SC&RA NEWS
57
INTERNATIONAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
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SEPTEMBER 2013
T
he construction and transport
industry means a lot of things to
a lot of people, but there is one
undeniable element to this industry
that is universal to everyone involved:
it is overf lowing with challenges.
Professionals in this business must
possess a specific elasticity, typically
fed by a wide range of problem-solving
capabilities. The complexities they face
often include, but certainly aren’t limited
to, peer relationship management,
staff management, machine upkeep,
governmental policy, logistics, geography
and the ever-changing unknowns that
emerge onsite within every single job.
If a company has expanded to include
international business, well, these
complexities have a way of expanding
similarly. It takes a serious company
with a serious leader to not just survive
but thrive amid an industry with such a
wealth of moving parts. This shows the
quality of leadership in so many SC&RA
member companies around the world. We
take a look at two such enterprises in this
issue, and the accomplished men driving
each business through the challenging
terrain of international crane and
specialized transport.
Frank DeVries, of Challenger, an
international transport and warehousing
company based in Cambridge, Ontario,
Canada, knows as much about transport
complexities as anyone in the business.
What began as a one-man, one-truck
operation in 1975, has turned into one
of the largest privately owned truckload
carrier companies in Canada. It has
been consistently recognised by its
customers, and in the industry, for the
outstanding quality of its services. For
28 years Challenger has continuously
strived to surpass its previous standards
of quality and performance, often carving
innovation into its culture along the way.
Challenger transports goods between
Canada, North America and around
the world.
“Every day presents new challenges,
either due to the actual loads, the
circumstances, timelines, customer
requirements and demands or simply
becaus e we sometimes tread into
uncharted waters – since our economy
is becoming ever more global in scope,”
explained DeVries. Challenger’s motto
is
We Go the Distance,
and the company
has been pushing itself to the limit for
customers since the beginning. Joining
DeVries in acknowledgement of such
an axiom, Dan Einwechter, CEO, looks
with fondness on what such a designation
means to his business, “Our motto is
perfect because of its literal meaning –
travelling miles and miles throughout
North America – and the emotional
context of doing whatever it takes to get
the job done safely for our customers and
stakeholders.”
Building success
In 2012 Challenger was given the honour
of being recognised as one of Canada’s 50
Best Managed Companies, for the 13th
consecutive year and has been a Platinum
Member since 2007. Challenger is an
active leader in many significant green
initiatives, including LEED certification
of its headquarters and a SmartWay
Transport partnership. In addition to
the state-of-the art headquarters in
Cambridge, the Challenger Group has
facilities in Montreal, Toronto, London,
Mi s s i s s auga , Vancouve r, Ca l gar y,
Winnipeg and Edmonton.
With success and expansion comes
plenty of challenge and DeVries echoes the
sentiments of most of his industry peers
on this reality. “Boundaries, both literal
and perceived are being pushed due to the
fact that various other regions of the world
are competing for ‘local’ business, and
manufacturing goods that are becoming
ever larger and heavier.” DeVries
admits that loads that would have been
impossible years ago are now routinely
transported due to need, or even the fact
that equipment has progressed over the
years. “Electronics have made many things
possible with equipment that was not
possible in bygone days due to mechanical
limitations, and consequently, the need for
transport of bigger and heavier products is
ever increasing.”
Regardless of the size of his business,
or advances in technology, DeVries and
Challenger continue to focus on the most
Meeting the challenge
MIKE CHALMERS takes a look at the men behind two
international transport companies on the rise as
challenges in the industry change
>
Andre Friderici
