Built For Success
Viaduct Sheet Metal Ltd. has seen many turns in the road to become one of the top sheet metal companies in BC.
Viaduct Sheet Metal seems a fitting name for Mark Halvorsen’s company – he has crossed many roads and challenges to get where he is today as owner of one of the most successful sheet metal shops in the province.
He raced out of his building technology mechanical services class at BCIT in 1981 as one of the top five graduates and got “one of the best jobs coming out,” he says. “I went to work for the largest sheet metal company, United Metal Fabricators.”
Halvorsen stayed with United for five years, where he trained as an estimator before moving over to Alliance Sheet Metal Works. At Alliance he picked up both project management and business management skills which set him on a course to become an entrepreneur himself.
“After two years at Alliance one of the minor partners, Barrie Bell, and I started Viaduct Sheet Metal,” says Halvorsen. “Within six months we were doing more work than Alliance.”
They incorporated in March 1988 and developed the company together over five years. Sadly, Barrie Bell developed cancer and took time off from the business, and Halvorsen eventually bought him out before Bell passed away a few years later.
As the sole owner, Halvorsen worked hard to grow the company buying a 12,500 sq. ft. production facility in 1998 located in Cloverdale. In 2003 Viaduct bought Fairview Sheet Metal, which helped bring “old time skill and experience to a young shop,” says Halvorsen. In 2004 Viaduct purchased many of United Metals assets when United closed their sheet metal business.
“Many of the people who I had worked for at United now do, or have, worked for us here at Viaduct,” Halvorsen states with a chuckle. “I remember my initial interview at United where I was asked where I saw myself in five years. My answer was, ‘Your job looks interesting; how much do you make?’” The person who interviewed Halvorsen then is one of the ex-United people that now work at Viaduct.
In May of 2007 Viaduct built their latest shop located one block from their previous Cloverdale location. This 22,500 sq. ft. state of the art facility will be pushed to handle the work loads Viaduct has coming up. With a keen eye on his business’ horizon, Halvorsen has broke ground on a 20,000 sq. ft. expansion to the company’s building that will be ready in the second quarter of 2008. “We will be the most advanced full service sheet metal shop in BC,” states Halvorsen.
Viaduct was one of the first shops in BC to introduce 3D technology into its business. “This technology will change the way all construction work is done in Vancouver,” Halvorsen states. “We take the engineers’ drawings and redraw them in 3D. On the computer we are able to walk through each project to locate collision areas or crossover problems with other trades,” says Halvorsen. “This way the site foreman does not need to do much measuring at all. The 3D downloads to our plasma cutters, insulation cutter and coil line,” Halvorsen explains.
Viaduct first used their 3D technology on the YVR West Chevron expansion. That project added a total of 36,500 sq. meters of new space and eight new gates to the International Terminal Building. “That was a five million dollar sheet metal job,” says Halvorsen.
The three million dollar sheet metal portion of the new Holt Renfrew store at Pacific Centre was another project that Viaduct used its 3D technology on. This difficult, time sensitive project required Viaduct to “draw in 3D on the fly” while on site. Halvorsen recalls Holt Renfrew as “a project that has helped expand our capabilities.”
Up next in 3D will be the Vancouver Convention Centre expansion project. “At close to $20 million in sheet metal work this will be one of the largest projects in Vancouver’s history,” Halvorsen states.
“Fifty percent of our costs are in labour, and that can be a challenge,” says Halvorsen. “Materials’ costs are usually fairly static while the cost of manpower can cripple any industry. As a SMACNA-BC contractor affiliated with Local 280 we have worked hard together to ensure the industry has the skilled trades people available when needed. Our industries apprentice school is probably the best of all the local trades and has an incredible record at producing top quality journey persons,” Halvorsen boasts.
Halvorsen beams when asked about the people at Viaduct. “We empower our people and share the fruits of their efforts. We have incredible merit based bonus and profit sharing plans that work. We have in-house training sessions for our crews. Our people are progressive and forward thinking. We have a wealth of quality individuals working for Viaduct, if you want to work hard and be rewarded fairly for your efforts this is the place to work,” says Halvorsen. “We are really looking forward to the challenges the next few years will bring to our industry,” says Halvorsen. “Our team is ready.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Sheet Metal Journal — The Journal of Record for SMACNA-BC.
