Collaborative Structures Limited (CSL)

Collaborative Structures Limited (CSL) has a proven track record for planning and executing Construction Management, General Contracting, Design Build and LEED projects in the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sectors of the Southwestern Ontario region. CSL works cooperatively with Owners, Consultants and Subcontractors to deliver award winning projects on schedule and on budget.

Check out more on Collaborative Structures Limited from their company page www.collaborativestructures.com or visit them on Instagram @CSLBuilds.

Sam

**Project Manager**
From a young age, Sam has been interested in building things. She enjoyed playing with Lego more than her dolls and other toys. Her uncle was a carpenter and she often visited his various project sites. By the time Sam had completed high school she knew she wanted to get her boots dirty in construction, but she decided on the design root at first. Her post secondary experience in Architectural Design at Mohawk College was a 2-year coop program. In this program, Sam received hands on experience during the 2nd year 4-month coop term. Sam found an opportunity with the Hamilton Health Sciences program at Juravinski Hospital. She became a Project Coordinator with the group and was paid to learn! Displaying hard work and dedication, Juravinski asked Sam back for a second 8-month coop term and subsequently hired her full time upon graduating from Mohawk College, becoming an Project Coordinator Owner Representative.
Soon after, Sam decided to expand her horizons, wanting to work with a General Contractor that could offer her the challenges of multiple projects. By 2013 Sam switched to the GC side to stay on her toes and get involved with every aspect of the job. Specifically, she wanted to be involved with onsite, trades, bidding and awarding, and generally the construction process.
In 2018 Sam was asked to join Collaborative Structures, becoming a Project Manager. At CSL she has the ability to discuss projects with all members of the team and loves the collaborative approach everyone takes. CSL has given Sam the ability to be flexible and adaptable and grow her skillset in a supportive environment. Sam is looking forward to some of the larger projects coming down the pipeline as well as mentoring junior staff members.

Adam

**Senior Site Superintendent, GSC**
Adam can remember his interest in construction going as far back as building his first shed on his family’s farm when he was 10 years old. At 56 years of age, he still loves what he does!
Adam did not have a linear path into construction. In high school, he struggled with boredom and lacked attention as he wanted to work as soon as possible. He took a chance on a trade school program in his area, College Heights. It was there that he tried his hand at construction basics like carpentry, masonry, and finishing work.
By the time he was 16, he ventured out into the world looking for work. At the time he wanted to become a RCMP Officer. For a few years he was a guard but ideally he wanted to be a cop. When he realized this was not his true calling, Adam made his way back to Ontario and went to work in the industrial industry. Adam worked in industrial paint and powder coating for 5 years before an accident left him unable to work in the manufacturing facility.
Adam took this as a sign to go back to college and complete some schooling in the industry he loved. In 2006 Adam went back to Conestoga College as a mature student for the Architectural Engineering program.
Upon completion Adam was hired as a Foreman for Dakon Construction, running crews on ICI projects such as the Conestoga cold storage facility. His crews consisted of roughly 50 people and included general labourers and ironworkers.
Due to the success of his various projects as Foreman, Adam made the transition to Site Superintendent, the position he holds today.
Over the years Adam has overseen projects ranging from storage facilities, to large-scale additions and renovations, heritage restoration projects, and multi-unit residential.
Adam was asked to join CSL about 5 years ago as their teams and projects were expanding. Today, Adam loves the CSL attitude and the CSL business model. He enjoys the progressive thinking and overall youth of the company. He feels that the construction industry is changing and redeveloping and that CSL is at the forefront of this movement.
The project sizes are increasing and the pipeline is busier than ever. Adam enjoys mentoring and taking younger talent under his wing, as he is continually teaching and mentoring the staff he is assigned. He currently has 9 direct reports that he gets to mentor and will continue to do so until his retirement!

