Newly elected Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) chair Josh Heller, a certified fire protection installer, set his sights on a career in the industry at an early age.
Now vice-president of Kitchener, Ont.-headquartered C&H Fire Suppression Systems Inc., Heller completed a five-year apprenticeship in the trade in 2006.
“This was something that I wanted to do as long as I can remember,” Heller recalled. “I wanted to be a part of the business, from the ground up. I didn’t want any shortcuts.”
The company was founded by his father Mike and a partner in 1985. Heller was appointed vice-president in 2014, after stints as an estimator and then a field superintendent.
C&H also has a branch office in London, Ont.
Heller joined the GVCA board of directors in 2012, “jumping at the opportunity” to do so. Since completing his apprenticeship, Heller has taken a number of educational courses offered by the association.
“I found they were quite relevant, tailored to the construction industry and its members,” he said, noting an ethics course was particularly enlightening.
Along the way, Heller achieved Gold Seal certification in October 2016. He did so while working full time at C&H, getting guidance from GVCA president Martha George.
“The more I participated (in association activities), the more I realized the value of the services provided by the association,” Heller said.
“I’ve personally and professionally gained quite a lot.
“I said to myself that if an opportunity arose to give back to the industry, I wanted to do that.”
A member of the GVCA’s Leaders in Construction (LinC) group, Heller, 34, serves as a liaison between the group and the association’s board of directors. LinC provides a forum in which the next generation of the industry’s leaders can build their networks and expand their skill sets. Membership is restricted to employees of member firms who are under 40.
“It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm of the new generation that is entering the industry,” Heller said.
Currently, he is lending a hand in putting together the next What the Tech event, aimed at integrating technology into construction “and bringing these ideas and products to everyone’s attention.”
The event is scheduled to be held in May.
As GVCA chair, Heller has identified several priorities for his one-year term of office. At the top of his to-do list is monitoring impending changes in legislation affecting the industry.
Upcoming in March are sessions on Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 and Bill 142, the new Construction Act. The latter represents a complete overhaul of the former Construction Lien Act.
“It’s difficult for the smaller firms to keep up with all these changes,” Heller said. “So we want to continue to provide them with as much support as we can.”
The GVCA is also keeping an eye on a potentially game-changing court case involving construction company insolvencies. A recent judgement in the Court of Appeal for Ontario could set a precedent for subcontractors caught up in such situations, in that a panel ruled that unpaid subs should be paid before banks.
“It’s a fascinating case,” said Heller, who succeeds Steve Stecho of Harold Stecho Electric Ltd. as chair of the Cambridge, Ont.-based association.
Heller assumed office at the GVCA’s annual general meeting Feb. 26 in Kitchener.
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