Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 32
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
Bird combines a small-firm feel with big opportunity
I
t’s a 100-plus-year-old
company with more than
6,000 employees helping to
bring in billions of dollars
of revenue a year from an
array of projects across Canada,
yet for Patrick Williams, Bird
Construction Inc. has a “smallcompany feel.”
“And that's the thing I've loved
about this company from day
one,” says the Edmonton-based
project director, who’s been with
Bird for 13 years. “The people
in our office know the personal
details about each of us as
individuals, they know the names
of our kids, they know my wife,
they know us like we’re all family.”
Leaders are open to
new ideas. That’s a
big indicator of how
they want Bird to
be a good place for
employees to build
their careers.
— Cheryl Ballerini
Vice-President,
Strategic Development
Williams, a civil engineer, adds
that the list of ways in which Bird
has fostered such a culture goes
on and on. He cites, among other
things, the subsidized hockey
team and annual ski trip, as well
as hiking and cycling outings. “Not
only do we have an employee and
spouses Christmas party, but we
also have a kids’ Christmas party
that’s just a blast. All of that brings
The collaborative spirit at Bird Construction encourages employees to work together across teams.
a personal side to our business
and our day-to-day.”
As for helping him broaden his
skills, Bird has been outstanding,
Williams says. He’s benefited
from having formal mentors (and
also serves as one himself ). The
company encourages staff to learn
in other ways and mandates 65
hours of learning and training
for employees, who can go on to a
myriad of courses available
through an online portal.
Williams also appreciates
Bird’s emphasis on open
communication. Managers check
in with their staff multiple times
a year to discuss their career
progression. More informally, an
open-door policy prevails. “If you
want to talk to the VP of Northern
Alberta, you show up early in the
morning and his door is going to
be open, and you can walk in and
say, ‘Hey, I have this problem, can
we chat for five minutes?’ and he’s
always open to it.”
For Cheryl Ballerini,
Calgary-based vice-president
of strategic development, that
open communication is key to
Bird’s success as a company and
its employee satisfaction.
“Leaders are open to new ideas,”
she says. “That’s a big indicator of
how they want Bird to be a good
place for employees to build their
careers.”
A Bird employee for 14 years,
Ballerini says the company
has given her abundant
encouragement and trust as
she’s grown her career. “Leaders
at all levels are open to saying,
‘Hey, it looks like you’re doing
a really good job and that you
might have some ideas on other
opportunities. Would you be
interested in expanding into
these new roles or stretch
projects?’
