Menard Canada Spotlight
Justin Franz: Leading Our New Kelowna, B.C. Branch
As the Branch Manager of our newest office in western Canada, Justin is meeting some unique challenges head-on, managing a business unit that covers the B.C. interior (1.1M people approx. 710 km2) head office in Kelowna. Kelowna and its surrounding areas have seen a lot of development over recent years, gradually expanding into the nearby mountain slopes. So, the city has implemented a long-term plan to curb this expansion by increasing density, especially in and around the downtown core, which “coincidently” is where Justin’s brand-new office is located. He is committed to proving the value and need for Ground Improvement in the area and is excited to see the impact this new branch has on Menard Canada as a whole.
Although Justin has worked in the construction industry for almost 20 years (earthworks, heavy civil and general contracting), he started working for Menard Canada 1.5 years ago. He worked for a General Contractor as a Senior Project Manager, who actually ended up working with Menard Canada on a First Nations housing project that Justin felt particularly enthusiastic about since he has worked in multiple capacities related to First Nations-related projects throughout his career and is very passionate about it.
The planned housing project mentioned above was in very serious jeopardy of failing due to poor ground conditions; in fact, the project was almost entirely scrapped. However, Menard Canada was hired by his former employer to do a feasibility study, which offered a solid ground improvement solution that would satisfy everyone’s requirements and the project was saved and completed.
Justin had this to say about the experience “When working for my old employer to find a solution to save this important project, Menard Canada was amazing to work with and quite literally saved the project; I was very impressed, to say the least, and felt like Menard Canada’s people were talented, easygoing, and great to work with. That piqued my interest in learning more about Ground Improvement and becoming an employee for Menard Canada.”
On a more personal note, Justin is a true family man, married, with two young children at home that keep him and his Wife busy, and he enjoys spending as much time with them as he can when not working. In addition, he’s an avid traveller, both internationally and locally. If it involves the outdoors, you can bet he’ll be interested in it and loves skiing, fishing, and watching his favourite teams, the Minnesota Vikings, Vancouver Canucks, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
