Inner City Outreach Young Mom’s Program Renovation Campaign @ Eva Rothwell Resource Centre

Posted on September 27, 2016 by iramcdonald

When the doors closed after 90 years at Robert Land Elementary School in Hamilton, proud neighbours and concerned citizens rallied together with one common goal in mind – creating a home for innovative programs and services aimed to help improve the quality of life and enhance the social well-being for neighbourhood families. In 2006, the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre opened its doors and its hearts to the community. The centre has since been a leader in creating a better community in the Hamilton area inspiring bigger dreams and unlocking hidden potential in all the people it has the opportunity to interface with.

In 2015 Ira McDonald Construction was introduced to a partnering opportunity with the Inner City Outreach Ministry Young Mom’s Program. As a family-owned and operated company, IMC strongly embraces and fosters family values, therefore this was a very welcomed partnership and we were ecstatic to help support such a wonderful program. The Young Moms program regularly hosts Young Moms and their children at the Centre. The Renovation Campaign was an initiative created to provide an inviting and comfortable space for the young moms and their children to come together and connect with their peers for mentoring, support and friendship. The basement space where the group met had a cold institutional like feel and the Program Director, Don MacVicar, realizing the need to upgrade the interior space, approached Ira McDonald Construction to help with an interior upgrade. IMC staff, along with their industry colleagues and subcontractors, volunteered their time, expertise, labour and materials to help give the space a much-needed facelift.

The Inner City Outreach Young Mom’s Program was developed to help improve quality of life and enhance social well-being in the community thus create a better environment to raise a child in the high risk area of Hamilton. The success of the renovation campaign was dependent on the support and expertise of our community partners. IMC reached out to many industry colleagues for partnership at various levels of the renovation process, and we are amazed at the overwhelming positive response we have received. We have had VCT Tiles, Paint, Drywall, Electrical Conduits, Sockets, Lighting, HM Doors and Door Frames and various other labour components donated. The Grand Opening of the newly renovated space was held on September 26^th. To find out more information about this program, please contact Keziah Folarin-Babatunde.

Left to Right: Chief of Police Eric Girt, Don MacVicar, Deputy Chief Ken Weatherill

IMC Staff

In Recognition…

Edited November 3rd, 2016: It is projects and efforts like this that make a real change – Individually, for companies like ours, and in the community! The space is now open and is being enjoyed by the participants of the Young Moms Program. “We Love it” according to one mom interviewed in this wonderful article published in the Hamilton Spectator: A new room for young moms. IMC is honoured to be involved in this community initiative, and are proud of all our industry colleagues and subcontractors who contributed . A special thank you to our Keziah Folarin-Babatunde for her dedication and efforts in the project.

The New Space

Keziah Folarin-Babatunde and Chief Girt

The New Space

IMC Project Featured in Hamilton Economic Development’s “The Revival”

Posted on January 30, 2015 by iramcdonald

In a new video produced by Hamilton’s Economic Development Office, the restoration and preservation of a former Bank of Montreal building is shown to be one of many success stories in the flourishing downtown of Hamilton, Ontario. Built in 1929 in the Beaux-Arts style, the heritage-designated building housed varied tenants before being bought by Gowlings to become their permanent office in Hamilton.

“The building had incredible bones – it’s one of the greatest examples of 1920’s architecture that I can think of,” said Mark Tamminga, a partner with Gowlings. “We ended up with one of the most remarkable buildings in Southern Ontario.”

The project, a renovation and addition performed by Ira McDonald Construction on a construction management basis, entailed a complete restoration and replacement of the electrical and mechanical systems, a replacement of the building’s glazing systems, as well as stonework maintenance, extensive millwork, and furnishing work. The renovation won an Award of Excellence in Heritage Conservation at the City of Hamilton Urban Design & Architecture awards in 2005.

The video features several prominent Hamiltonians, including Maestro Boris Brott, Jeff Feswick of Historia Restoration, Jocelyn Mainville of Yale Properties, Sean Rosen of View Magazine, Tim Potocic of Sonic Unyon Records and Supercrawl, and Mark Tamminga of Gowlings.

As a general contractor and construction manager with over seven decades of history in Hamilton, Ira McDonald Construction is proud to have had many opportunities to contribute to the built environment of an Ambitious City with a very bright future.

Ira McDonald Construction Fundraises for Movember

Posted on November 12, 2014 by iramcdonald

Many employees of Ira McDonald Construction are sporting a mustache during Movember to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. Our team page can be found on the Movember Canada website.

