Turning forty is a pivotal point in life for majority of people. It allows us time to reflect on where we came from and focus on where we’re going. In business, this is no different. In 1984, IECS Group was known as West Lorna Precast, the company established by two individuals, one of whom was Louis Arvai. Over this time, the company has experienced massive growth and has managed to remain at the pinnacle of a profoundly volatile industry. As it approaches the big four-zero, it’s nice to take a moment to stop and smell the proverbial roses.
The company has experienced a number of significant successes during its time in business and at its peak, has had close to 140 employees. Ever the innovator, IECS invented the precast headwall in 1997, a first for the industry. Specializing in articulated concrete block or articulated concrete mat, the company has used these skills and desire to push the industry forward to expand across both local and international markets. 2008 saw the company develop its operations significantly. IECS acquired a new property, built a new precast facility in Rodney, and also built a new office space. While in 2012, IECS acquired another property adjacent to its existing structure, essentially doubling its space. However, the expansion didn’t stop there and IECS continued to grow in both 2019 and 2021.
Cable Concrete is an engineered solution and IECS manufacture the moulds to cast the product in Canada. The engineering aspect of this was developed by IECS, which allowed the business to enter global markets and manufacture the product locally, utilizing local labor and materials by shipping its molds there. In addition to this, it also offers products such as precast box colour, bridge elements, girders, deck slabs, footings, wing walls, and more. This type of specialised custom precast solution has allowed the company to grow its business in Ontario. To add to its list of industry firsts, the company poured Cable Concrete in Mexico as far back as 2006 and manufactured it in Nigeria in 2010.
Vice President of IECS, Greg Arvai, has worked at IECS for more than 20 years, and views the company as leaders in custom design build precast. “We’ve made a name for our company over the years. A lot of our products head all over Ontario, and to the GTA, which is one of the best construction markets in the world. We’ve worked with big contractors to smaller ones, and basically everything at our facility is built on a per project basis. We have a full turnkey operation from estimating to engineering and design work, to the quality engineering of the work and also delivery of the material to the customer. But the specialty precast has been an area that contracting companies relevant to our market reach out to us for solutions. We definitely don’t like to say no. We like to take on unique challenging projects that require engineered solutions and that is where we excel.”
“Ever the innovator, IECS invented the precast headwall in 1997, a first for the industry.”
Reflecting on their almost 40 years in business, Arvai discussed some standout moments for IECS, which included its first international project based in Malaysia in 1999. Today, IECS has offices in Nigeria, Chile, Uganda, Zambia, and the United States.
To manage this successfully, IECS Group has territory managers in each location that work directly for the company and report to head office. However, a certain amount of trust has been placed on each manger to manage their region as their own business. With this in mind, the IECS business philosophy is not to micromanage its people. Instead, the company chose to surround itself with creative people; people it can rely on. With IECS being a family business, this family run approach is extended to all offices worldwide, covering everyone from personnel to senior management.
This style of business has allowed IECS to work on multiple projects and complete them not only successfully, but to an enviably high standard. One of these projects was a Metrolinx project, Davenport Diamond Grade Separation in Toronto. The Cougar Creek flood mitigation projects in Canmore, Alberta, was another big project for IECS, and also opened the door for it to expand into Western Canada.
While there have been many projects IECS has worked on, one it is currently excited about is the work it has completed as part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project.
This is a major infrastructure project and is especially exciting for Arvai, who is happy to be associated with Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe. Hockey is a major part of the Arvai family and being part of a project such as this engrains the family in the fabric of Canadian culture.
Another exciting opportunity for IECS is its partnership with Reinforced Earth Company (RECo), a civil engineering company in Canada providing national leadership in designing and supplying components for innovative civil engineering projects. As Arvai explains, this relationship is built on a shared vision. “They specialize in providing engineered precast solutions similar to ourselves. We also sell cable concrete as a solution to design engineers in a similar way Reinforced Earth would visit design engineers and owners to sell their solutions upstream and help with design assistance. So, when we first started the conversation about potential partnership, we got very excited that our approach was very similar. They were excited to add cable concrete to their product offerings in the western provinces. So, entering into 2024, RECo Canada will be representing Cable Concrete in Western Canada. IECS is also very excited even though we’ve been in the West since 2013. We’re excited to be associated with a company with as much knowledge and experience as RECo and add additional boots on the ground in the West.”
With many celebrations to be had in 2024, IECS is remaining focused on its future. It is a company that is always looking for the next challenge. While growing and expanding its business will definitely be a priority, the relationship with RECo in the West opens the door to many upcoming projects. Other exciting opportunities for IECS include expanding cable concrete overseas. IECS is confident it can bring a great engineering solution to many countries outside of Canada. However, no matter how much IECS continues to grow, the one part of the business that will never change is the family culture. “Within our business, the one thing we’re very proud of is that, as we’ve grown, we’ve stayed true to our values. We hope to continue to do that and work with companies and customers that hold the same vision and morals and values as us. We feel blessed at the opportunity that that we have had as a family business over the last 40 years, and we really want to work with people we consider friends and family. As we take on the next challenge, this is something that definitely matters to us. We feel like we’re a great partner and we’re just looking to continue providing the industry with unique solutions.”
