PME Inc. is a civil industrial construction company serving British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Originally launched in 2009 to serve the needs of the local industrial sector, PME has grown significantly to service Western Canada from five locations, offering a wide variety of services that include earthworks, underground piping, concrete structures and foundations, mechanical and electrical, aerial imagery, and drafting.
“At PME, we are in the business of building communities by working closely with the stakeholders and members of those communities to construct projects that not only achieve our clients’ vision but exceed it,” says Dennis Johnston, Sr. VP, Area Manager. “PME – pretty much everything, pretty much everywhere!”
He adds, “We also offer carbon-conscious construction and our newest service is paving.”
Carbon-conscious construction (C3) was created to help PME clients tackle greenhouse gas emissions on their construction sites and projects.
“As industry leaders, we play a vital role in paving the pathway towards reducing your carbon emissions while simultaneously moving towards more sustainable, eco-friendly initiatives while living up to industry standards,” says Johnston. “C3 involves providing clients with transparency about the emissions associated with their projects, reduction strategies to achieve project-specific socio-economic goals, tracking emissions in an auditable manner, driving carbon accountability through the supply chain, etc.”
In addition to progressive strategies like C3, a big part of PME’s success comes down to the team.
“We are a close-knit group who rally behind each other,” says Johnston. “We often joke that PME stands for ‘people mean everything’ because it’s our people that make it all happen. We put a great amount of significance on building solid relationships with our clients, vendors, and industry partners. Being able to self-perform gives us an edge to provide competitive pricing with consistent results. We have people that care – that’s huge. It’s amazing to me to see the group we have here work together, admiring their passion for the work they do and frankly, making friends along the way.”
PME’s growth has been as impressive as the projects it undertakes and the services it provides.
“PME employs over 700 people in corporate and support positions and up to 1,200 field staff during the peak of summer construction. We expand our services based on the needs of our clients, which has included the growth of teams specialized in pre-construction design and support, investment in specialized tools and technologies for complicated infrastructure construction underground, and the start of our modular home construction division in 2023.”
PME was involved with major underground utilities relocations in downtown Edmonton for the construction of the West Valley LRT system. Starting in 2019, PME worked closely with major utility service providers like EPCOR to collaborate on designing new utility tunnels that can be inserted through the existing underground utility network using microtunneling. This technique was used to help relocate and install over two kilometres of new drainage piping materials through the downtown area of Edmonton.
Additionally, PME is working with Alberta Transportation to build the first wildlife overpass outside of a national park in Alberta. The tunnel is located on the Trans-Canada Highway.
Johnston explains, “Working with our Indigenous partners alongside other industry professionals, we have been working since 2022 to construct a bridge that spans the highway. Two steel archways have been constructed to act as tunnels for the vehicles driving through while an earthen bridge covered in live trees and natural materials helps local wildlife get across this six-lane section of the highway.”
The focus on corporate culture in the company, C3 for clients, and customer service all around is echoed in PME’s community service.
“Last year we supported 30 charities. We like to support our employees’ local communities and initiatives through their families’ or children’s sports or volunteer efforts. We also support the communities where our projects take place. Every year we have a dunk tank fundraiser where we raise money and collect food donations. Last year we raised $4,800 for a local charity, and this year, we are hoping to surpass that.
“The Stollery and the Alberta Children’s Hospital had a charitable event called Life Cycle, where PME was the community sponsor. Life Cycle raises money for all the kids’ programs such as pet therapy, music therapy, art therapy, and horticultural therapy. We collectively raised $13,920.”
“We also sponsor numerous Pow Wows and community functions with local Indigenous communities.”
Indigenous engagement is of vital importance to Johnston and the team at PME.
“PME has partnered with Trade Winds to Success Training Society to offer the Trade Winds To Success (TWTS) apprenticeship preparation training program, which is designed to help First Nation, Metis, and Inuit adults who want to begin a career in the trades. In October 2023, PME was honored to receive the Respect Buffalo Award for our commitment to the program. Through Trade Winds, PME successfully hired 18 individuals to join our team as full-time employees in 2023.”
PME is also proud to have been awarded bronze certification by the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business for the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Program in 2023.
The future of PME is continued growth.
Johnston concludes, “We are in the next stages of growing PME into a construction company that can offer the services we provide to the Edmonton market to the rest of Western Canada. We are growing in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and we are excited to continue growing our teams there to achieve the same success we have created in Edmonton and the province of Alberta.”
For all inquiries, please email pmeinquiries@pmeinc.ca
www.pmeinc.ca