Ray Shannon takes helm as OCA chair; association reports healthy balance sheet despite pandemic

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Ray Shannon
Ray Shannon

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Ray Shannon has been elected as the Ottawa Construction Association (OCA)โ€™s chair for 2021.

He took office at the OCAโ€™s annual general meeting on March 11, held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (The associationโ€™s last AGM, on March 12, 2020, occurred just as the pandemic was starting โ€“ and in fact was the last in-person event before social gatherings were declared to be unsafe last year.)

The OCAโ€™s annual report indicates that the association has fared well despite the pandemic and the need to cancel other social events and in-person activities. Financial statements report a $338,288 budget surplus, in part because it was eligible for Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) benefits of $214,677 from March 15 to Nov. 30, 2020.

Membership declined slightly during the year by 32 from 1,154 at the end of 2019 to 1,122 at the end of 2020.

โ€œThe good news is that despite the drop-off in membership in 2020, OCA remains the go-to-voice for the regionโ€™s non-residential construction industry,โ€ OCA said in its annual report.ย  โ€œWe are proud to represent a diverse base of construction companies โ€“ from across all sectors, sizes and disciplines โ€“ and we support them to our fullest ability.โ€

In his statement on assuming the OCAโ€™s chair, Shannon said: โ€œMy goal is to work hard to set the stage for continued success for the OCA for the future.โ€

Shannon is an insurance broker with BrokerLink Inc. He originally joined the OCA board in 2015.

โ€œWe are coming out of an extremely challenging year as the industry was very internally focussed on managing its way through the pandemic,โ€ Shannon said. โ€œWorking hand-in-hand with the OCA team, executive and board, we will be updating and continuously executing our long-term strategic plan to focus on driving โ€˜member value and increasing member enthusiasmโ€™ by staying focused on delivering high quality educational programming, hosting high-quality networking and social events and delivering the message to project owners that our industry continues to provide quality construction projects delivered by industry professionals โ€“even in these challenging times.โ€

Other 2021 OCA directors include: Danny Dillon, Dilfo Mechanical, past-chair; Hubie Splinter, Graebeck Construction, general contractors section chairman; Kevin Skinner, PCL Constructors, section director-at-large; Bruce Thomas, Ron Eastern Construction Ltd., section director-at-large; Paul Mayer, Sapacon Drywall, trade contractors section chair; Jason Adams, Duron Services, section director-at-large, Vincent Lamont, Jacques Lamont Ltรฉe., section director; Jeff Tremblay, T & M Electric, section director-at-large; Cathy Godin, SK Sheetmetal, section director-at-large; Daniel Leduc, Norton Rose Fulbright, manufacturer/supplier section director-at-large; Tim Vizena, Tomlinson, road builders and heavy construction section chairman; Greg Clarke, Valley Utilities Ltd., section director-at-large, and Humberto Ferrer, Marathon Underground Constructors Section Director-at-large

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