b'MEMBER PROFILE PHIL LONG CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LTD.THE MAGIC OF CONSTRUCTION AND CONNECTIONSBY MACKAYLA ESSERYhile many only see constructionsince 2006, and through his countlessYou should never be asked to do anything W as the art of building structures,hours dedicated to various local non- that compromises your standards, your Phil Long sees it as the art ofprofits and construction associations,own ethics or your integrity. Theyre the building connections and relationships. Long has shown just how much hemost important characteristics, says Long has spent five decades workingvalues the opportunity to connect. Long. The best companies Ive worked for allow you to be yourself at work, with general contractors on the projectBeing a member of SICA is a greatwithout the strains and pushes and pulls management side of the industry. Afteradvantage for anyone who believes inof politics. If youre the same at work retiring, Long turned his expertise into acollaboration and wants to benefit fromas you are at home, then youre more passion project when he started Phil Longthe networking process and being closercomfortable, youre more productive, and Construction Services Ltd. in 2018. to the cutting edge of whats what in theyoure happier.The company, based out of West Kelowna,industry, says Long. The industry here is a one-man show run by Long himself.is built on relationships and the peopleCreating something out of nothing is a The company provides estimating andyou enjoy working with. SICA givesrewarding job that no one person can project management services, the latter ofpeople that opportunity to network. accomplish, especially on challenging which Long says provides him the fullprojects like the Cranbrook Hospitala spectrum of the construction project.Networking not only gives thesix-phase, two-and-a-half-year job that opportunity to get to know peopleLong worked on. Long also puts the value of collaborationthroughout the industry, but it also helps first when choosing his projects. Inbuild relationships with teams who haveSeeing a building as important as a fact, he takes pride in his focus andsimilar valuessomething Long wouldhospital come to life is just one part of dedication to teamwork. Its all aboutargue is one of the most importantthe magic of construction, and it only the collaboration and the teamwork.things to remember when enteringhappens when you start by building good Thequality of the project depends on thetheindustry. relationships among your team.quality of the team thats actually doing itHe believes its peoples values thatThe biggest satisfaction Ive had is and performing, he says. influence the workplace culture, andbeing able to be a part of a team that put Long has seen the power of networkingthere isnt just one person that creates itsomething on the ground where there was and building relationships all throughout the entire team doeswhich highlightsnothing before that people use, that people his career. As a member of the Southernthe importance of working with peoplelive in, that people work in, says Long. Interior Construction Association (SICA)who have similar values.Another project of note was the Engineering Management building at the University of British Columbia, which Long states was one of the most enjoyable. We had such a good team, he says. It was fun to get up in the morning and go to work.Long explains how the best composition of any team is a combination of experience and youth, which perfectly exemplifies the importance of the collaboration process. The advantage of being older is that Ive seen a lot of mistakes. I like to have an open mind and consider new ideas [from The Engineering Management building at UBC was one of Phil Longs most enjoyable projects. our youth], Long concludes.24 SOUTHERN INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION'