Incoming OGCA chair to focus on safety and relationships

Frank Perricone is looking forward to his new role as chairman of the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA).

"I’m always one to give back to the industry that’s done so much for me," said Perricone.

The founder, president and CEO of Percon Construction Inc. was named the new chair of the association during its annual general meeting in Washington D.C. earlier this month.

"We have a great group at the OGCA with the executive and the board, so I’m looking forward to a productive year," he stated.

He will be focusing on three major initiatives during his one-year term: safety, attracting workers from under-represented sectors and developing strong relationships with industry stakeholders.

"We work in a very dynamic industry with great people, passionate people that love what they do," said Perricone. "I would love to see the industry come together as one voice — not just general contractors in one corner and subtrades in another corner. We need to come in as one voice, include the consultants and go to the buyers of construction and say we need to change the way we do things because it’s not working. With a unified voice, we can make a difference and make changes for the better."

Clive Thurston, president of the OGCA, has known Perricone for many years and was the one who convinced him to bring his company into the OGCA years ago.

"I convinced him to give us a chance and now he’s going to be chairman," said Thurston. "He’s a very hard worker, extremely dedicated to the industry and to his family and pretty much epitomizes what we like to think are the best aspects of all OGCA members." In terms of safety, Perricone said cultural changes are required by any organization to implement a successful safety program.

"Companies have to realize that safety is not about making sure your safety manual is up to date and people are trained," said Perricone. "It’s really about changing the culture in your organization to make safety a priority, to make safety top of the list."

Perricone says he has always been a strong advocate for workplace safety.

"I really want to try and focus on getting that message out there to our members and the industry because at the end of the day, what we should all want is an industry that is the safest industry to work in," Perricone stated, adding Certificate of Recognition (COR) certification and the League of Champions are initiatives the OGCA has helped develop that will help the industry move towards creating safer workplaces.

"As far as general contracting, we are one of the safest sectors to work in already, but (we need to) make it so that people involved on the project go home at the end of the work day to their family, safely."

With respect to the shortage of skilled workers, Perricone plans to work with members, stakeholders and government to attract sectors of society that historically haven’t been active in the industry including youth, women and other minorities, he said.

Due to procurement system changes in Ontario, Perricone would also like to focus on developing relationships between the OGCA and other associations such as architects, consultants, government and buyers of construction to create a system that consists of "a fair and consistent process, which will make the procurement process more balanced and more efficient and effective."

Perricone was accepted into the civil engineering program at the University of Toronto, graduated with a bachelor of applied science degree and later received his licence as a professional engineer. He worked for a general contractor for nine years then decided he wanted to be his own boss and opened his own company in 1998, he said. His brother Massimo Perricone became a partner a few years later.

Percon Construction is a full service contractor and builder based in Toronto, specializing in industrial, commercial and institutional building. Perricone is a Gold Seal certified project manager. Some of the major projects the company has worked on include a large addition to a transit facility in Brampton, Ont. and the redevelopment of a long-term care campus in Penetanguishene, Ont. The company also built the first LEED platinum building in Ontario, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s restoration services centre in Vaughan, Ont.