Leading the Industry with Multiple Construction Disciplines

Vic Van Isle Group
Written by fmgadmin

In 1983, a group of employees from Revelstoke Construction formed Vic Van Isle Construction and became active in the construction industry. Two years later, when Braniff Construction went out of business due to a tragedy, two key employees formed the ownership group of Vic Van Isle as well as a large group of Braniff employees which doubled the company’s size.

In 2009, the company restructured to become The Vic Van Isle Group, with multiple divisions to serve specific needs in the construction industry.
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VVI Construction Ltd. is a proven general contractor and design builder with an enviable reputation for competence, quality and client satisfaction. Evolving from its roots as Revelstoke Construction and Braniff Construction in the 1980s, the company has grown and diversified into a multi-faceted builder with a dominant position in the interior of British Columbia and Alberta and has now branched out to projects in Ontario.

Throughout the years, VVI Construction has built its reputation for quality through a proven track record of successful schools, hospitals, luxury resort properties, condominiums, recreational complexes, and remote lodges in communities throughout BC. Working in this environment has refined VVI Construction’s skills, as it contributes as part of a team effort between consultants, suppliers and trades in cooperation with the client for efficient execution of the project objectives.

Increasing emphasis on private-sector projects has allowed the company to apply its core construction service to a wide range of project types and contracting methods. The company has become a leader in resort development with projects ranging from Tofino on Vancouver Island to all of the province’s ski areas.

As the market fluctuated, VVI Construction sought a balance of private and institutional projects, including run of river hydro projects, bridges, private sports facilities, reservoirs and other works for government.

VVI Construction provides total commitment to each project it undertakes regardless of complexity, size, or location. The Principals of the company take an active role in production responsibilities, ensuring that the work is expedited with efficiency, integrity and satisfaction for clients’ needs. It is this focus that has earned the company loyalty and respect from its peers, customers and suppliers.

With the company’s head office in Revelstoke, BC and a branch office in Kelowna, VVI Construction is centrally located, providing project management, estimating, purchasing, accounting, and clerical support for all projects. The company’s capabilities in development coordination, design build/turnkey projects, civil construction and logistics management round out the company’s services to a diverse range of construction clients.

The Principals of VVI Construction are active in day-to-day operations, and all major projects have a ‘Principal-in-Charge’ with the authority to commit company resources as required to execute any project.

Qualified staff with professional designations in Gold Seal Certification, LEED Certification, engineering, quantity surveying and project management ensure a capable team for every project. Field forces are mobile and experienced, willing to undertake challenging projects regardless of location, schedule or budget, relying on support from the head office or branch office.

VVI Construction draws on its available resources and provides personnel from various locations for all aspects of the client’s project. Serving a broad geographical area, company personnel are mobile, accessible and committed to be “on-site” as required.

Also included within the Vic Van Isle Group are:
Lortap Architectural Millwork: One of the largest manufacturers of custom casework and millwork in the interior of British Columbia. Lortap Enterprises is the company’s in-house architectural millwork operation which is highly efficient, providing multiple services, estimates and options for clients on all types of projects.

VVI Equipment (Sales and Service): A full service equipment and rental shop offering equipment training, full-time Journeyman Mechanic, Journeyman Welder, Purchasing Manager, Service Manager, and a wide range of heavy equipment and tools.

Glacier Fabricating: This creative team is a small but essential asset within the Vic Van Isle Group. The team has the skills that make dreams a reality when it comes to any type of fabricating needs and has been responsible for some unusual projects, such as aluminum bed frames and shelving, railway rails, hand railings, hydro dam tripods and saddles, and are post and beam experts.

Its staff are both mentors and students of the trade and share equal responsibility to turn out qualified finished products in a timely manner; more importantly, safety comes first. What makes the Glacier Fabricating team the best is that it has the loyalty and drive to be the best they can be.

Glacier Building Supplies: Two independent RONA Building Centers with a strong focus on contractors’ building supply needs. This affiliated company includes a full-service building, offering competitive pricing for clients.

These five divisions have developed an excellent reputation of competence, quality and client satisfaction for The Vic Van Isle Group as a whole and helped it to grow into a diversified builder and manufacturer operating in the interior of British Columbia, as well as Alberta and Ontario.

