2022 VICA Annual General Meeting

Samer is the General Manager at Harbour City Kitchens: A kitchen cabinet manufacturer on Vancouver Island since 1982. With over 20 years of sales leadership and operations expertise in supply, building materials, and manufacturing areas for the construction industry, he brings a unique vision for the future of construction for Vancouver Island and across Canada. Samer is looking forward to lending his voice and work along-side the construction community through the Vancouver Island Construction Association.

Along with the VICA Board, Samer has experience with the boards at UWSVI and AWMAC-BC.

I have 23 years experience in the construction insurance & surety industry. I am a founding member of the VICA U40 (now YBN) and have been on the VICA Board of Directors for 6 years. I was chair of the VICA Board of Directors from 2020-2021. As the longest serving Director on the Board I feel the need to remain on the board for my third and final 3 year term in order to assist newer Board and Executive Council members.

Over the past 20 years I have invested myself in the construction industry throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. My work experience includes projects in all the residential, commercial, industrial, and civil construction sectors under nearly all delivery models, and for contractors large and small.

I have for the past four years served as a director for the Engineers & Geoscientists of BC Benevolent Fund, an non-profit charity serving the engineering community throughout BC.

As a director for VICA, I bring a broad viewpoint of the market and expertise in various aspects of our industry. As a long-term resident of Victoria who has worked extensively in major projects, I hope to offer a fresh perspective on some of the shifts in the industry that are happening in the Vancouver Island marketplace that the VICA membership will be impacted by. By working closely with the VICA Board and the local industry, I hope to support the Association and their members as an active contributor to the growing construction community on Vancouver Island.

Josh Fayerman is the Founder and President of Milestone Equipment Contracting Inc. His passion for civil construction and building relationships has fostered a progressive, innovative, dynamic, team culture within Milestone and community. Josh’s previous time served on the VIU and VICA board, proves his commitment and care to contributing back to our industry and ensuring its progression and sustainability.

Josh is excited to have the opportunity to represent the local civil construction community along side like minded individuals as they strive to advocate and support stakeholders to create a fair and competitive landscape, while also learning and improving the civil industry.

I have sat on boards as secretary, fundraising and health and wellness. Being new to the restoration industry I bring an enthusiastic energy to support and enhance the trades wherever possible by using a positive and forward-thinking approach. I would love to be a part of group of people working to better the industry and focus on support, training and mental health.

With a background in events and promotion managements I bring a skill set that in unique and beneficial to facilitating processes and change. I have the support of a great team of restoration professionals behind me and believe we would be asset to this board.

I’m a Chartered Professional Accountant and CFO of Michell Excavating, a fixture in the construction industry for over 60 years. We’re also one of Victoria’s top producers of topsoil and landscape products.

I’m also a board member and treasurer with the Island Prostate Centre (IPC), where I chair the finance committee and serve on the executive and fund development committees. IPC is the only non-profit that guides Vancouver Island men and their families through the uncertainty of a prostate cancer diagnosis. I also previously served on the VICA U40 Executive Committee in Victoria for one year.

With over a decade of experience in construction, manufacturing, real estate and professional services, I bring a diverse background and a balanced view to the board. As a VICA board member, I look forward to giving back to the construction industry and ensuring its success for years to come.

Doug is the Senior Project Manager of Blackrete Builders and has been working in the construction industry for over 20 years. Throughout his career, he has worked in many aspects of the construction industry and has applied his understanding of the industry to residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

In 2012 Doug began volunteering for the VICA Young Builders Network (then called the Young Constructors Leaders). He thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with peers in the construction industry while giving back to the local community. In 2019, Doug served as Chair of the YBN Committee and continues to support the organization and serve on its board.

I am the owner of Oceanview Mechanical. I joined its previous owner, Tony Elsdon, in 2014 as a minor owner and worked alongside Tony for 5 years until his retirement in 2019, when I was able to buy his remaining shares out. When I started at OVM we had 4 Plumbers and 3 office staff , I could see the companies foundation was strong and Tony never cut corners, I embraced the opportunity to grow OVM and set some targets to achieve over the following years, fast forward to 2022 we are now the largest employer of Plumbers and Apprentices in Local 324 with a staff of over 100 including , Plumbers, Plumbing Apprentices, Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Tech and the best Supervisors in the industry. Two years ago I brought in a partner to help OVM gain a share of the single family home sector which has been very successful and continues to grow .

What do I bring to the table? First off, I have a love for our industry that has seen some tough times over the last year with labour shortages and ever-increasing material price increases. I have been in this industry since I was 15 when I started my apprenticeship in Australia before moving to Canada in 2001.

For the last five years I have sat on many committees with the goal of advancing our industry to meet the ever-changing world we live in; including better coverage for mental and physical health through our health and welfare plan. I have the experience of going through the collective bargaining process with Local 324 where we came to an agreement in eight hours for the current four-year contract we operate under.

Chris Williams is currently the Regional Manager of Service at Houle Electric overseeing the Victoria, Nanaimo, and Courtenay locations. He was born and raised in Victoria and has been in the construction industry for 25 years as an electrician, estimator, project manager, and regional manager with Houle.

In addition to the VICA board, he also serves on the VICA YBN mentorship committee, and the Western Joint Electrical Training Society. As a board member, he actively participates in discussions and committees that support and encourage the success of local companies in the construction industry.

I have been involved in the construction industry for over 30 years. This year will mark my 20th year with Kinetic Construction Ltd. as the Chief Estimator and a shareholder for the company.

As a part of Kinetic, I have been strongly associated with VICA for many years. I have been on the governance board for the BCCA BOBS Review Committee for 12 years and recently joined the BCCA BC Trades Committee.

Kinetic is a progressive large General Contractor at which I am well known in the local construction industry and have a long-standing relationship with many of our local suppliers and subtrades over the years.

Becoming part of the VICA Board means being on top of what is going on within our industry and I can help by advocating a better process for all industry stakeholders. My vision is to make this industry better place for everyone.

Because of my experience listed above, I feel that I would be a strong candidate to the VICA Board and look forward to your support.