46 – Spring 2017 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report




TOP 40 UNDER 40
Marc-Antoine Cuerrier,
34, connects leadership,
labour and community service
Canadian Design and Construction
Special Feature
At just 34 years, Marc-Antoine Cuer-
rier has found his niche. After a suc-
cessful career in film and television
production, a decision to study project
management, and then a shift of direc-
tion to construction, he is now CEO
and co-founder of True North Labour
Inc., a Burnaby based staffing agency
providing skilled workers to trade con-
tractors in the ICI construction industry.

Cuerrier says obtaining his project
management certification definitely
opened doors. When now business
partner Alex Nuhiyev approached him
though for an opinion and evaluation
of his business proposal, his course
was set.

Incorporated in 2015, True North
was born out of an awareness that
temporary agencies often did not have
the necessary knowledge to assign
the right workers to the right jobs.

While modelled after a temporary
agency, responsible for placing
roughly 120 workers on average a
week regularly, and closer to 300 dur-
ing busy times, True North fulfills that
need by building a workforce of peo-
ple “who are skilled, accountable and
who are satisfied because they feel
like they belong to a community of
professionals.” The company provides its special-
ized labour to a variety of projects, in-
cluding many large projects for large
clients. He says in the beginning, there
was definite hesitation to trust that
True North could deliver, in part per-
haps based on Cuerrier’s own age, as
well as the relative newness of the
company. With persistence and con-
sistently demonstrating skill and
knowledge over time, that has
changed. Cuerrier says co-founding True
North has been his greatest accom-
plishment to date. As the company fi-
nalizes plans to acquire two other
companies sometime this year, that
accomplishment grows.

Formerly secretary of the Vancou-
ver Regional Construction Associa-
tion’s (VRCA) U-40 Council, Cuerrier
has now stepped into a three-year pro-
gression plan that will move him from
vice-chair to chair to past chair. He
also works as a member of VRCA’s Ed-
ucation Committee.“We have monthly
visits to students who are starting to
think about next stages in education
and future careers, with the goal of
demystifying construction and giving
them information about the industry
and potential careers so they can con-
sider all of their options.”
Cuerrier calls construction a beau-
tiful career opportunity filled with di-
verse and challenging opportunities.

On a more personal level, Cuerrier
and a partner have teamed up with a
local organization and, beginning in
May, will share their passion for cross-
fit with youth with autism.

“I have a brother with autism,” he
said. “Many people with autism like
movement, and like community envi-
ronments. Too often though they can
have shorter lifespans because they
don’t exercise or are in other ways un-
healthy.” His goal in giving back is to offer a
modified version of the program that
will be fun and engaging, and give back
to a community that is dear to him.

As a young person succeeding in
his chosen career, being involved in
the industry, and giving back, Cuerrier
offers some advice. “It’s important to
continue to learn and grow and not to
be afraid to make mistakes. Most
often there is no ‘doing it right the first
time’ so you just have to get up and
keep going. Don’t let mistakes or set-
backs stop you because whatever
they are, it isn’t the end of the world.”
For more information about
True North Labour, visit
http://truenorthlabour.com/. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Spring 2017 – 47