Values you can count on
The company strives for quality and client satisfaction, and holds the following values dear:
• VVI Construction has a passion for construction and thrives on the challenges of this industry.
• VVI Construction is selective in the work it undertakes and commits the full resources of the company to success on any project.
• VVI Construction will mobilize a competent and safe construction team to any location in BC, Alberta or surrounding areas.
• VVI Construction provides more than just contractor services and can deliver better value to clients needing a broader scope of involvement.
• VVI Construction conducts business with integrity and strives for client satisfaction.

What we do
“VVI Construction has a vast amount of experience and expertise,” says the company. “We build and renovate everything from affordable homes, to world-class mountain resorts… no project is too big or small and we are proud to bring the highest engineering and development standards to every job site.” Its areas of expertise include:
• Residential Home Building and Renovating – building and renovating everything from affordable homes to high-end estates.
• Cultural and Community – developing community and local infrastructure is an important way for VVI to do its part.
• Energy Sector – the company is an expert at executing large scale hydro dam and power structure projects.
• Institutional and Commercial – strict adherence to project management and development best practices ensure timely, on-budget delivery.
• Resorts and Hotels – beautiful and functional are two words often used to describe the company’s resort and hotel developments.
• Civil Construction – the company performs construction of underground utilities, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and roadways.

Equal opportunity employer
“The Vic Van Isle Group would like to take a moment to appreciate, inspire and congratulate the strong women in our company, our partners and elsewhere who are making a difference in the construction industry. In an industry where women have traditionally been an extreme minority, these women work hard to prove that gender is not a determining factor when it comes to attaining the highest level of excellence. As women continue to contribute to an industry in need of more workers, VVI plans to support and empower them in every way possible.”

The Vic Van Isle Group looks for younger workers who are adaptable and eager to train for more complicated positions. The Group has many experienced and seasoned project managers and superintendents who can incorporate apprentices into the workplace and successfully train the younger generation.

“We focus on bringing younger bright people into the office to train them in project management, estimating and contract administration. The people we have brought in are focused with the drive to be successful,” says Lewis Hendrickson. The executive members of the company take an active role in production responsibilities to ensure that the work is expedited with efficiency and integrity while satisfying the customer’s needs.

The Vic Van Isle Group also invests in its communities in British Columbia through charities, local sports teams, food bank, trees for tots, and golf tournaments to name a few. The Group strives to help with the labour shortage in the area and is one of the major tax-paying companies in Revelstoke, which is a significant contribution to the Town of Revelstoke. The company looks to participate in projects that improve communities and quality of life. It is currently working on a campground for Parks Canada in Revelstoke.

Kal Tire Place, Vernon, BC – on time, on budget
VVI Construction recently completed the expansion of the Vernon Multi-Use Facility and is proud to announce that the Kal Tire Place North was handed over to the city of Vernon on time and on budget. In May 2017, VVI was awarded the construction of the new 400 seat arena at the existing Kal Tire Place in Vernon, BC. The project consists of the construction of an additional NHL size ice surface and seating for 400. The main floor has a front lobby with administrative office, a concession, public washrooms, change room facilities and an elevator. The seating is located on the second floor along with a dryland training facility and additional leasable space and connection to the adjoining arena.

The structure is a non-combustible construction, a combination of steel and concrete suspended slab, columns and walls with infill CMU. Exterior finishes include Kingspan composite insulated wall panels, CMU veneer and corrugated wall cladding over an exterior insulation system. VVI’s contract also included the expansion of existing refrigeration to accommodate new ice sheet and installation of new HVAC systems with dehumidification. Civil works entailed removal of existing site material and existing subsurface drainage and provision of compacted structural fill and adjustment to hard landscaping.

VVI’s management team coordinated and supervised the work of multiple subtrades while also supplementing with its own labour as needed. As the project included several sophisticated building systems, including the expansion of the refrigeration plant, mechanical system, building envelope and more, a thorough understanding of construction principles and a keen eye for detail was required daily. With over 20 subtrades performing work on the project, planning and coordinating were of the utmost importance in the project’s successful delivery.

Throughout the project VVI has worked closely with the city’s representatives, MQN Architects and the other consultant teams to ensure project delivery within the target schedule and budget. The city of Vernon was able to host a grand opening on September 7, and the project received several positive reviews.

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