Graham Maloney
“Earning your Gold Seal Certification is acknowledgment and recognition of experience and training. The framed certification looks beautiful above your desk. It displays that this person has met the standard, and his bar is set high.”
Graham Maloney, GSC, Structural Superintendent, Westbank Projects Corp
Graham is a descendant of an English Carpenter. He revered his father, Terry Maloney, and honoured him by following in his footsteps. “My father excelled at being a Superintendent and worked on some incredible projects.
Not only in Canada but around the world. They were big shoes to try and fill.” Today Graham is a Structural Superintendent for Westbank Projects Corp’s own in-house construction division ICON West Construction Corp. He is currently working on a project called The Vancouver House Project, which should reach completion phases in the spring of 2018.
His daily tasks include morning Superintendent meetings, open communication, and coordination of site activities specific to structure and rebar, and Quality Assurance of trades Quality Control (QA of trades QC). “Reinforcing steel is a big part of my day because the building is unique. It’s vertically post-tensioned, which is unusual. It’s one of six buildings in the world that has a vertical post-tensioned spine.” Aside from work, Graham enjoys building things and working with his hands immensely. “During the period where I held a job as a carpenter, and even earlier than that, I use to work evenings and weekends building decks, fences, garages, etc. I enjoyed the timber construction component of the industry.”
He discovered the Gold Seal Certification in 1988 while he was residing in Kitchener, Ont. However, he never attempted to earn his Gold Seal Certification until later on in his career when he felt it was the right time. “After getting my Red Seal Certification, my dad sat me down, and we discussed the benefits of having the Gold Seal Certification. It opens doors for you as a Superintendent. Not only mentioning the benefits for the individual – but he also mentioned how the Gold Seal Certification opens new doors for your employers. It provides more opportunities for everyone involved, as many projects are specified Gold Seal Projects.” On October 8th, 2010 Graham received his Gold Seal Certification. Today, Graham is a Professional Gold Seal Certified Superintendent.
However, earning his Gold Seal Certification did not come effortlessly. Graham, like many others, found making the time to complete his mandatory education to be challenging. “It’s not something you can get by filling out a form on the internet. Gold Seal Certification has mandatory education. You need to complete a certain number of credits to move to the next step. I live a busy life and sometimes finding the time was a challenge.” After earning his Gold Seal Certification, Graham describes a sense of achievement. “It’s nice to have; it’s kind of like an engineering degree for carpenters or Superintendents in the field.”
“The ladder of your career is sometimes going to be long. Take it one step at a time. Make sure you take each step appropriately and get your qualifications as needed as you go up the ladder. It’s something to strive for, and says a lot about your character.”