// COMPANY DOSSIER
Aries Contracting (Ottawa) Inc.
Specialty contractor applying intumescent and sprayed fireproofing, firestopping, polyurethane spray-foam insulation, EIFS (exterior insulation finishing systems), and composite (carbon-fibre) strengthening systems for commercial and institutional construction. Headquartered in Ottawa with a Winnipeg division and a regional Atlantic Canada division based in St. John's, Newfoundland.
📍 Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaEst. 1993✓ 100% first-party verified
// CLIPS FROM Aries Contracting (Ottawa) Inc.
// LESSONS FROM Aries Contracting (Ottawa) Inc.
Winning a government-program anchor contract early provides stable volume that funds growth into riskier commercial work.
Over-reliance on a single government program is a political risk; deliberately diversify revenue streams before the next election cycle.
A senior GC mentor who trusts you with jobs and teaches you the commercial ropes compresses years of learning you cannot replicate alone.
Rapid revenue growth without matching profit is a trap; 700% growth in a year may leave nothing on the bottom line.
When entering a new city, plan to hire locally within six to twelve months or travel costs will permanently price you out of smaller jobs.
Bundling multiple interior-envelope scopes under one subcontract reduces GC coordination overhead and improves schedule predictability for both parties.
// SELECTED PROJECTS
Chaleur Regional Hospital
CompletedSprayed fireproofing and intumescent paint subcontractor
Aries' first-party projects page lists 'Chaleur Hospital, Bathurst, NB - Huge sprayed fireproofing and intumescent paint scope.' The broader Chaleur Regional Hospital ~$217M expansion/renovation (general contractor Pomerleau) was targeted for completion by late 2023; Aries' specific subcontract scope is a first-party claim not independently confirmed in primary press.
Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital (Western Memorial Regional Hospital)
CompletedSprayed fireproofing subcontractor
Aries' first-party projects page lists 'Corner Brook Hospital, NFLD - Huge sprayed fireproofing scope.' The new Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital P3 (design-builder PCL/Marco, Corner Brook Health Partnership) was handed over and opened to the public in 2024. Aries' specific subcontract scope is a first-party claim not independently confirmed in primary press.
Lansdowne Park redevelopment
CompletedFireproofing/insulation/EIFS subcontractor ('all scopes of work')
Aries' about page states it secured the Lansdowne Park redevelopment tender in 2013, including the stadium and all new buildings; the projects page lists it as a 'major project with all scopes of work.' First-party claim.
Parliament Hill West Block
CompletedFirestopping with engineering
Listed first-party as 'West Block - Firestopping with engineering.' The federal West Block rehabilitation (interim House of Commons chamber) was completed and occupied in 2018-2019; Aries' subcontract scope is a first-party claim.
Ottawa LRT (O-Train) stations
CompletedIntumescent coatings on stations
Listed first-party as 'Light Rail Transit System - intumescent coatings completed on virtually every station across the city to date.' First-party claim; scope/timeline not independently dated.
Bayshore Shopping Centre
CompletedMajor project with all scopes of work
First-party projects-page listing; location inferred as Ottawa (Bayshore is a major Ottawa mall) but not stated on the page.
// KEY PEOPLE
JC
JJ
SM
NR
KK
Keith Kennedy
Co-founder (founded the company in April 1993; also listed as President/Owner historically)
profile ▸BS
// NOTABLE
Founded in April 1993 in Ottawa by Keith Kennedy and Bob Shipley, who started with an old plaster pump as a parting gift from their previous plastering employer; the firm pivoted from stucco/EIFS into fireproofing around 2001 via a partnership with Cafco Industries.
SOURCE ▸On a 10-storey Ottawa building Aries engineered and installed roughly 5,000 sq ft of carbon-fibre reinforcement plus a companion fireproofing system that achieved a 2-hour fire rating, which it describes as a milestone previously unattained in the Ottawa region.
SOURCE ▸Operates a regional Atlantic Canada division based in St. John's, Newfoundland, in addition to its Ottawa head office and a Winnipeg, Manitoba division.
SOURCE ▸