EP 56 · 2023-05-29 · 1:36:32
How Two Construction Companies Built Atlantic Canada's New Drywall Partnership (Soubliere-Trinity Origin Story)
Trinity Energy Group and Soubliere Constructors announce a joint-venture drywall entity for Atlantic Canada, sharing the origin stories, partnership philosophy, and workforce strategy that make it credible.
DM
⟶ The story, written up — a sharp read with every fact on the record. Or skip straight to the moments that matter, as clips.
// CHAPTERS — TAP TO JUMP THE PLAYER
0:00Sponsor read: Luminous Labs, Payzant Building Products, Procore — Pre-roll sponsor announcements for Luminous Labs (3D renderings), Payzant Building Products, and Procore Technologies.1:24Dwaine MacDonald: Trinity Energy Group origin story — Dwaine recounts Trinity's 2006 founding in Pictou County, the pivot from asbestos work to spray foam, the Efficiency Nova Scotia insulation contract that became an annual anchor, and the diversification into commercial fireproofing and coatings prompted by political risk around energy-efficiency funding.12:10Steve Turnbull: from Sobeys stock boy to Trinity VP — Steve describes leaving CBU on scholarship, a detour through grocery management, an entry into commercial drywall at the Trail Hospital in 2008, seven years on the tools, and eventually joining Trinity in 2014 through his cousin Jonathan Berkman.19:43Karsh Singh: Soubliere Constructors background and COVID pivot — Karsh recounts immigrating from India in 2014, joining Soubliere as a junior estimator, growing the company from Ottawa through Kingston, Belleville and Sudbury, buying out Andre Soubliere in 2021, and pivoting into multi-unit residential after COVID halted Ontario commercial work and steel prices spiked 120%.34:13How the Soubliere-Trinity partnership was formed — The genesis story: Aries Contracting's Joe Cork introduced the two companies; an informal dinner at Moxie's in Halifax (Karsh arrived in a Hawaiian shirt) led to six months of due diligence and the creation of a new drywall entity for Atlantic Canada, with Steve running local operations.46:00Partnership model and early Atlantic projects — Soubliere-Trinity structure explained: Ottawa headquarters provides estimation, supervision and pre-construction support; Trinity backs local logistics and manpower; Steve handles bidding decisions. Early jobs in Dartmouth, Wedgewood, New Brunswick, and Halifax Airport (WestJet) are mentioned. Local hiring philosophy discussed.59:20Technology gap, integrated delivery, and the future of tendering — Karsh argues 95% of trades still estimate from PDFs while BIM data exists; he outlines a supply-chain approach consolidating drywall, doors, hardware, windows, spray foam, and fireproofing under one sub contract. Discussion of indexing, design-build, and how post-COVID project sizes have grown.1:13:50Culture, workforce, and immigration pipeline — The panel discusses changing employer culture (treating workers as people not numbers), Karsh's work on pilot immigration programs to route skilled newcomers into trades, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the demographic retirement wave creating a workforce gap.1:24:52Closing reflections and industry outlook — Final thoughts on selecting GC relationships strategically, the coming boom in Atlantic Canada work, Karsh's philosophy of coordination over management, and praise for the podcast as a community-building platform.
// THE INTRO
Episode 56 brings together Dwaine MacDonald (Trinity Energy Group), Karsh Singh (Soubliere Interiors/Constructors), and Steve Turnbull (VP, Soubliere-Trinity) to announce the formation of Soubliere-Trinity, a new partnership targeting commercial drywall and interiors work across Atlantic Canada. Dwaine walks through Trinity's 17-year arc — from three people doing spray foam in Pictou County, to 80-plus employees across multiple Atlantic provinces, anchored by the Efficiency Nova Scotia insulation program. Karsh describes immigrating from India in 2014, working his way up under founder Andre Soubliere, and buying out the Ottawa-based drywall specialist in 2021, just before metal-stud prices jumped 120%. Steve connects the two firms via Aries Contracting (Ottawa) and a famously informal first dinner at Moxie's. The second half addresses the partnership model: Soubliere headquarters provides pre-construction support, estimation, and seasoned supervisors; Trinity provides local logistics, fleet, and brand credibility; Steve runs Atlantic operations. The conversation covers local hiring as a cost-parity strategy, the immigration pipeline for skilled trades, integrated delivery models that compress sub-trade scope, labor-shortage dynamics, and a culture push against the 'just-a-number' treatment of tradespeople.
// THE LESSONS
See all 14 lessons ▸Winning a government-program anchor contract early provides stable volume that funds growth into riskier commercial work.
