Indigenous Company Focused on Representing The Under-Represented
RavenStone Construction team members
DUNCAN – When RavenStone Construction is at work, they’re building with three pillars.
“We always reflect back to see if the job aligns with our three pillars: RSC,” states RavenStone CFO Kathy Parkinson. “R is for Relations with our workers, customers, and anyone else we are working with. S is for Salish, as we are Coast Salish. And C is for Community, because we support and work within our community.”
RavenStone Construction is an Indigenous company started by Kathy’s late father, Ted Williams and her brother Dan Williams in 2020, and Kathy came on board later to join the vision in launching and supporting its growth. Her father and Dan became partners in Porlier Pass Contractors in 2019, which is a sister company that works closely with RavenStone today.
“We created RSC with the vision in mind that we are Cowichan Tribe band members, and we wanted to create a space in the construction industry for Indigenous workers,” she explains.
“A lot of times, proponents will come into our communities that are mandated to work with First Nations people, and when the job is done they just leave. We started RSC to create long-term employment, mentorship and educational opportunities for First Nations workers.
RavenStone Construction workers at the new Cowichan High School site in Duncan
The company started with five employees and now there are 18, including three active carpentry apprentices, heavy equipment operators, pipe layers and labourers.
RavenStone has been providing sub-contractor services to a number of companies, including WestUrban Developments of Campbell River Westmark Construction of Nanaimo and Chandos, also an Indigenous owned firm that is working on the National Centre for Indigenous Law that is being built at the University of Victoria. They were also did much of the work on the Helping House project.
Their team has been working on the new Cowichan High School in Duncan, next to the Trans-Canada Highway.
RSC is creating long-term employment for First Nations workers
“Alanna Keller is one of our foremen, and she’s amazing,” says Kathy, noting she is working on the high school project. “She was in Alberta and my brother has known her for a long time and she wanted to come back home. It took a lot of encouraging, but we wanted her to join our team with her strength and leadership.”
Kathy views RavenStone Construction as a company that “represents the under-represented”, as 95 per cent of their employees are First Nations.
“It is super exciting that we are 100 percent Indigenous owned, and we are really building up the middle class,” she states. “We are seeing tremendous growth with each worker we have.
“As an owner, there’s a huge responsibility to have all these people depending on you, to make sure that we have work lined up, and the financial responsibilities. But it is so rewarding to see people progress and develop, for their families.”
Kathy notes that the company has several up-coming projects in Nanaimo and Victoria.
“We are a family company,” she says. “My brother and I trust each other, and we’re successful because we support each other. There are a lot of people in industry that understand reconciliation and are excited to support what our mission is in our communities. There’s definitely a market for what we’re offering.”