Top 10 Canadian Construction companies

From coast to coast to coast, there’s a lot of building going on in this country, and much of it is being done by the 34 construction companies that made this year’s PROFIT 500 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies.

Together, these businesses contributed nearly $1.4 billion to Canada’s GDP last year; on average, their annual revenue was just shy of $41 million. The typical company on this list grew sales by 433% from 2008 through 2013; the fastest-growing construction firm in Canada, QuickContractors.com Inc., saw sales spike by 2, 594% over that period.

These booming businesses created 2, 673 net new jobs over the past five years; last year alone, they counted a total of 3, 715 full-time positions on their payrolls.

Here’s more information on Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies, along with some of our favourite business advice from their leaders:

Assembles and installs furniture, electronics, water heaters and other items

Great advice: “Make sure that you’re humble with respect to engaging with as many people as possible and hearing them out, ” says Bouchard. “The vision that I had of our company on Day One changed dramatically as we started to develop. I think if I’d been restrictive and rigid with respect to the way I wanted to approach the business model, we probably wouldn’t be here today. Even though I had a clear vision of what I wanted the business to be, and when things started to change I was open to moving along with that change.”

Provides and repairs residential roofing and siding

Great advice: “The smartest thing I’ve done is bringing on a GM to take over the day to day, ” says Gilbert-Williams. “It was a long time coming. When I got in this business at 18, I didn’t have an education or background, so I decided to outwork people and did 80, sometimes 100 hours a week. After doing that for eight years I lost motivation; I didn’t know why to continue or what continuing even meant. I burned out completely. That’s when I realized I had to step back and trust someone else to run the company for me. So, I hired a consultant to help me find someone, and I hired our GM in November 2012. Now, I can pursue my personal interests and focus on building the company. I have cut my hours in half and it’s enabled my company to grow to the next level.”

Residential construction company

Great advice: “Start small, ” Mercer advises. “Don’t take on more than what you can handle; learn what you’re selling in and out before hiring anyone.”