VAR-CONNECT

VAR-CONNECT
Varcon Construction Corporation Employees and Friends Newsletter
Issue #4, Winter 2014
Varcon Celebrates 20 years in Construction
V
arcon celebrates its 20th Anniversary in Construction. Varcon’s
Owner, Angelo Riccio came to Toronto
from Italy with his family in May of
1956. After high school, Angelo attended Marvel Hair Styling School where he
met his wife Josephine in 1962. They
opened several successful Hair Salon
Shops throughout the GTA and the first
salon still remains open on Rambler
Drive in Brampton. In 1974, Angelo
tried his hand in Construction and
gained experience working with Bradsil, Gottardo, Gottcon and several other
construction companies operating at
that time. “Construction was very different in those days, Companies didn’t
have to prequalify to tender work. You
could bid on multi-million dollar projects with no experience and the low bid
usually got the work. Deals were made
on a handshake, sub-trades worked
well together and Government jobs
didn’t have upfront Consultants—you
normally worked directly with the
Architect and Government Inspectors
during construction.” explained Angelo.
In 1994, Angelo and Vito started
Varcon Construction Co. Ltd. Josie
came up with the Varcon name over
dinner one evening. The V for Vito,
A for Angelo, R for Riccio and Con for
Construction.
Their first projects included schools,
health clubs, restaurants, plazas and
they developed their own properties
in Hamilton. In 2006, the business
was Incorporated as Varcon Construction Corporation and since has
grown from a small crew to almost
200 employees. Angelo attributes
their success and growth to the wonderful employees and customers
they’ve been pleased to know and
work with over the years. We hope to
continue our growth pattern.
In 2013, Varcon was honoured as one
of the top 500 Fastest Growing
Companies in Canada as well as
one of the top 50 General Contractors in Canada.
In order to celebrate this achievement, Varcon will be tagging their
vehicles with the above logo and
we’ll also ensure our social functions this year are more special in
order to celebrate this achievement.
Christmas Colouring Contest Winners
Ages 2-5
Winner Ciera Bambrick
Ages 6-9
Winner Fionna Cruz
Ages 10-12
Winner: Mackenzie Eremita
Congratulations to everyone who took the time to colour a picture. The judges had a difficult time making their decision. The above winners were given a $25 Walmart Gift Card.
Page 2
VAR-CONNECT
Health & Safety - Cold Weather Alert!
At very cold temperatures, the most serious
concern is the risk of
hypothermia or dangerous overcooling of the
body. Another serious
effect of cold exposure
is frostbite or freezing of the exposed
extremities such as fingers, toes, nose
and ear lobes. Hypothermia could be
fatal in absence of immediate medical
attention.
Warning signs of hypothermia can
include:
 Complaints of nausea
 Fatigue
 Dizziness
 Irritability or euphoria
 Pain in their extremities (hands, feet,
ears, etc...)
 Severe shivering
Workers should be moved to a heated
shelter and seek medical advice when
appropriate.
Additional Prevention Tips:
 To prevent excessive sweating while
working, remove clothing in the following order:
 Mittens or gloves (unless you
need protection from snow or
ice)
 Headgear and scarf
 Then open the jacket at the waist
and wrists, and
 Remove layers of clothing
As you cool down, follow the reverse order of the above steps
Prevent contact of bare skin with cold
surfaces (especially metallic) below –7°
C as well as avoiding skin contact
when handling evaporative liquids
(gasoline, alcohol, cleaning fluids) below –4°C. Cover metal handles and
bars with thermal insulating material.
Sitting or standing still for prolonged
periods should also be avoided.
Balanced meals and adequate liquid
intake are essential to maintain body
heat and prevent dehydration. Eat
frequently—you’re body is working
harder to keep warm. Hot nonalcoholic beverages or soup are best—
avoid or limit caffeinated drinks such
as coffee as they increase urine production and may cause dehydration.
Wear the appropriate PPE:
 Multiple layers of protective clothing
including a hat and gloves
 Felt-lined, rubber bottomed, leathertopped steel-toed work boots with
removable felt lining
 Thick bulky socks or two pairs, one
pair acting as a liner
 Face and Eye Protection
Q the Differentiator
In the last article I discussed how
each of us impact Quality, for this
article I would like to explore the
question; “What differentiates Varcon
from the competition?”
