TOP 40 UNDER 40
Sonny Sangha
Building ICE Development Ltd. to become
a major construction industry leader
Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature
A problem solver who understands the
benefits of learning by experience and being
hands on, Sonny Sangha has translated his
passion for project management into a pas-
sion for construction.

In 2004, at the age of 27, he founded ICE
Development Ltd. Today, as president of this
growing project management and construc-
tion management firm, he leads his team,
tackling significant B.C. commercial and in-
dustrial projects.

After completing a degree in computer programming
from BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology),
Sangha established himself within the dot com world and,
he says, foresaw where the tech industry was going.

He first developed the business that led to ICE Develop-
ments in 2003. Sangha got into the real estate market, start-
ing with housing projects, moving to condominiums and
commercial and industrial projects. His self-taught knowl-
edge comes from being, in his words, “Hands-on so I
would be helping out wherever I could, asking questions,
and learning from the trades as we went.”
The knowledge he picked up in construction has the
same principle foundation as project management – dele-
gation, understanding the different stages required, and en-
suring each task is delivered and comes together as
expected, he says.

Sangha says the key to ICE Development’s success
comes from principles of providing honest client care, fos-
tering relationships, and a dynamic team. A focal compo-
nent of the organization “is to simply make life easier for
project managers by ensuring that projects are run effi-
ciently and effectively.”
His hands-on approach, from the project’s conceptual-
ization to its conclusion, is evident in results with the City
of Richmond, the B.C. Liquor Distribution
Branch (BCLDB), as well as restaurant chains
and hotels.

Currently some of ICE Development’s proj-
ects include a 29,000 sq. ft. flagship store for
BCLDB and a 90-unit hotel in Merritt, B.C.

The ICE team fosters a corporate culture of
growth and learning, he says. He encourages
an open exchange of ideas and candid cri-
tiques to encourage the team’s evolution and
his own as well. “If I’m doing something
wrong, unless someone tells me, I’ll keep
doing it. I’m always asking what I can do better, what we
as a company can do better,” he says.

Sangha isn’t shy when it comes to crediting his col-
leagues. He says emphatically that it is because of ICE’s
staff that “people come back to us and we have these re-
lationships.” In 2012, Sangha changed the company’s business
model to focus on general contracting and project manage-
ment. He spent a year rebranding and since that time the
company has grown, in staff, in capacity, and in reputation.

“In the early days, it was me and a few support staff. Now
we are close to 50 and generally have 20 to 30 active proj-
ects at a time, with several others in various stages of esti-
mating and approval.”
Sangha says he expects the business will continue its
growth path over the next few years. He says he tells peo-
ple he would like to be the next PCL in the next five to 10
years. “My dad taught me that respect and reputation have to
be earned. With every project we take on, that is the goal,
to earn respect and to continue to grow our reputation for
being able to deliver projects successfully.”
For more information on ICE Development, visit
http://ICEdevelopment.net. ICE Development specializes in project
management, general contracting
and tenant improvement services.

icedevelopment.net 26020 31B Ave, Aldergrove BC
604-381-2202 1-888-273-1012
iceteam@icedevelopment.net The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Spring 2017 – 45