Sudbury-based engineering, automation and software development company is staffing up to carry out the complete detailed engineering design for Xstrata Nickel’s $119 million Fraser Morgan project.
BESTECH, founded in 1995 by co-CEOs Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre, celebrated the hiring of its 100th employee in January and made the annual list of the 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada for 2012 as selected by the Queen’s University School of Business and human resource consulting firm Aon Hewitt.
The company expects to hire an additional 30 engineers, designers, project managers and automation specialists in mechanical, electrical and civil/structural disciplines by the end of the year.
Xstrata Nickel’s Fraser Morgan project will extend the life of the Fraser Mine Complex by five years to 2025, unlocking 6,000 tonnes of nickel and 2,000 tonnes of copper per year.
The three-year development project includes the design and commissioning of communication, ventilation, backfill, mine dewatering, power distribution and ore and waste handling systems.
“With our 100-employee workforce, we feel that we are well-positioned to take on similar projects of this caliber,” said BESTECH general manager Jo-Anne Boucher. “I am confident that our highly skilled team, our customer focused approach and our ability to provide quality engineering services will shine throughout the development of the Fraser Morgan project.”
BESTECH’s qualification as one of Canada’s top 50 small and medium employers was based on employee engagement. According to Aon Hewitt, employees are engaged when they speak positively about the organization, are committed to remaining with their current employer and are motivated to go “above and beyond” to contribute to business success.
Best employers research indicates that companies with high engagement are characterized by greater employer retention, decreased absenteeism, better employee health and lower job stress, enhanced customer service and better business results.
To be eligible to participate in the Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada study, organizations must be in business for at least three years and have between 50 and 399 permanent, Canadian-based employees.
“We were absolutely thrilled to have made this year’s list of 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada,” said co-COO Marc Boudreau. “We are committed to making BESTECH a great place to work for our valued employees and the survey results indicate that we are succeeding. Employee engagement and retention are priorities at BESTECH because we know that our continued success and client satisfaction stem from the expertise and professionalism of our employees.”
BESTECH has expanded from one modest office in 1995 to 14,000 square feet of space and offices in Sudbury, Timmins and Toronto.