“Ira McDonald Construction is always supportive of initiatives that give back to the community. Movember has been a great way to bring everyone together for a common goal. It’s also been fun to gauge the moustache-growing ability on the IMC team.”

-Mick Riley, Movember Team Captain for IMC

Employees participating in the initiative include:

Wynn McDonald (President)
Dale McDonald (Past President, Director of Strategic Partnerships)
Ron Worrall (Director of Operations)
Chris Campbell (Director of Finance & Administration)
Jake DeJong (Director of Human Resources & Safety)
Ken Johnson (Project Manager)
Chris Wills (Project Manager)
Greg Cartwright (Project Manager)
Mick Riley (Project Coordinator & Movember Team Captain)
David Petrie (Senior Estimator)
Brady Jonker (Estimator)
Anthony Mazzeo (Site Superintendent)
Dave Roussey (Site Superintendent)
Ben McIntee (Labourer)
Zachary Strong (Inside Sales / Marketing)
Dave McDonald (IT)

All donations and support are appreciated! In order to donate to the Ira McDonald Construction team, follow this link or click on the ‘Donate’ button located on our team page.

Career Night at Mohawk Sets Graduates Up for Success

Posted on October 15, 2014 by iramcdonald

On October 7th, 2014, Ira McDonald Construction attended the Meet the Grad/Employer night for the Building Sciences programs at Mohawk College. We met many talented and passionate young people looking to make the next step in their careers at the event, which was held in “The Arnie”, an iconic restaurant and event space that Ira McDonald Construction renovated in 2011.

It was great for us to be involved in a local career evening and support the next generation of construction professionals. We believe that people are the cornerstone of our company’s sustainability and we couldn’t be prouder of supporting Mohawk, as several members of our staff are graduates from the Building Sciences programs.

For more information on career opportunities with Ira McDonald Construction, connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn, visit www.iramcdonald.com/careers/, or email Jake DeJong, our Director of Human Resources & Safety.

A standing-room-only crowd at the Arts Centre & Lofts listens to seven talks about the link between design and prosperity.

Architecture, Commerce, and Community: Conversations on Urban Design

Posted on September 18, 2014 by iramcdonald

On September 12, representatives from Ira McDonald Construction attended a lecture series about the relationship between architecture and a prosperous local economy. The series was hosted by the Ontario Association of Architects in partnership with the Hamilton/Burlington Society of Architects and the Renew Hamilton Project as part of the annual Supercrawl festival.

The seven speakers presented in the PechaKucha format, which limits presentations to 20 slides or images and 20 seconds per image. The standing-room-only event was an engaging look at how architectural design can create both cultural and economic value for communities.

Many themes addressed in the talks are relevant to both the construction process and design process, including sustainability, client-consultant partnership, trust, procurement, and project implementation.

One of the key messages common to all speakers’ presentations was that the development of facilities and infrastructure is an investment in the prosperity of the community, and the up-front commitment of time and resources will pay off for many years to come. We believe that general contractors and construction managers also play an important role when it comes to the implementation of infrastructure planning. As a general contracting firm based in Hamilton, we are excited to work with architects, planners, and communities to help drive the city’s urban revitalization.

Speakers List:

Richard Allen (Director, Renew Hamilton Project)

Driving Hamilton’s Future Economy: “People need to love their city.”

Bill Curran (Principal, Thier+Curran Architects)

The Power of Design: “Architecture is a product of many forces that exist in a society at that point in time.”

Robert Freedman (Principal, Freedman Urban Solutions)

The Value of Urban Design: “Hamilton has a buzz surrounding it. The creative class wants to be here, and great urban design helps cities compete for talent.”

Jeremy Freiburger (Chief Connector and Cultural Strategist, CoBALT CONNECTS)

Expressing Neighbourhood Vibrancy: “A neighbourhood’s culture can’t be expressed in absolute numbers, but we can compare attributes to understand what makes a community vibrant.”

Drew Hauser (Principal, McCallum Sather Architects)

Renewal: “Knowing your neighbourhood and knowing your client is paramount. Trust is earned and respected.”

Joanne McCallum (Principal, McCallum Sather Architects)

Sustainability: “Clients must be engaged in the process to have truly sustainable buildings.”

David Premi (Principal, David Premi Architects)

Does Hamilton Have a Supportive Design Culture?: “In the new municipal economy, lifestyle is competitive. A supportive procurement process is essential to good design.”