Montreal contractor Alfonso Argento, the 73rd chairman of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), is passionate about the industry and proud to assume his new role.
Incoming chairman calls for more dialogue at local level to better serve industry
staff writer
Montreal contractor Alfonso Argento, the 73rd chairman of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), is passionate about the industry and proud to assume his new role.
“I feel both humbled and honoured,” says the president and chief operating officer of Seven Brothers Construction Inc., who came to Canada from Italy with his family in the early 1960s.
“I’m also proud to represent all those immigrants who helped shape the nation, not only in terms of culture, but also in the building the skylines of our cities. All those workers have made their mark.”
A past chairman of the Montreal Construction Association, Argento joined the CCA board in 1998. He succeeds Victoria’s Murray Farmer, vice-president of Farmer Management Inc., as head of CCA, which represents more than 20,000 enterprises.
Argento officially takes over March 16 during the association’s annual conference in Hawaii.
The fifth of 12 children, he’s the founding president of family-owned Seven Brothers, which offers general contracting and construction management services for industrial, commercial and institutional projects. The company was set up in 1972.
“One of my brothers retired five years ago, so there are six of us now,” Argento said. “We’re bringing the second generation on board. When you come from a large family, there are lots of nieces and nephews knocking at the door.”
The Argentos also operate Concordia Construction Inc., Junon Inc. and Pirandello Industries Inc., operating respectively in concrete restoration and civil works, real estate development and sales and distribution of construction materials and equipment.
“We pretty much cover the bases,” Argento said in reference to the activities of the diversified group of companies. “It’s a good way to ensure that what we do, we do well the first time, so we don’t have to come back and correct anything.”
Argento, who has taken numerous courses in such fields as project management, contract administration and risk management, sees his term as chair of the CCA as an opportunity to give something back to the industry.
At CCA, implementation of the association’s new five-year strategic plan is a top priority.
The plan calls, in part, for CCA to strengthen its partnership with its member associations, streamline its internal organization and enhance both internal and external communications efforts.
“We want to build a better dialogue with the local associations so we can better serve the industry throughout Canada and better communicate the value that CCA brings to its members,” Argento said.
He’s also keen on encouraging young people to consider careers in construction.
“Construction is often regarded as an industry where you end up by default,” Argento said.
“We’d like to see people come here by choice, because it’s a place where you can earn your living decently and well.”
The association recently held its annual conference this week (March 12 to 17) in Hawaii.
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