Michael Brunner was ready for a change. The journeyman electrician and superintendent had worked at the same company for 18 years and in

1996 he was ready for more.

“The idea was to build a company and have a group of people who would get involved and stay involved over the years,” he says. “It has always been my plan to start the company, grow the company and get to a position where the employees could take it on.”

That’s exactly what he has accomplished with Allied Projects Electrical Systems in the past 20 years. He started out with a handful of people in the office and doing fieldwork, building it up from nothing. Now there are about 100 employees on the payroll and Allied Projects has established itself as one of the top electrical contractors in the city.

The key for Brunner and his management team is that it’s the right group of conscientious, career-motivated employees. Allied has created an atmosphere in which people feel valued, supported and an integral part of the process, all the while offering opportunities to grow and advance. Management advocates open and honest communication and invites staff to quarterly “state of the union” meetings to ensure everyone is informed about what is going on. It’s certainly not a place to simply punch a card.

“The intent is to create a career for people and give them a path to move forward,” Brunner says.

Employees are engaged and involved, and following the path forward can lead to shares in the company. Any employee can own shares after three years, and about one-third of Allied employees have taken advantage of the opportunity.

“Mike wanted ownership so he started a business, and now he has given that over to his employees so they could also have the same,” says Debbie Friesen, controller. “When you have shares, you’re working for yourself, you’re invested in the company.”

The opportunity to share in ownership is rare in the industry but it was important to Brunner to recognize employees as an important part of the company’s growth. But being employee-owned isn’t the only thing Allied Projects is doing differently.

It has adopted a team approach to both bidding for projects and completing them once awarded. A team consisting of a project manager, estimator and superintendent (all of whom are electricians) reviews the project to determine if it’s a good fit, establishes a price and submits it to the client. If they’re successful, that same team works together throughout the project to see

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Allied Projects Celebrates 20 Years

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Ralph Klein Environmental Centre Air Traffic Control Tower. Photo credit: Charles Hope Photography.

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it through. The team is informed going in, decided it was a worthwhile project to pursue and is committed to seeing it through to completion.

“It really helps us in the transition of bidding for the project to being awarded it as the team is already in place and has a good understanding of the project,” says Dan Ellingson, vice president construction.

Team members have years of experience and are acquainted with the whole project so they can provide solutions not just crunch numbers. This level of expertise and a reputation for quality work has led to Allied Projects being involved in some iconic projects over the years.

Calgary Co-op, Hamptons storePhoto credit: Michael Cudjoe Photography

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Allied Projects did the electrical work on the Peace Bridge that links downtown with the community of Sunnyside, the huge Genesis Centre of Community Wellness in the northeast, and the CN intermodal terminal, the lights from which are visible from space. The company has also worked on projects at the Glenbow Museum and Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Ralph Klein Park and Environmental Education Centre, Grey Eagle Casino, and the City of Calgary’s ring road.

The company was entrusted with contracts that not many other companies would be able to handle as well. It completed high-voltage work at the University of Calgary’s cogeneration facility, has a high-level approval to do various projects at the city’s hospitals, and is one of the

few companies in the country who has worked on an air traffic control tower build.

Allied Projects’ reputation for high-quality workmanship and a dedication to serving clients from start to finish continues to attract new and longtime repeat business to the company. The company is proud to be a preferred contractor that exceeds expectations on each job, and that pride is reflected in every detail of every project to which they sign the Allied name.

“We have the ability to take on most any job at short notice, and we have the expertise in-house to do just about anything,” says Brunner.

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7th Avenue LRTPhoto credit: Michael Cudjoe Photography

University of Calgary Co-Generation Plant Photo credit: Michael Cudjoe Photography

Cactus Club Photo credit: Marc Savoia

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For over 17 years Chariot Express has assured that Allied Projects receives the timely delivery of their freight through our courteous, hardworking, dependable, safety-minded drivers and support staff.

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The company is essentially a one-stop shop for electrical contracting needs. Whether clients need maintenance or servicing, have an emergency situation that needs quick attention or want to embark on a years-long build or renovation, Allied has the experience, flexibility and proven safety record to get the job done well, on time and on budget. It also has developed a strong network in the industry over the decades that reinforces the trust and confidence in Allied’s ability to do a great job.

Allied enjoys long-term partnerships with not only suppliers but consultants, architects and engineers, making for easy integration at job sites. The long-term employees who have worked their entire careers at Allied also contribute significantly to the company’s standing in the industry. After all, it’s the relationships and the people that are most important to Brunner and his management team. Even the company’s name stresses the importance of teamwork and collaboration to achieve success. From the early days through to today, Brunner wanted a company that people cared about and is proud of its longevity and enviable reputation.

“Everybody forms part of what you are. You can’t just say ‘we did this.’ We did this because we are involved with all these other people over the years who have bought into what we do,” says Brunner.

Those who have bought in most are Allied’s employees, who mirror Brunner’s focus on people with their generosity and connection to community. Staff regularly supports charities including the Calgary Food Bank, Meals on Wheels and the Calgary Women’s Shelter. They also mobilized when the flood devastated the area in 2013.

“We got a call from a general contractor who was looking for help. We put the call out to our employees and they stepped up to help support the city,” says Brian Reed, business and project development manager.

Employees gave more than 10,000 hours of their time to help flood victims in Calgary, working with the City of Calgary to inspect homes to ensure it was safe to turn power back on. There was never a thought given about money and staff was happy to do what they could to help, which prompted management to pay the staff for the hours they volunteered.

This says a lot about the staff at Allied, and the management. Michael Brunner’s vision of a company staffed by engaged, involved, connected professionals has clearly come to fruition. And he and the staff are thankful for the support of their customers and suppliers over the past two decades. After 20 years in business, Brunner knows that the company he built from scratch will be in good hands for generations to come. •

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Allied Projects | 20 Years

Peace Bridge. Photo credit: Derrell Wyshynski