Terry

**Project Coordinator**
Terry originally wanted to be a pilot, but by the time she was 6 years old she was wearing glasses. Realizing her dream of being a pilot was probably not going to happen, she shifted her attention to her passion for Architecture, drawing, and helping people. Terry was born and raised in Barbados where the school system is much different than in Canada. Her ability to take Architecture as a career path was a little different and her high school, Queens College, had her focusing broadly on foundational studies. By the time she was entering into her last year the school did not have building sciences courses so the final courses she took to get her closest to her dream career were math, physics, and mechanical engineering studies.
After graduating high school she came to Canada on a student visa and applied to Conestoga College’s Architectural Project and Facility Management Program. The program was a 4-year bachelor program with a coop placement. She completed her coop with Suncor Facility Management, working as a Project Coordinator on Owner Rep projects.
Near the end of her program, Terry was applying for permanent residency as she had decided Canada was going to be her new home. She was placed on a work permit allowing her to work 20 hours during non-school periods. Her first post-grad position was with Spec Construction in Cambridge. They did design-build and general contracting on ICI projects in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. Terry was a project coordinator and through grit and determination she was promoted to Senior Project Coordinator. Terry spent a year and a half with Spec learning valuable knowledge of the industry. Terry applied to CSL as she saw this as an opportunity to further her career with CSL’s growing project base. After joining CSL she was assigned to the Conestoga North Campus project, a $40 million addition and renovation to an existing campus. She was on this project for 1.5 years working under the Senior Project Manager. Terry most recently finished working on the OPP detachment P3 Joint Venture with Bird Construction on Manitoulin Island while simultaneously working on the Meadowbrook Retirement Residence in Sudbury. What a great workload!
Terry loves that CSL management is always looking for opportunities to develop the team. When she first came to CSL they realized she did not have base build experience but were willing to trust her with a full build project. She has expanded her knowledge and now is comfortable with all base build projects. She gets support from her immediate PM’s and Operations team to continue her learning experience. Terry is extremely ambitious and is always looking for opportunities, recently deciding to work towards her Gold Seal Certification with CSL helping her fulfill this dream!

Sean

**Carpenter Apprentice**
Sean’s interest in construction was sparked from a young age as a Boy Scout. His first hands on experience with building was a community services project. His Boy Scout team was asked to build a community garden shed. This experience stood out for Sean and generated a pride of accomplishment that he carries with him today. Sean grew up in an academic household, he was told during his youth that he would go to school to be an engineer. His grades were okay and this was a possibility, but the community center garden shed always stood out in his mind. By the time Sean had to make a choice for post-secondary education, he decided to approach his parents to discuss the possibility of going into carpentry. He wanted to work with his hands and wanted that feeling of pride in his accomplishments. His parents were surprised, but none the less supported his passion by finding family and friends that had experience with carpentry and the academic process to pursue this goal. By the end of high school, Sean was guided into the Carpenter’s Union for 10 weeks of basic training. It was a new experience and his first year in the union had him travelling between various projects with many challenges and new opportunities. After a year Sean wanted to develop his skillset further, so he went to work with Habitat for Humanity. His role was incredibly vast. He was working on site, organizing teams, coordinating volunteers, and helping with administration. It was his exposure to many different people at Habitat for Humanity that led him to a position with James Darling Design. He stayed there for 5 years completing residential renovations and developed his skillset to all forms of finishing carpentry and more. He finished his time with James Darling Design in the position of Lead Hand before making his way back to post-secondary for Construction Management at Humber College. Sean completed his course with honors by attending night school. He had decided to make a move outside of the GTA for a better work/life balance and lower cost of living. His move took him to Kitchener where he started working for CSL.
Sean has been working for CSL for 2.5 years and wishes he had found CSL earlier in his career as he is learning so much from their team and projects. He is finding that the challenges and growth over the last few years has been incredibly rewarding. He loves that CSL is focused on safety which eases his mind as he is onsite most of the time.
Sean’s next steps are to grow his supervision skills by learning from the incredible Site Superintendents around him. With his new found supervision skills, Sean plans on taking on smaller projects with his own crew and eventually growing his experiences to oversee projects in excess of $50 million.

CSL Project List

John W. Tibbits Conestoga College Waterloo Campus, Waterloo, ON

Acting as General Contractor, CSL completed a 162,000 sq.ft addition and renovation project featuring 150,000 sq.ft of additions added to the existing structures to house new Hospitality, Information Technology, and Language programs, as well as 12,000 sq.ft of renovations to the existing occupied facility. The project was delivered under a strict 18-month schedule, broken into four phases, to achieve occupancy in time for the Fall 2018 semester. The new addition features 1,200 lineal feet of photovoltaic panels on the roof, providing measurable energy savings to the College.

Chartwell Guildwood Retirement Residence, Scarborough, ON

Located at 65 Livingston Road, Scarborough, this 175,000 sq.ft retirement residence is being built to reflect the heritage and grandeur of the Guildwood Village in which it’s situated. The building is a blend of modern architecture and nature-inspired design, which is a stunning compliment to the mature waterfront neighbourhood. Consisting of 175 suites the facility features countless amenities including, fine dining, leisure activities, entertainment, green spaces, and personal wellness services.

Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex Expansion, Waterloo, ON

The 106,000 sq.ft WMRC, originally constructed in 1993, requires a full reconfiguration of the existing building layout through renovations and additions to accommodate additional programming and increase functionality, maximizing community engagement. Major project elements include, improving accessibility, upgrading aging building components, constructing a new entrance addition, constructing a new Civic Center with a covered glass walkway connecting it to the existing building, and improving energy efficiency throughout the facility.

Robert ChlebowskiJuly 2, 2020