When you have plans for a construction project and quotes come back too high, who do you call? WBS Construction.
Founded in 1981, WBS Construction, also known as Winkler Building Supplies Ltd., is managed and operated by brothers, Alvin and Harv Thiessen. Headquartered in Winkler, Manitoba and completing projects throughout Southern Manitoba, the company operates with 35 employees and annual revenue of approximately $20 million, providing services for the commercial, residential, and industrial sectors.
WBS: Giving the Dream Shape.
Building begins with a vision for something better; WBS carries the vision until it becomes a reality. President Alvin Thiessen talks about one of the company’s major goals saying they take pride in, “taking a project that’s over budget and turning it into something that’s financially possible.
“We are a builder that goes beyond hammers. We look at ourselves as skill and information technologists. We take the information that is on a blue print and transfer that from paper to experts and subcontractors, and the result is a building,” he continues.
WBS can provide the cost efficiency and works closely with, as Thiessen eloquently states, the “architects who capture the dream and engineers who give the dream structure.”
How do they do this, you may ask? WBS sits down with subcontractors and architects to make a given project a viable goal. “We are the experts on what is efficient in the building process,” Thiessen says proudly.
WBS has managed and built projects that range in size from 1,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet for projects including financial centers, high-rise apartments, car dealerships, churches, educational institutions, large-scale residential developments, bridges, and residences.
For those clients who are already equipped with plans that meet required timelines and budgets, WBS can also provide general contracting services including estimating, arranging of insurance and bonding, regulating health and safety, warranties, and coordination and management of the labor required for the project.
In addition, the company offers top-notch construction planning services for companies that are in the initial stages of the construction process. WBS has the ability to balance the needs of a client’s budget, layout, and quality requirements.
Perfect Examples
In the surrounding community of WBS, clients from the local library to the fire hall turned to the company when they received bids well above their budgets. WBS was able to amend the plans and bring their dreams to fruition. “We went through those projects from top to bottom, worked out the inefficiencies, and retained the visual that the architect put into the project,” says Thiessen.
WBS also completed work for a kitchen cabinet manufacturer. A building with ultra-modern appeal, this project had an open web truss ceiling design such as those that are hidden in many commercial applications. The concrete hallways were brushed with a clear sealant that gives the floor an unfinished look; the benefit being a modern looking floor that requires very little maintenance.
“When you look at the building some would say, ‘you never finished that building!’ but the owners wanted their employees to walk into work every day and see that they are cutting edge,” says Thiessen.
WBS also converted a 100-year-old church into a concert hall. Starting with a gothic-themed façade of stained windows and a peaked top, WBS, together with the architect, saved what they could of the original structure, especially, the acoustics. The city purchased the building and contracted WBS to add a lobby, a new set of stairs, and enlarge the stage to span an entire end of the building. When complete, the building became a 520-seat concert hall.
Inside the Success
As technology has advanced, so has the ability to improve project efficiency and WBS is taking advantage of some of the latest software that allows the company to streamline its already smooth-running processes. The architects and subcontractors who WBS partners with use CAD for estimating and designing which allows for an intricate look at each level of a given project.
“As we re-work projects, we can see the details that make sense to change. The architect can send the building electronically, work with CAD and trade information back and forth, down until we all know each detail of the project,” explains Thiessen.
WBS also elevates the importance of safety and takes part in the COR safety program, a requirement for companies if they want to complete government projects. Being COR certified means that the company complies with rigorous requirements and is inspected regularly. Employees are tested on their knowledge and there are committee meetings on job sites to manage safety on each job. With the company’s in house safety coordinator, the equipment and ladders are also tested.
Ever at the ready, WBS brings in new employees before it direly needs them. Relying mainly on word-of-mouth recommendations, the company also holds a graduate recruitment program with Red River Community College.
With many of the company’s original employees working for WBS, Thiessen says they are planning now for the days when these key components will no longer be with the company. “I like to call it ‘mirror employees,” says Thiessen referring to the company’s mentor program. Anticipating that it can take “20 years to make a leader,” WBS is starting now with the next generation, partnering new with experienced to create this leadership from the ground up.
Nestled in its niche in Manitoba, WBS has remained somewhat sheltered from the economic slowdown. “We are not carrying on as briskly as we were but we should have a solid average year. We don’t get high spikes in Manitoba because we don’t get low lows,” he says.
Moving forward, WBS plans to maintain its dream-delivering niche while continuing its commitment to design. “We will continue to help achieve unique buildings,” says Thiessen simply.
WBS is truly one-of-a-kind, rescuing jobs by taking a vision or a dream and making it a tangible reality in the form of a building.