Stephen Hardcastle was getting ready to retire from his lengthy career as a scientist with Natural Resources Canada when an opportunity came along he couldn’t resist.
In February, South African Bluhm Burton Engineering Pty Ltd (BBE) decided to set up a branch of their consulting services in Canada, with their offices set in the shadow of the Superstack in Sudbury.
“I was considering retiring from the government,” said Hardcastle, who had 30 years’ experience in mine ventilation and occupational hygiene. “But BBE gave me a nudge that made it very attractive.”
BBE has offices in South Africa, Australia and now Canada, and works with businesses around the world. They serve all sectors and take an integrated approach to ventilation, bulk air conditioning, refrigeration and chilled water reticulation. Their Canadian offices will primarily work with the mining industry.
“We responded to industry requests as business increased in Canada,” said Hardcastle. “Sudbury and Northern Ontario are recognized as a mining hub for service providers, there’s a proximity to major players and to the other consultants, and Toronto would be too disjointed from the mining.”
Hardcastle said they have contracts in place that predate the expansion, and he is currently working on new ones.
BBE Consulting Canada anticipates they will work with a range of companies, including the major players like Glencore and Vale, and team up on proposals with smaller consulting firms that may not have the same expertise as BBE.
The Sudbury office currently acts as a “storefront” for the consulting company, with no equipment on site, but Hardcastle said there is potential for there to be a lab eventually.
At the moment, Hardcastle is the only employee on site, but he has been tasked with hiring two more staff within the next year, which he anticipates will be a challenge. BBE was lucky to grab him while they could.
“There isn’t a lot of expertise in the field,” said Hardcastle. “People like me are in high demand.”
