Alberta's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 46
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
Graham Construction builds careers and legacies
O
ne word pops up repeatedly as Jason Steward
describes his career
trajectory at Graham
Construction over the past 14
years: opportunity.
The operations manager at
the Calgary-based construction
company has been able to take
advantage of challenging roles in
different parts of the company and
move around to various parts of
Alberta and British Columbia. In
that time, he has received several
promotions and learned new skills
each step of the way. He’s even had
to turn down opportunities, such
as working in Saskatchewan or
Washington State.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had the
opportunity to continue growing
my career and doing new things
from day one,” says Steward, who
is now managing operations for
Graham’s industrial group in Fort
McMurray. “And I still see growth
in where I can go.”
Steward’s advance has been
facilitated by Graham’s steady
expansion and the formal and
informal training opportunities
the company offers. Graham
encourages employees to keep
their skills up to date through
several programs, including its inhouse Builders Framework, which
is led by internal professionals.
Steward says the biggest boost to
his own learning experience has
come from the everyday on-site
discussions he has had with
Graham veterans. “I was able to
partner up with them and learn a
lot.”
Steward has also wholeheartedly
bought into Graham’s 100 per
cent employee-owned structure,
which he says aligns everyone’s
interests with the success of the
company. He has been purchasing
shares in the company at almost
every opportunity and has even
borrowed money to buy additional
Graham shares. The company
also helps employees build longterm savings through a defined
contribution pension plan.
Carolynne Laughy, Graham’s
senior vice president, people,
agrees that the employeeownership structure aligns the
staff with the company, financially
and emotionally.
Graham Construction is 100 per cent employee-owned, ensuring everyone at the organization is invested in
its success.
“That Graham pride definitely
rings loudly, and a lot of people
have been able to be invested in
the company for 20-plus years,”
Laughy says. “So they are definitely strongly affiliated with the
organization.”
I’ve always felt like I’ve had
the opportunity to continue
growing my career and
doing new things from
day one.
— Jason Steward
Operations Manager
Leaders also promote active
community engagement, Laughy
says. “As proud as we are of being
owners, we’re also proud of what
we do in our communities,” she
says. “So, there’s definitely encouragement, right from the corporate
level, for employees and teams to
get involved in doing volunteer
work.”
People find satisfaction at
Graham when they see its
completed projects, she says.
“We build things that are legacies
and communities,” Laughy says.
“When I visit offices in different
cities, employees are so proud to
show me the projects that they’ve
built in that city.”
Given the company’s growth
and the continued competition
for skilled workers in Alberta and
elsewhere, Graham has put a lot of
time and effort into attracting new
people from all demographics.
For instance, Graham works with
associations like Women Building
Futures to actively promote getting
