EP 1 · 2021-03-29 · 56:09
Design-Build Steel in Atlantic Canada: Merit Industries on Projects, Pricing, and Why Tradespeople Know Best
Merit Industries (Halifax structural steel, 38 yrs) walks through design-build philosophy, COVID supply-chain survival, Tekla 3D fabrication workflow, and landmark Atlantic Canada projects from a 300-ft clear-span hangar to PEI potato barns.
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⟶ 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
0:04Introductions and safety culture — Host introduces Merit Industries and all three guests. Jason Nowak describes the JOSH safety committee, culture of no corner-cutting, and owner-driven resolution of safety issues.2:37Company history and ownership transition — Greg Schofield outlines Merit's 38-year history: founded 1983 by David and Connie Alton, management buyout ~2007, Tim and Greg acquire remaining interest about two years prior to recording.6:00COVID-19, steel supply chain, and price volatility — Tim Houtsma explains how Nova Scotia construction rallied through COVID via CANS protocols. Steel price volatility is detailed — $80/ton increases mid-bid — with comparison to lumber spikes.9:40Core business: structural steel and miscellaneous metals — Greg and Jason describe Merit's product range: box stores, tilt-up, fancy stairs/railings, and the importance of Tekla 3D modeling (CNC-to-fabrication, shop-drawing output, 3D erection planning).12:40Design-build philosophy and whole-envelope collaboration — Tim explains Merit's design-build approach: qualifying customers who know what they want, optimizing the whole building envelope (roof-wall interface detail example), collaborating with roofers and siding trades to reduce total project cost.18:55PEI potato barns: design-build schedule win — Tim details the Cavendish Farms potato storage project — May award, July steel erection start, October potatoes-in-barn — as the flagship example of design-build schedule advantage over traditional architect-tender process.24:00IMP Cargo Hangar: 300-ft clear span and union innovation — Tim and Greg describe the IMP Hangar design-build — 300-ft clear opening (widest east of Montreal), stick-building the truss in the air using repurposed wall columns as temporary supports, a concept credited to an ironworker from Local 752.30:00Current projects: salt mine head frame and McKay Bridge — Tim describes the Pugwash salt mine head-frame replacement — a six-week hard shutdown with 40-50 ironworkers on peak — and the ongoing McKay Bridge cable-inspection scaffold work 150-200 ft above the bridge deck.36:15Newfoundland operations and Allied cannabis cultivation facility — Greg and Tim discuss Merit's Newfoundland satellite office (Mount Pearl), the 100,000 sq-ft Allied cannabis cultivation facility with full mezzanine (~200,000 sq-ft total), coast guard building in St. John's, and the importance of having Newfoundlanders on the ground.42:50Why build in steel: safe, sustainable, scheduled — Tim makes the steel case: prefab reduces on-site risk; steel is infinitely recyclable (was a car or washing machine); design-build delivers buildings far faster (potato-barn example revisited).46:40Competitive landscape and what makes Merit stand out — Greg and Tim describe three major local competitors, occasional central-Canada competition on large jobs, COVID reducing outside competition. Merit's differentiators: flexibility, design-build depth, long-tenure staff, and repeat-client model.
// THE INTRO
Host Daniel Arsenault sits down with Merit Industries CEO Tim Houtsma, COO Greg Schofield, and PM Jason Nowak for a wide-ranging roundtable on structural and miscellaneous steel in Atlantic Canada. The conversation covers: Merit's 38-year history and 2007/recent management buyout; safety culture via a well-run JOSH committee; COVID-19's impact on steel supply chains and price volatility ($80/ton jumps mid-bid); Tekla-driven 3D modeling and CNC-to-fabrication automation; the design-build model (including how to qualify customers and optimize whole-building envelopes); landmark projects — the IMP Cargo Hangar (300-ft clear span, widest east of Montreal), PEI Cavendish Farms potato barns (May award to October potatoes-in-barn), McKay Bridge cable-inspection scaffold work 150-200 ft above the bridge deck, and a Newfoundland salt mine head-frame replacement on a six-week shutdown deadline; unionized ironworker labor (Local 752 NS, Local 764 NL) and the lesson of listening to tradespeople on-tools; reasons to build in steel (safe, sustainable, scheduled); and Merit's competitive differentiation through long-term staff relationships and repeat-client focus.
// THE LESSONS
See all 13 lessons ▸Filter design-build customers before engaging: only take on clients who already have a clear handle on what they want — clients who don't know yet should go to an architect first.
“if you really don't know what you want to build, go find an architect, go find a structural engineer”
In design-build, optimize the whole building envelope, not just your own scope — a $500 addition to the steel package that saves $1,000 in wall panels is a win for the client and deepens the relationship.
