Menard Canada Spotlight
Promotion Announcement: Martin Ruffaut, Vancouver Branch Manager
Join us in congratulating Martin Ruffaut on his promotion from Operations Manager to Branch Manager in Vancouver! Martin has now been with Menard for eight years. Prior to that, he worked internationally for over two years with Soletanche Bachy, a sister company of Menard specializing in deep foundations, first as a Site Engineer in France, and then as a Project Manager in Mexico.
In his last role with Menard, Martin worked in Western Canada for three years as the Operations Manager. He was instrumental in ensuring that projects were delivered both on time and on budget. He also ensured that the right equipment was being dispatched based on the project requirements, while supporting the Site Managers with technical and contractual aspects of the job sites.
As part of his new role, he is much more involved in the business development and sales process, supporting the project management teams and monitoring the overall profitability of the branch. In addition, Martin is responsible for staff management, a role he feels privileged to have. He had this to say when asked about his management style. “I’ve always been a big proponent of allowing people to work autonomously, making them feel empowered, without micromanaging. This is one of the “recipes” to maintaining a strong, engaged team.”
Martin’s new role is certainly different than any of his past roles, but there are several things he noted that are quite specific to the new position. “It’s all about focusing on the growth of the business while ensuring that the team structure is built on strong foundations that are able to adapt, remain flexible as the workflow increases, and keep it cool as situations can rapidly evolve. At the end of the day, it’s all about ensuring that the team is happy, so we need to tie in some fun into things wherever, and whenever possible,” said Martin.
He said his interest in the geotechnical world emerged from growing up near Grenoble, in France, at the foot of the Alps. “Sure, it was “technically” geology that spurred my interest, but I’ve always felt like they are both intrinsically linked to one another, natural, organic, and everchanging.” Martin has a geotechnical engineering degree from Polytech’ Grenoble and a Civil Engineering degree from the National University of Cuyo, Mendoza, in Argentina. His combined experience and expertise in the geotechnical industry make him an invaluable asset to his team, as well as Menard as a whole.
Whenever possible, Martin travels to his native home in France for a well-deserved break and to visit with family and friends. He appreciates sports, playing football whenever possible and cheering for Lyon.
