By ADELLE LARMOUR
It has been a pivotal year for Sutcliffe Rody Quesnel Inc. (SRQ) in Northern Ontario, marking the end of 100 years of professional engineering and surveying services as it enters into a new phase with the international engineering company Trow Global Inc.
The amalgamation with the Brampton-based firm has been in the making for almost two years, says Dan Cook, SRQ manager of engineering at the Timmins and Cochrane offices. The papers were signed during the last week of October, completing the agreement that will take the company forward.
“We saw it as an opportunity to grow more and take things to the next level,” Cook says. “With more professional and technical staff, scientists, and more resources, it opens the doors to take on bigger projects and have enough people to be able to do that.”
Feeling stretched with its 60 employees in a climate of labour shortage and a booming economy, Cook sees this merger as another iteration of the company’s grow
“We can access people throughout Canada to come into Northern Ontario and work on projects with professional staff along with our own staff,” he says. “On big projects, we can pull team members in within the firm, instead of having to subcontract.”
SRQ touts 100 years of history providing engineering and surveying services to municipalities and infrastructure development along the Highway 11 corridor. Its engineering services range from municipal, civil, structural, transportation and environmental engineering to project management. As one of the largest surveying firms in the area, its services consist of engineering and construction surveys, and land surveying and mapping, using GPS technology.
Originally, Homer W. Sutcliffe provided engineering and surveying services in the New Liskeard area in 1906, forming the company H. Sutcliffe Limited. In 2000, it merged with Rody & Quesnel Surveying Inc. (originally T.E. Rody Limited) in Cochrane, creating SRQ, whose acronym is also service, reliability and quality.
By combining the two complimenting disciplines, SRQ strengthened its position by eliminating some competition and extending its range of services. Establishing joint venture partnerships has been another avenue taken to expand its services. One example is a joint venture with Attawapiskat Resources Inc. performing survey services for the De Beers Victor project.
With the latest merger, SRQ will become part of the Northern Ontario division of Trow Global called the Trow Northern Ontario Group, increasing its workforce to 150 people. This will unite SRQ’s Timmins, Cochrane, New Liskeard, North Bay and Kenora offices with Trow’s workforce in Sudbury, Thunder Bay and North Bay’s Northland Engineering, acquired by Trow about three years ago. SRQ will retain its name as a member division of Trow under the management of James Hawken, engineer and one of six shareholders who sit on SRQ’s board of directors.
Hawken’s is excited about the merger. Coming from a surveying and engineering firm, he says they will be able to market the company’s surveying services through their Ontario branch and beyond, because Trow does not have a legal survey branch.
“We’ll also have access to top-notch technical people in some of the other offices,” he says. “Those are the two big components that are very exciting.”
As the new regional manager, Hawken will leave his political life as mayor of Temiskaming Shores and focus on his new position, managing the Trow Northern Ontario Group. Although each office has its own manager, he will oversee the operations of the various locations across the North, making sure they are aware of and utilize the capabilities within the larger team.
He sees little change in terms of the way the business will be managed, but says by joining forces there will be increased opportunities to share staff, skills and expertise in a co-operative fashion.
“It’s fitting that we’re going from the end of one century and starting the second century with a whole new team to work with. I think this move will ensure that we’re around for another 100 years.”