“it cost me an extra 500 bucks in the roof structure but it saves them a thousand bucks in the walls”
Pre-fabricating steel in a controlled shop environment (3D-modeled, CNC-fed) reduces on-site person-hours, risk, and schedule uncertainty compared to stick-building in uncontrolled conditions.
“we try to prefab everything as much as possible in a controlled environment in our shop which reduces the risks of person hours on site”
Tekla 3D modeling eliminates fabrication error: if it fits in the model it fits in the field, and CNC files go straight to the machine with no human data-handling in between.
“if it fits in the model it fits outside — nobody touches any of that data and it goes straight to the machine”
Listen to the tradespeople who are actually on the tools — they've installed more steel than engineers have designed, and their field knowledge (erection sequences, temporary support schemes) routinely solves problems formal drawings miss.
“pay attention to what the guys outside have to say — they've put up more steel than you have designed”
Design-build's schedule advantage over traditional architect-engineer-tender is its most concrete selling point: the PEI potato barns went from May award to October occupancy — roughly half the traditional timeline.
“we got the award in may, started fabrication, put steel up on the first of july, and they were putting potatoes in those buildings on the first of october”
Galvanized steel is necessary in high-humidity enclosures (potato storage, near salt water) — specify it when the interior atmosphere will run at 98-100% humidity or condensation is expected; primer coat alone is insufficient.
“the atmosphere inside those buildings is like 98-99-100 humidity and there's condensation, so everything in the structure was galvanized”
For interior structural steel in a climate-controlled building, primer coat is often a waste of money — unpainted steel will not rust under normal room conditions.
“putting a coat of primer on it is not an efficient use of money because you don't need it”
A shutdown-constrained project (like a salt mine head-frame replacement) demands near-perfect pre-construction planning because the cost of overrunning the shutdown window is the client's entire revenue stream.
“we need to minimize the amount of time that mine is shut down — it can't be seven weeks, it can't be eight weeks”
Building a regional business in Newfoundland requires a physical presence and local staff — 'you need Newfoundlanders working with Newfoundlanders'; following loyal GC customers into new markets is the lowest-risk entry strategy.
“you need Newfoundlanders working with Newfoundlanders — it's just there's a culture over there”
The steel-for-buildings value proposition is a three-part argument: Safe (factory prefab minimizes site risk), Sustainable (infinitely recyclable scrap feed), Scheduled (prefab compresses site timeline radically).
“safe, sustainable, and scheduled — those are the three pillars”
Long-tenured staff who know repeat clients' preferences is a durable competitive moat for a specialty contractor — GC clients value dealing with the same estimator and PM across years, not a rotating roster.
“every time you come you're dealing with the same project manager, dealing with the same estimator — there's time to build relationships”
Industry associations like CANS were operationally critical during COVID, coordinating daily safety protocols and keeping construction open across Nova Scotia when other sectors shut down.
“CANS was very instrumental in keeping the construction industry open — they were meeting once a day just to make sure everybody's on the same page”
// CLIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
All 13 lessons from this episode, on one page.
Sent to your inbox. The receipts included.
// FEATURED BUSINESSES
Marid Industries Ltd
Full-service structural steel fabricator, erector and general contractor with in-house engineering, se…
Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS)
Industry association representing more than 780 member companies across Atlantic Canada that build, re…
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Local Union 752
Building-trades labour union representing structural, ornamental, and reinforcing (rebar) ironworkers …
Ironworkers Local 764
Building-trades labour union representing structural, ornamental and reinforcing ironworkers and welde…
// FACT-CHECKED ✓ web-verified, with sources
✓ VERIFIED
Cavendish Farms potato barns went from May award to July 1st steel erection start to October 1st potatoes-in-barn.
Marid's own portfolio confirms: agreement reached end of May 2017, erection began July 2 2017 (episode says July 1 — off by one day, immaterial), potatoes in barn October 1 2017. The core claim is accurate.
SOURCE ▸// COMPANIES & ORGS ✓ verified
Marid IndustriesTim HoutsmaGreg SchofieldIMP Hangar, Halifax Stanfield International AirportCavendish Farms Potato Storage Warehouses, New Annan, PEIConstruction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS) ▸Ironworkers Local 752 ▸Ironworkers Local 764 ▸
// PROJECTS NAMED
IMP Hangar, Halifax Stanfield International AirportCavendish Farms Potato Storage Warehouses, New Annan, PEIMcKay Bridge cable inspection scaffoldPugwash Salt Mine Head FrameAllied Cannabis Cultivation Facility (St. John's)Coast Guard Building (St. John's)Dallard CentreQueen's MarqueBrian Mulroney Centre (StFX)Nova CentreAJA Cargo BuildingFirst Baptist Church (Dartmouth)Porsche Dealership (Kent Road)
SOURCE: podscope · public episode data · gSOJwzBi-gc