“fast forward until now that same program we've won it every time since and now we do six to seven hundred homes”
Over-reliance on a single government program is a political risk; deliberately diversify revenue streams before the next election cycle.
“every time an election came up or something that was being used as a political tool we were scared yeah”
A senior GC mentor who trusts you with jobs and teaches you the commercial ropes compresses years of learning you cannot replicate alone.
“Bud was extremely good to me and he took me along with him and taught me a lot of things to do”
Rapid revenue growth without matching profit is a trap; 700% growth in a year may leave nothing on the bottom line.
“2012 I think was a 700 percent growth and it's funny how they say you're growing so much but the money not necessarily”
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.
“if we come in here we have to get local within six months or within one year that's part of your model”
Bundling multiple interior-envelope scopes under one subcontract reduces GC coordination overhead and improves schedule predictability for both parties.
“you have the GC you get one price where you have to write one subcontract for your doors hardware windows drywall paint fire proofing spray proofing”
When skilled trades are in shortage, sharing labour across scopes on the same site cuts supervision costs — the biggest line item on complex commercial jobs.
“if I have a supervisor that can supervise a drywall and when he's caught up can work with the spray foam guy I have guys on site”
95% of trade contractors still price from PDFs while BIM data exists; the firms that close this gap win complex commercial work by default.
“95 of the trades are estimating using PDFs and the second they get a job they're like what did I miss”
Buying a company just before a commodity price spike (120% steel increase, union strike) is survivable if you move fast and diversify revenue.
“I bought the business and then metal stud went up 120 and I'm on all the jobs where you can't get any increases”
Prioritising relationship-building with GCs during a boom creates a mutual-dependency safety net that outlasts the cycle.
“I want to build the relationship with you now so when this boom is over we still have this together”
Consciously stepping back from operations and delegating authority is the inflection point between running a business and scaling one.
“if I go and touch it I can do it but then I'm stopping somebody else from doing it and growing into it”
Construction companies are not tapping immigration programs that could resolve the labour shortage; visible hiring infrastructure (HR, website, ads) is the missing piece.
“none of us have HR none of us have a good website we're not making anybody aware of what we can do”
Speed-chasing to open-on-schedule produces buildings condemned or torn down within 15 years; quality-oriented subs must be willing to tell the GC a week late is better than a failing building.
“I'd rather look at an owner and say your project's going to be a week late but this is why versus oh I met your schedule”
Organic geographic expansion through small headache jobs in each new city builds a local workforce base before the big jobs arrive.
“we didn't go let's take the biggest job in town and grow what we did was spread into these little cities take on the small jobs”
// CLIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
All 14 lessons from this episode, on one page.
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// FEATURED BUSINESSES
Trinity Energy Group
Atlantic Canada building-envelope and energy-efficiency contractor specializing in commercial and resi…
EfficiencyOne
Independent, not-for-profit energy efficiency utility that operates the Efficiency Nova Scotia program…
Aries Contracting (Ottawa) Inc.
Specialty contractor applying intumescent and sprayed fireproofing, firestopping, polyurethane spray-f…
Soublière-Trinity Partnership
A joint-venture interiors subcontractor serving Atlantic Canada, combining Soublière Interiors Ltd. (a…
// FACT-CHECKED ✓ web-verified, with sources
✓ VERIFIED
The QE2 Hospital Halifax redevelopment is the anchor project that will lock in drywall/interiors subs for 5+ years.
The QEII Halifax Infirmary Expansion Project (new acute care tower, 216 beds, 16 OR suites) is a confirmed, large-scale ongoing project. Main construction phase entered February 2025 per Nova Scotia government release. PCL Construction leads; local subcontractor participation is a stated goal. The s…
SOURCE ▸// COMPANIES & ORGS ✓ verified
Trinity Energy Group ▸Soublière Constructors (also trading as Soublière Interiors Ltd.)Soublière-Trinity Partnership ▸Aries Contracting (Ottawa) Inc. ▸Efficiency Nova Scotia ▸Dwaine MacDonaldUtkarsh 'Karsh' SinghSteve Turnbull
// PROJECTS NAMED
Pictou County Wellness CenterDexter Otter Lake Recycle PlantQE2 Hospital HalifaxRoyal Military College Kingston (eight-building campus)Shepherd of Good Hope Ottawa251-unit Ottawa residential projectHalifax Airport WestJet drywallTrail Hospital (Truro 2008)
SOURCE: podscope · public episode data · 6InjEenvUro