Walker Group of Companies
Inside the Heart and Mind of a CEO
By Lynn M. Armstrong
 |
| L-R Greg Hazel, Katelyn Frecon, Jennifer Soos, Milt Walker, Allan Reich, Daryl Andrew, Ginny Scott |
Good leaders create good teams, bring out the best in people
and create sustainable futures. Milt Walker is such a CEO. He is a people’s CEO who is creating a legacy
organization that will be sustainable and responsive to the market as it
evolves.
Milt Walker is the founder, President and CEO of the Walker
Group of Companies, which includes Walker Projects Inc. and Century West Construction Group. This
uniquely organized company includes two engineering divisions, a commercial construction division, a
residential construction
division and a renovation division.
The Walker Group brings together more than 100 professionals,
technologists, engineers, accountants, trades people, administrators, and sales
professionals. Many are under the age of 30.
His staff describes him as an
engineer with a heart.
Milt’s vision is the result of 40 years of learning through economically
challenging times of double digit interest rates and job scarcity, large scale
projects such as Hill Tower 2, Crown Life, Regina Centre Crossing, and the
proposed Winnipeg Arena to name a few.
“I began to see that there was more to construction than
grade beams, piles and roofs and that a broader perspective was needed. Being
the best structural engineer was not enough. Having the ability to lead people
in the decision making process and manage the political and business
environment wins at the end of the day. I knew that if we could do that well,
the work would come. We combined project management and structural engineering
to help us look at the job from the customer’s perspective.”
"Creating the right mix of people and personalities and establishing a culture of working together is what I set out to do." - Milt Walker
“Engineers and the trades do not typically work under the
same roof. Creating the right mix of
people and personalities and establishing a culture of working together is what
I set out to do.”
The quality of the project manager is the key, says Milt. “Sometimes
the owner is tugging at the wheel of the project. The project manager must have
the ability to keep the project on track. The people who can lead and manage
change are the people who win in the end because that’s where we are going as
an industry.”
“It is critical to manage multiple people in the
process. Seeing the issues before they
become barriers and dealing with them in a timely and efficient manner keep projects
on track. We see this in projects of all size and type.
If someone was not properly consulted and included in the
process, inevitably the outcome will be unsatisfactory. If what the client
wanted was a pancake house, and the result is a pizza stand, nobody is happy.”
“People make all the difference. Having the right people at all levels of the
company is the most important thing. Each person who works here is exactly the
person we want. We are a young company.
Many of our staff is hired directly out of university and SIAST.
Our management team is built to lead, mentor and teach. We
have created a culture of working together as engineers, construction experts, and
trades, with a strong professional and administrative team. We are very proud
of that and I am very proud of each and every one of them.”
"Being a leader is the best job in the world to me. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing
someone grow both personally and professionally. I am inspired every day by the bright lights
of our team." - Milt Walker
“Our ‘why’ is to build the future with innovation, passion and a
superior customer
experience. Our ‘how’ is to be
the best place to work, do the best projects, have the best people and be
reasonably profitable. Our bottom line is
to be the best place to work.”
Meet the Management Team
 |
| Bruce Kaytor, Century West Renovations; Paul Gregory, Century West Construction; Amanda Martin, Century West Homes; and Jordan Walker, Century West Construction |
The Renovator’s Renovator
Century West Renovations: Bruce Kaytor
 |
| Bruce Kaytor |
"I know what’s cooking. I know the subcontractors. And because we have such a fully diversified team of construction professionals here, I can come back to the office and talk to anyone else here. I have more support than I have ever had in my life. There is no other place that can do this." - Bruce Kaytor
Bruce had just left the home of a family whose roof just
caved in. He was noticeably shaken by the ordeal, feeling empathy for this
mother whose world literally came down on her.
The family was forced to move out of the house immediately.
“This is something that I never get used to. Seeing someone devastated. I do my best to give them the information
they need to move ahead. I was able to say I can have an engineer at her home
tomorrow morning. Milt himself came to
the house with Jenn to assess the situation.
The insurance forms are being filled out now."
Bruce is a landscape contractor with over 25 years
experience as a renovator. He leads the
Century West Renovation division, which handles all types of jobs including
insurance claims.
"Renovation customers love their homes, their neighborhoods
and their back yards but they want change. I advise them to get a designer
involved, get drawings and make choices about materials. Once I have a plan in
place, we go to town, and we get it done."
"We take care of business here. Construction is full of
follies, despite what you might see on HGTV.
The main thing is taking care of it.
There is never any hesitation to deal with a situation, no matter how
unpleasant it can be.”
"Our commitment is to deliver. Once we start, we are going to
finish. We make it as easy as possible
for the owner, and we get it done."
A Mandate to be the Very Best
Century West Construction: Paul Gregory, Jordan Walker
 |
| Paul Gregory |
“We are realistic, honest and organized. Our number one priority is understanding and delivering the construction process from the perspective of our client. We want to give them their dream". - Paul Gregory
Paul Gregory is a seasoned construction professional. Jordon Walker is a former hockey player with a
head for business. Together, Paul and
Jordan lead the Century West Construction division with a mandate to build the
very best.
Paul has been with Milt since the beginning after he "swam upstream" from Alberta in the mid 1990's where he was working.
“Construction is a competitive business. It can be
adversarial if the engineers and construction trades do not get along, or if
the client wants and needs is not part of the planning process. Especially if in the bidding process, the
lowest price gets the deal and important things are left out.”
 |
| Jordan Walker |
“We believe in team
approach to the construction process, which is giving the client value added
engineering and construction and offering expertise versus taking what an
architect or engineer designed and try to build it for a lower price.
"We work as a team here managing the process and the outcome
from end to end, including the sale, creating the drawings, getting permits,
building the project or renovating it and managing the issues and the budget to
be sure we manage the customer, the time and money and the trades toward a successful
and rewarding outcome", adds Jordan.
“Milt’s mandate is to be the very best. And that’s why we
come to work every day”. - Jordan Walker
A Family that Builds Homes for Families
Century West Homes: Amanda Martin
 |
| Amanda Martin |
“The key to owner happiness keeping the homeowner involved and informed and we have a youthful enthusiasm. Part of the magic is we are young, experienced, skilled and passionate about what we do. We have had zero turnover in the last eight years.” - Amanda Martin
Amanda has a dream job for home decorating enthusiasts. Her office is filled with decorator
magazines and family photos. Her job is making the dream of a home come
true.
"We’ve come a long way from the small house on Smith
Street", remembers Amanda.
Amanda leads a team of design technologists, a sales team, liaises
with suppliers and works directly with designers to develop floor plans,
research products and manage home projects.
“Our team works together. Our design technologists will do the
plans and they are part of the project team.
Our sales people don’t just sell the house. They actively get
involved. That way, we never lose sight
of the owner’s vision.”
The average age of the Century West Residential Construction division is under
30. “People relate to us, trust us and
feel at home here. That’s important to us.”
“Our homeowners value unique design and we want them to be
ecstatic about their new home. They have a vision for a home that might be
functional, whimsical or traditional. They tell us they will need a special
spot for their piano or family pet. They
let us into their lives; our families connect.
We are a family company who builds homes for families, and
we feel proud to say, ‘we built that house’”.
.jpg)
