and Company Controller Graham Knutson
CAMPBELL RIVER – The team at Upland Contracting has taken the high road as they’ve served the Vancouver Island construction industry for over 50 years.
“It’s our people that make the company successful, and we have a good, dedicated young staff and employees,” notes President Mark Stuart, who with his business partner and Company Controller Graham Knutson purchased the business from his father, George Stuart, who founded the business in 1969.
George and a group of investors bought Mt. Washington Alpine Resort in 1989, and sold it in 2015 to Pacific Group Resorts Inc.
Mark literally grew up in the business, adding “I started sweeping the maintenance shop in 1982, operating equipment in 1988, and joined management in 2001.”
One of the Uplands gravel pits that produces aggregates for customers
Today, his responsibilities include business development, business planning and aggregate sales.
Upland Contracting includes a large fleet of equipment, mechanical and technical support, and has participated in many prominent, high profile projects for both private and public sector clients such as the City of Campbell River, City of Courtenay, Comox Regional District, Cermaq Canada, Grieg Seafoods, Trafigura Myra Falls, SNC Lavelin, Maryland Estates, Parkway Properties, BC Hydro, Heltsuik First Nations, Department of National Defence Canada, Kinetic Construction, AFC Construction, Rio Tinto, and many others.
Upland Contracting also performs joint venture projects for BC Hydro with their partners at We Wai Kai First Nations.
Members of the BC Construction Safety Alliance, their head office is on the Gold River Highway (Highway 28) in Campbell River.
Upland’s fleet includes large excavators, bulldozers, graders, loaders and packers, enabling them to complete unique projects ranging from simple culvert replacements to complex projects like installing a sand/bentonite mixture in a vertical application – the first of its kind in North America.
Their fleet of trucks includes 60, 40 and 30 ton off-highway rock trucks, end dump boxes, and tandem truck and pup combinations.
They have civil contracting services that assist in all types of construction, from subdivisions and highways to pipeline construction and land reclamation. Upland also works on large projects as a general contractor covering all aspects of construction.
“We are also constantly striving to find new, more efficient methods and equipment to help clients achieve their goals on time and on budget,” says Stuart.
Northwin Environmental Ltd. is an affiliated company to the ownership of Uplands. Northwin operates a brand-new, privately-owned landfill facility on the Pit property that receives impacted soils. This facility is the benchmark in modern landfill design and is the first of its kind in BC.
Aggregate services Upland offers includes drilling/blasting, primary and secondary custom crushing and aggregate supply.
Stuart says the aggregate aspect of the company continues to grow in popularity.
“We have the best quality raw materials, resulting in less than one half percent waste by-product,” he notes.
People are the prime mover in the success of a business and the management at Uplands tends to see the employees as people building careers in addition to being part of a Team.
Stuart notes that Uplands is committed to providing employees with a safe, diverse and supportive work environment.
“Only through our employees can we provide our valued customers the guidance and expertise needed to carry their vision and requirements to completion,” he adds. “We know the most important part of our company is our employees. We have comprehensive policies in place to ensure that the safety of our work force is job number one.”
Growth has continued at a steady pace over the years, due to the company’s commitment to diversification and customer relations.
Upland Contracting is proud that its owners and top management are residents of Campbell River, and that they’ve made significant contributions in making the city an even better place to live.
They’ve made donations to various local organizations, including the Campbell River Salmon Foundation, Special Olympics, Campbell River Water Park, Rotary, local sports teams and events, and the Campbell River Motor Cross Track, amongst others.