Ontario cement plant wins award as international leader in reducing energy costs and consumption nical positions which they are having difficulty hiring for; the majority are for trades which re- quire certifications, but also in- clude labour positions and upper-level supervisory roles, in- dicating a disconnect between training and needs for the last several years. This disconnect in career planning is highlighted by one survey respon- dent, who commented: “Most fami- lies do not encourage the trades. It seems as though there is nothing be- tween McDonald’s and university.” “Construction employers are under increasing pressure and scrutiny,” says BCAA president Man- ley McLachlan. “This honest, straight- forward input from industry is invaluable. The respondents are clearly deeply invested in the sector and have expressed a sincere need to resolve issues and move forward.” Georgia-Pacific Canada expands sales presence across the country Georgia-Pacific Canada LP, an affil- iate of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, one of North America’s leading manufac- turers of gypsum products, has ex- panded its Canadian coast-to-coast sales presence. Three independent sales repre- sentative firms, all based in Canada, cover specific territories, the com- pany said in a news release. • Div7 Building Systems, based in Surrey BC, will cover British Co- lumbia; • North 49 Sales Agency Inc., based in Toronto, ON will service Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada; • Pilot Group Inc., based in Calgary, AB will operate in the prairie provinces. Leo Bissonnette, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum's regional business manager - Canada and Northeast US, says the companies represent all gypsum products. This team will focus on building owners, architects and roof- ing contractors, complementing the work of the company's internal field sales managers, who focus on dry- wall contractors and distributors. Ontario cement plant wins award as international leader in reducing energy costs and consumption Community leaders and St Marys Cement Inc. executives have cele- brated St Marys Cement - Bow- manville plant recently receiving the Gold Award Certification in Energy Excellence. Certification in Energy Excellence is a program which tests an organiza- tion's energy management processes and performance, and is one of the most thorough programs in the world. More than 160 energy management criteria, based on world-class best practices, are as- sessed. The program is independ- ently moderated and validated by the United Kingdom's National Energy Foundation. St Marys has been recognized for its world-class energy conservation performance and its success at inte- grating energy management in all as- pects of its operations. To date, the Bowmanville Plant's approach to energy management has added $10 million to its bottom line, the company said in a news release. “The plant is again on pace this year to reduce its energy bill by $1 mil- lion,” the news release reported. “These savings are achieved though an integrated and carefully balanced approach of smart energy buying, matching energy-intensive plant operations with off-peak rates, common sense energy conservation practices and other plant-based en- ergy initiatives.” John Pooley, chief assessor for the Certification in Energy Excel- lence, based in the United Kindom, presented the award. “The Bowmanville facility is one of the largest cement plants in North America with a rated capacity of over 1.8 million metric tonnes of product,” Pooley said. “As we all know, cement plants consume significant amounts of energy, but few other industrial op- erations in the world have come close to achieving the same level of integration in energy savings." Marty Fallon, CEO of St Marys Ce- ment, Celso Martini, VP Cement Op- erations, and Fabio Garcia, manager of plant operations, accepted the award on behalf of St Marys. Since the committee's inception, St Marys Cement - Bowmanville Plant has reduced energy usage by a total of 171,429 mw, which is suffi- cient to provide power to 3,819 homes. This energy savings lowered CO2 emissions by 31,886 tonnes, equivalent to the removal of 9,135 cars from the roads, the news re- lease said. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Summer 2014 – 11