Tony Bennett has been with Binnie for over 5 years and works with our team as a Bridge Project Supervisor, where he does Quality Assurance on bridge construction sites. As a Project Supervisor, you can find Tony interacting with construction contractors and reporting back to clients like the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

When he was growing up as 1 of 6 children, Tony didn’t exactly know what he wanted to do in his career as an adult, but he always knew he wanted to be in construction. After attending BCIT, he joined the BC Ministry of Highways, working on bridge construction sites and project management assignments.

As of today, Tony’s favourite project that he has ever worked on is for the Salmon River Bridge, which is north of Prince George. Upon completion, the Salmon River Bridge has improved traffic flow, removed a Hwy 97 overhead restriction, and improved a riverside recreation area for the community. He takes great pride in seeing the bridges like this in service, improving mobility and safety for the community, and creating a real impact.

Over his career, he attributes his success to his family, that has always been willing to move around BC to bridge construction locations. One important mentor in his life has been Rodrik (Rocky) Vanlerberg, (Binnie Project Supervisor), who was Tony’s first direct boss when he started with ​Ministry’s highway team. Rocky was very knowledgeable about bridge construction and seemed to really enjoy teaching and mentoring new workers like Tony. Rocky currently works for Binnie Construction at the Kaslo Bridge Site and has been proven to be a valuable resource for both Binnie and especially Tony. In addition to his mentor, Rocky, Tony really looks up to Mike Newton (Binnie’s Construction Services Division Manager) and Paul Shul (Binnie’s Assistant Division Manager in Construction Services). Both Binnie staff members who have collectively worked for Binnie for over 20 years.  Both Paul and Mike are always supporting their staff and helping to provide them with more career opportunities. He also looks back on his time working with Gordon Wagner (from our Prince George office) with fondness as he really enjoyed working under Gordon’s leadership. With all this valuable experience working with others, Tony’s advice is:

“When you’re starting out, training and exposure to bridge construction are important and then if you get an opportunity, try to stick with the work and travel as required. If you enjoy construction, there seems to be many opportunities with MOTI or Engineering Consultants once you get some exposure to bridges. There are many bridges in BC, so there is always a new replacement or rehabilitation bridge to work on. When working with others, try to have patience…remember, everybody makes mistakes. That’s why it’s good to always have someone check over your work.”

In addition to enjoying his experience with other staff, Tony has overall enjoyed his time at Binnie. One of his fondest memories is Binnie’s Christmas party in Kamloops a few years ago. At one point, he also really appreciated working out of Binnie’s Prince George office while working at Salmon River Bridge north of Prince George. According to Tony, Binnie’s Prince George staff were very accommodating and helpful! When Tony’s not at work, you can find him playing baseball, hockey, fishing, and keeping active.

If you’re into building careers and communities that last like Tony, take a look at some of our available positions here.