Patrick Lafreniere
“My employers believe in professional development. Whether that’s becoming a P.Eng or Gold Seal Certified or what have you, that means a lot, and we make that known to every employee. It’s open to anyone. When I finally got my name up on that wall, I knew I had reached a career milestone.”
Patrick Lafreniere, GSC, Project Manager, Marco Services Limited.
Patrick is a construction Project Manager for a General Contracting firm named Marco Services Limited. He manages all aspects of a project, including managing customer expectations, as well as the expectations of all the subcontractors below him. His role involves problem-solving, especially when it comes to design elements or issues on-site. He is also responsible for budgeting, scheduling, and cost forecasting.
He has a diploma in Architectural Engineering Technology from the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland. He enjoys his career because, as he describes “the job is different every day. Right now, the project that I’m on is the St. Johns International Airport expansion. It’s a challenging 155,000 sq. Ft. expansion. I do everything possible to facilitate the build, as we’re working on putting a building over a pre-existing building. Trying to mitigate any impacts to the airport operations is challenging, but so far we’ve succeeded.”
Patrick discovered the Gold Seal Certification when he began working for Marco Group. “There were a lot of certificates on the wall. We have what you can call The Gold Wall. The Gold Wall is where all the framed Gold Seal Certificates from all our Certified employees are hanging. I inquired about it and wanted to see my name up on that wall because it’s held in high esteem at our company. I soon became a Gold Seal Intern after doing some research.”
On October 18th, 2013 Patrick earned his Gold Seal Certification.
Similarly to others, Patrick expressed making time to complete his education as a challenge. “Fortunately, the education and training I already had provided me with enough credits to challenge the exam. I found the duration of having to wait five years a long time, but that’s part of the deal.”
“Get it done. Work hard, do the required courses if necessary. It’s an achievement that our industry as a whole should recognize. It’s important for an individual, and it’s important for the company. It’s a great accomplishment. I’ve recently learned about the P.GSC. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to apply. I fit the criteria, and why not? It’s even better; I’d show it off.”