How do you mesh a worldwide contingent into a tight-knit team?
For a prime example of how to decipher that conundrum, look no further than J.S. Redpath Mining Contractors and Engineers.
What started as a homegrown operation more than 50 years ago has blossomed into a worldwide operation, spanning Indonesia, Mongolia, Europe and Mexico.
With 108 projects currently on the go on more than 70 sites in 17 different countries, a vast spectrum of in-house talent to maintain the mosaic of mining projects is crucial.
But Redpath’s hub and headquarters remain firmly ingrained in North Bay and, as the longest standing mining contractor in Canada, the 650 regional employees have had to think globally while acting locally.
In staying true to a philosophy and set of guidelines penned by company founder Jim Redpath, the mining contractors stay steadfast in putting their most powerful resource first: the people.
Not one to beat around the bush, the company’s blunt patriarch left no questions asked when he said the company lives and dies by its employees.
As their ideology implies, long before there was a plethora of world-class equipment in Redpath’s possession, there was nothing but the people to propel the company.
Challenging the employees
For more than 50 years, Redpath has subscribed to the idea that employee satisfaction emanates from a sense of growth and contribution.
As an entity, they are overtly proud of their proven history to innovate and remain progressive despite a volatile market that demands flexibility. But the same progressive philosophy applies to each individual employee as well.
Fostering employee success is a big component of what manifests as workplace pride and consistently completing projects in a way that exceeds client expectations.
“Redpath will invest in employees and seek challenging scopes of work,” said Laura Piché, Redpath’s global marketing manager. “Veteran employee experience and expertise will continue to be blended with current day employee innovation and ideas.
“Our Graduate Development Program and Engineer-in-Training candidates are integral to the continued success of the company,” she continued. “This, coupled with seasoned, hands-on experience, delivers a breadth of expertise to our clients and our communities at large.”
Recognizing the delicate balance between experienced veteran expertise and fresh faces looking to launch a career, Redpath is also taking proactive action for the future.
This is another reason why so many have taken advantage of the in-house-developed training programs that they offer, including their Pathway to Excellence program, raise-boring school, contract management school, train-the-trainer program and leadership development programs, among many others.
“Having been with Redpath for a number of years, I have always been given the opportunity by my superiors to grow as a person and a leader,” said Merv Borgford, a mobile fleet superintendent with Redpath.
“Given these opportunities, throughout my career, it gives me great satisfaction to pass this culture on to the people within my own group, and help them grow as well.
“This, to me, creates a well-rounded team,” he added. “It is also important that employees in the workplace are given recognition of their accomplishments, both in life, and at work.”
Creating a community
Despite the sheer scale of the Redpath operation, many of those inside the company say they have excelled in creating a larger global community.
Company president and CEO George Flumerfelt personally addresses all Redpath employees, worldwide, twice annually, to reunite the company vision and set the standard for transparent, honest communications and a sense of appreciation for reach individual’s job and their company contribution.
“You would be very hard pressed to not hear George emphatically state, in any conversation with any audience, that Redpath is Redpath solely because of its people,” said Piché.
“There is a sincere common thread of teamwork throughout JSRL.”
Safety: First, Last, and Always
In an industry that has long been associated with inherent safety risks, Redpath is quick to point to its strict safety standard.
Redpath has placed a precedent on employee-recognized safety by promoting acknowledgements like the peer-nominated Safe Worker of the Quarter award and the Redpath Safety Innovation Award, which publicly recognizes the employees for their contribution to a safer work environment and rewarded them for those efforts.
That emphasis continues to pay off as well, with the company’s most recent numbers telling the tale of more than 2.1 million hours worked without a lost-time injury in 2014.
As a microcosm for their steadfast commitment to safety, each and every edition of the group’s global newsletter is opened with a message from the company’s safety manager.
This, too, has compounding effects into the workers’ personal lives as well, with the corporation encouraging family members to participate with the employees in a wealth of safety training programs.
Location, location, location
One of the less obvious perks in working for J.S. Redpath is the company’s advantageous location.
With four offices in North Bay and two others in Sudbury and Timmins, Redpath’s headquarters are well-positioned for what it refers to as a high quality of life.
The team’s long list of social activities include annual golf tournaments, curling funspiels, weekly barbecues, courtyard-meet-and-greets, family picnics, fishing tournaments, ultimate Frisbee tournaments and on-site floor hockey matches in the company’s basement facility.
That, in tandem with a wealth of opportunities for global travel, is a formula that allows the employees to make the most of their surroundings while also embracing new settings, cultures and experiences.
“Any time someone asks me what I do for a living, and I reply I work for J.S. Redpath Limited, the feedback is always the same: ‘That’s a really good company to work for. They treat their employees really well,’” said Marilyn Conrad, manager of corporate services and benefits and a 34-year Redpath employee.
“My reply is always, ‘Yes, Redpath has always been a great place to work.”