Remember the last time you bought a
car, what made you decide on the
vehicle you purchased? Was it the
GPS, the back-up camera, or the DVD
system that caught your eye? These
options are referred to as features
(aka bells and whistles). Features are
used to differentiate products; unfortunately since they are easily replicated the difference is short lived. Remember it was only a few years back
these items were only offered on the
high end vehicles; lately, these options are quickly becoming commonplace. Features are not a way to set
Varcon apart from the competition.
Maybe you decided solely on price;
buying the lowest priced vehicle. Not
finding the lowest price for the vehicle
you want but finding the cheapest car
offered. They say you get what you
pay for. What about companies getting into a pricing war for our business? I know we all love a deal but
unfortunately this method is not sustainable. Companies must earn a
profit to stay in business to support
their products, to honour warranty
commitments and to continue improvement of their product. Lowest
price is not a great way to set Varcon
apart from the competition.
Maybe you decided on what vehicle to
buy due to availability or short lead
times. These days this is not a differentiator as every car maker has ample
inventory and short lead times. Furthermore as a Lean practitioner I am
aware of the costs and wastes associated with maintaining high inventory
levels. Lead times or inventory is not
a way to set Varcon apart from the
competition.
Since our clients don’t award contracts based on features, or lead time;
and lowest price is no longer the most
important differentiator what are
they looking for? Clients want to
partner with a Company that not only
have the capability to construct the
project but also experience minimal
issues during construction. After all
you don’t want to buy a car from a
dealership known to have substandard service or employees that are often less than desirable to deal with.
As mentioned previously, Quality is
about the entire experience; both the
product and the process must be
pleasant.
So what is it that differentiates Varcon from our competition, it’s us. The
people in the Company, the choices
we make and the processes we use
are what creates Quality and prevent
problems or conflict. These attributes
are nearly impossible for our competitors to copy. Good people, good choices and good processes make Varcon
effective, efficient and profitable; this
makes us a strong, competent and
fierce competitor.
Quality is the Differentiator!
Canada’s Top
General Contractors
Varcon has been recognized as one of
the Top 50 Leaders in Construction for
Eastern Canada, in the recent “The
Leaders in Construction” magazine
published by Reed Construction Data.
We are very proud to receive this honour and will continue to plan, execute
and be the Leader on every project we
are involved in.
As the demand for quality and leadership grows, we will endeavour to continue to strive for success as one of
Canada’s Top General Contractors.
Issue #4, Winter 2014
Page 3
The Five Laws of
Stratospheric Success
The Law of Value
Your true worth is determined by how much more you
give in value than you take in payment.
The Law of Compensation
Your income is determined by
how many people you serve and
how well you serve them.
The Law of Influence
Your influence is determined by how
abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
The Law of Authenticity
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
The Law of Receptivity
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
© Bob Burg and John David Mann
New Varcon Projects
starting Soon
Anne Street Off-Line Storage Tank, Whitby
Varcon was recently awarded a $3.4Million project
which involves the construction of a new large sanitary detention tank with a wash water system. Varcon will install a shoring system in order to excavate
the area where the tank and underground piping
system will go. Our work involves restoring, paving,
grading as well as landscaping services. Congrats to
our Project Team!
Project Team:
Chief Estimator: Jay Vaithlingam
Construction Manager: Dan Gargaro
General Superintendent: Mark Beatty
Project Manager: Paul Ficara
Site Superintendent: TBD
Hanlan Road Feedermain Contract 1, Mississauga
Varcon’s Formwork Division will begin work on three
Chambers over the next two years. Our scope includes supply and installation of formwork to base
footings, rafts, walls, columns, suspended slabs and
curbs as well as rebar and accessories.
Project Team:
Chief Estimator: Elias Haddad
Construction Manager: Mark Golding
General Superintendent: Nello Cocchi
Project Manager: Nofal Boulos
Site Superintendent: TBD
2013 Christmas Gala
V
arcon was pleased to welcome their employees,
customers, suppliers and friends to the 2013
Christmas Gala held at Le Jardin Banquet Hall in Woodbridge. The warm ambience of the party was a welcome
respite from the
extreme cold
weather and impending snow
storm brewing
outside. A special thanks to
Tania Riccio for
organizing and
Connie Beatty
and her team for
decorating the
hall and making it so festive.
Raising Money for Charity
Want a way to keep cool this summer? Get down and dirty
by participating in Mud Hero. This year the Toronto event
will be held on August 23, 2014 at Albion Hills Conservation Area in Palgrave, 15 minutes north of
Varcon’s office off Hwy #50.
