Vanguard Magazine

30 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025 www.vanguardcanada.com G A M E C H A N G E R See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? My paternal grandfather was educated as an engineer and worked as a construc- tion superintendent on landmark projects in and around Montreal and our nation's capital. He also served as a flight instruc- tor in Canada during WWII before being deployed to the U.K where he flew Sun- derlands out of Pembroke Dock in Wales spotting enemy subs. My paternal grand- mother served in the Women's Division (WD) of the RCAF stationed in London during WWII working on supply chain lo- gistics for airplane parts. My father's great uncle was the Honourable Charles Gavan "Chubby" Power who served as the Min- ister of National Defence for Air during the war. My Canadian heritage (and child- hood upbringing and storytelling) has been one of service to this great nation which is why I take particular interest in defence and security. I pursued my post- secondary education in history and civil engineering and quickly had great inter- est in the business and management of construction projects. It interested me because of the tangible progress you get to witness when building something and the legacy you leave behind. Q What is your role at your organization today? Senior vice president and district man- ager for PCL's Toronto Office, which is responsible for the GTA and southwest Ontario. Q What was your most challenging moment? Personal loss aside, it is hard to recall the most challenging moment in my career. Rather, I think in our industry it is com- mon to have seasons of high-frequency and compounding challenging moments which can be tough to manage. They're tough for a couple of reasons. First, because you're short of time, it can be stressful to properly consider all the fac- tors of great decision-making and how they impact your people, your brand, your business and your clients. Secondly, you want to show up and do your best everyday which might mean that there is some collateral sacrifice to the discipline of your personal routine or family life or hobbies – I find my most challeng- ing moments are when I'm feeling out of balance with all of the aforementioned facets of my life. Q What was your A-HA moment or epiphany that you think will resonate most with our reader, tell us that story. My A-HA moment was the realization that being geographically mobile has the long-term potential to create a life-long and national network of friends, working partners, and relationships that can be very meaningful and influential. These experi- ences and friendships have changed my life for the positive in a meaningful way. I think it is easy to consider the immedi- ate (and sometimes obvious) sacrifices of being mobile, rather than considering the long-term benefits. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it being optimized? Innovation is embedded in PCL's DNA from our Solution Provider culture and in-house awards program focused on thought leadership and knowledge shar- ing; to our in-house expert services group created to drive unique value and innova- tion through preconstruction design op- timization; to our dedicated Integrated Construction Technology (ICT) division that – often in partnership with technol- ogy leaders – develops customized and proprietary software tools to facilitate resilient, high-security and mission-ready project delivery through real-time project management, data analytics, and digital modeling. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Our world is in a much better place than it was in the past. Despite scary headlines specifically crafted to shock and draw you in, the world is improving in so many ways. There are so many avenues to find faults in people or oneself given the bar- rage of social media and information overload. However, finding the peace of mind to remind oneself of how amazing the world is, as are the people in it, and how you contribute to that in a meaning- ful way is advice that I would offer. GEOFF HOWE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND DISTRICT MANAGER, TORONTO PCL CONSTRUCTION

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