More than a century ago, Philip Wigglesworth Graham, then a young man from Huddersfield, England, left his father’s construction business and crossed the Atlantic to begin life anew. Soon after, in his newfound home, he began working as a private contractor in Moose Jaw, Sask.
At the time, construction was surging along Canada’s rail networks and Graham positioned his budding business to meet the moment, building freight sheds, terminals and office structures.
In 1926, little more than a decade after he landed in Canada, Graham founded P.W. Graham & Sons, now one of the largest and most respected construction firms in the country, with projects spanning buildings, infrastructure and industry across Canada and the United States.
The firm has stood the test of time and this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary, marking a century of building.
“Reaching 100 years is something only a small number of companies ever get to do,” says Andy Trewick, president and CEO of Graham. “It reflects generations of resilience, progress and a legacy of people who have shown up with purpose, had pride in quality work and stood confidently behind what they build, which is what we still do every day.”
The company’s centennial theme is Defining a Century, which reflects both the company’s past and its forward-looking mindset. A website has been set up to capture the company’s history.
Graham’s journey is a rare Canadian business story. Today, the company is fully employee owned, employs more than 3,000 people, operates from 29 permanent offices and manages a project backlog approaching $6 billion. Yet its leaders are quick to note that scale has never been the point.
“At its core, our people are the heart of this milestone,” says Trewick. “Graham’s history isn’t just a story, but a foundation defined by the people behind the projects of who we are and the inspiration for who we’re becoming. Whether onsite or in the office, our people are building the kind of company that will last for generations.”
There have been many twists and turns in the company’s journey.
It has built projects big and small – from the Val Marie Dam on the Frenchman River on Saskatchewan, to the $340-million Kelowna and Vernon hospitals in B.C. and large portions of Calgary’s Ring Road.
The company was formally incorporated on May 27, 1926. Three of P.W.’s five sons joined its ranks: Kenneth Graham took charge as company engineer from 1932 until 1945; Reginald Graham handled legal affairs and served on the board into the 1950s; and Peter Graham, after earning his civil engineering degree at the University of Saskatchewan, eventually stepping into the leadership role.
Survival during the Great Depression tested the young company. As private work dried up in the 1930s, Graham pivoted toward publicly funded schools, hospitals and government buildings. The strategic pivot kept crews working during the downturn. The 1930s also marked Graham’s expansion beyond Saskatchewan, as the company started new projects in Manitoba and Alberta.
The Second World War brought another transformation. Canada became a hub for Allied aviation training, and Graham played a significant role, constructing hangars, barracks and drill halls across the Prairies.
P.W. Graham’s wartime success propelled the company into the post-war building boom of the 1950s. Graham undertook major hospitals, Royal Canadian Air Force facilities and educational buildings, while forging a lasting partnership with SaskPower that would shape its future.
By the mid-1950s, the company was awarded a wave of major projects.
Modernization defined the 1960s and 1970s. Graham expanded major infrastructure work, opened a Saskatoon office and became an early adopter of computerized systems for bidding, payroll and reporting.
Perhaps the most defining moment in Graham’s history came during the economic turmoil of the early 1980s. Faced with high inflation, soaring interest rates and a shrinking private sector, the company restructured and offered employees the opportunity to buy shares. Seventeen stepped forward. The result was Graham Construction and Engineering Ltd. – fully employee owned. More than four decades later, that model remains central to the firm’s identity.
The company relocated its corporate head office from Moose Jaw to Calgary in 1984 and from there entered a period of steady national and international growth. By the 1990s and early 2000s, Graham was tackling major industrial projects, expanding into the U.S.
In 2000, Graham Group Ltd. was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, and by 2010 it had 933 salaried staff, 13 branch locations and more than $130 million in capital assets.
In recent years, Graham has delivered some of Western Canada’s most complex infrastructure and strategic acquisitions have propelled the company onto the national and international stage.
Over the years, the company has collaborated with the City of Calgary on major transportation and infrastructure projects including bridges, transit stations and water treatment facilities. On the Ring Road venture, Graham completed construction 10 months ahead of schedule.
As the company moves into its second century of operations, the focus is on looking forward.
“Our history isn’t just a story,” says Trewick, “but a foundation defined by the people behind the projects. It’s also the inspiration for who we’re becoming.”