Helen Hynd and friends
Before & After Photos
Mud Hero raises money for Princess Margaret Hospital,
Camp Oochigeas (provides sick children with a camp experience) as well as other local cancer charities.
The idea is to get people out of their comfort zones and experience an amazing time with friends and family knowing
you’re helping to raise money for cancer. At last year’s
event more than 5,500 people participated and hundreds of
thousands of dollars raised. The event is very well organized with many volunteers working at registration, handing out water, and hanging medals over your neck at the
finish line. No matter your age or fitness level, you can
complete the 6km and 18+ boot camp inspired obstacles.
Afterwards you can chill out at the Beer Garden, enjoy the
BBQ, swim in the lake, listen to the DJ or live entertainment. Basically for $60 you get entry to the race, a chip
that monitors your time, a ticket for a free beverage, group
photo and a lot of fun in the mud! Check out their website
at www.mudhero.com.
New Office Staff:
Owen Gao, Site Administrator
Dan Gargaro, Construction Manager, ICI
Prem James, Site Superintendent,
Niagara Regional Police HQ
Dhiya Mohammed, QC Inspector
Hourly Field Employees:
Peter Cox
Uka Demokrat
Gazmend Kajtazi
Andrew Maguire
Local 18—Carpenters, Hamilton
Robert Alves
Berry Brandon
Marvin Cameron
Ryan Lepp
Local 27—Carpenters, Toronto
Michael Johnson
Frank Longoi
Luis Lopez
Local 183—Labourers, Toronto
Michael Beron
Darrell Critch
Laurindo DaSilva
Bryan Randle
Carlo Rodriguez
Shawn Sousa
Local 247—Labourers, Kingston
Stuart Bisset
Dylan Hewitt
Local 249—Carpenters, Kingston
Local 397—Carpenters, Pt.
Hope
Roy Blakely
John Kosichek
Chase Palmer-Roussy
Local 506—Labourers, Toronto
Andrew Antoniak
Local 793—Operators, Toronto
Joe Azevedo
Local 837—Labourers, Hamilton
Joe Scaringl
Harold Wutzke
Zack Kukavica
Roland Wilson
Vito and Sue Riccio are the proud
parents of a new baby girl, Alyssa
born Jan 8th, weighing 6lbs 13oz.
Brothers, Angelo and Michael are
excited to be big brothers. Congratulations to the Riccio and Deyhori
Families on their new bundle of joy!
Anne Thomas, Varcon’s Receptionist
has become a Grandmother for the
3rd time to daughter Amber’s new
baby boy Xavier, born Feb 1, weighing 8lbs 1oz. Congratulations to
Anne and her family on the new addition to their families.
Carlo Osellame, Project Manager at
our CFB Trenton project welcomed a
new grandson Liam Paul on Dec 17
weighing 7lbs 2oz. This is Carlo &
Mary’s fourth grandchild.
Congratulations Carlo and family.
We need your contributions for future publications. Let
us know when there is a newborn, wedding, milestone
event, anniversary or a community or charity event
that you’re involved in. We want to share our wonderful news with other Varcon employees and friends.
With the 2014 Winter Olympic
Games recently being held in Sochi,
Russia, we thought
it would be fitting to
focus the Wellness
topic on the values of having a balanced, healthy and fit lifestyle. Activity and exercise gets more important
as we age and with our busy lives
there are always excuses for not taking the time to exercise. Physical activity actually increases our energy
levels, both physically and mentally,
so anyone who thinks they are too
tired to get up and go—they are the
ones who need to do it the most!
Exercise can help you work through
emotional and stressful issues—start
listening to your body as it has a natural intelligence that will tell you
what’s going on. Forget the weight-
loss medication—there are no magic
solutions, no pills but instead, it’s all
about a balanced lifestyle.
Start with small steps and keep adding one more step every time you
move. The partner to healthy moving is healthy eating—stop eating
muffins, candy, breakfast bars, sugary pop and juices. They are fattening and bad for your general health.
Join a gym, fitness class or just get
out in the fresh air and walk—and
stick with it. Dust off that treadmill
or elliptical you bought a few years
ago and get busy. With only 30
minutes a day 3 times a week, you
will start feeling the benefits almost
immediately—physically and mentally. You need to find something you
like to do indoors that you’re comfortable with. Variety in workouts can
ensure you retain an interest in
working out so mix it up—yoga,
running, bicycling, stretching and
weight lifting will ensure you work
all aspects of your fitness. You’ll
not only set a good example for your
children but you may never have to
diet again.