B.C. Trailblazers: ICBA Reflects on 50 Years of independence

In 1975, dozens of independent contractors convened on Terra Nova Motor Inn in Trail, B.C.

Despite some protestors who had gathered outside, the attendees were on a mission: to give a voice to free enterprise and have a fair shot at government tendered work—a near impossibility at the time for non-union businesses – no special deals or favors, just an opportunity to bid on projects. 

“This is the start of one of the most powerful organizations ever to be organized in the province of British Columbia,” said Phil Gaglardi, a former Minister of Highways and the gathering’s keynote speaker, to those assembled. 

His words proved to be visionary. 

Last month, nearly 50 years to the day later, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) gathered once again. This time, it was at JW Marriott Parq in downtown Vancouver.  This time there were more than 1,000 people gathered to reflect on the past and hear from not one, but two NFL players with Super Bowl rings. 

And on ICBA’s board of directors now sits Josh Gaglardi, the founder of Orion Construction, one of Canada’s fastest growing companies of any kind – the grandson of Flyin’ Phil, who made that bold prediction about ICBA 50 years ago.

“In our name, we take the word ‘independent’ very seriously. Not once in our 50-year history has ICBA ever gone to any level of government and asked for money,” said ICBA’s current (and only the third) CEO and President, Chris Gardner, addressing the crowd to a wave of applause. “Every ICBA program, every ICBA service, is self-funded, because we take seriously the values of our founders and our members: self-reliance, independence, ingenuity, and good old-fashioned hard work.” 

That same night, ICBA was informed it had been named North American Trade Association of the year for a record fourth time. But beyond the bright lights, celebrities and accolades, the group has never forgotten the values borne out of that Trail meeting. And that’s made all the difference. 

They have rallied the business community in B.C. and expanded into Alberta. ICBA is the voice of open shop contractors who make up 85% of the construction sector, and boasts more than 4,500 member and client companies making it the largest construction association in Canada. 

Why has it worked so well? For Gardner, the answer is simple. In everything it does, ICBA seeks relevancy and acts with purpose.

“If we are not relevant, our membership will not grow,” said Gradner. “If we don’t act with purpose and provide real value, our membership will not grow.”

To achieve this, ICBA focuses its member service and programing in three areas:

• A group health, dental and retirement benefits business that serves more than 300,000 people across Canada. 
• Training and workforce development programs that assist more than 6,000 people each year. 
• Award winning public policy advocacy work and campaigns that are unlike anything else in the industry, due to ICBA’s willingness to voice the concerns of its members in a more pointed and assertive fashion than its peers or other business associations.

ICBA is constantly adapting to maintain relevancy and purpose. For example, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, when it began to see a rise in mental health related claims and heard stories of member companies suffering mental-health related tragedies in their workforces, they acted. The result was a comprehensive, award-winning wellness plan to care for workers and normalize mental health conversations.  

The vast majority of members are small or medium-sized businesses with 25 employees or less. The group gears much of its services towards them and works to keep membership fees low.

“We are their voice,” said Gardner.  “They are focused on building their business, on winning work and training people – it’s our job to take up their cause with government regulators, at City Hall, provincially, federally and with regulatory entities.” 

There is a simple reason the ICBA still has many ties to the same companies and families that gathered at the Terra Nova in 1975 – ICBA remains grounded in the values of its founders.

“The purpose, vision and values of our founders are still embedded in everything we do. And the search for relevance, based on that purpose, is why we continue to grow,” he said. 

Gardner believes that the ICBA’s approach is needed now more than ever. The past decade has seen unprecedented demand for construction, yet the shortage of people, the enormous amount of red tape and regulation, and the painfully slow project approval and permitting processes have put pressure on profit margins like never before.

“Contractors and businesses are working harder, but making less,” said Gardner, who noted that Canada’s anti-business policies are making it difficult to address what he believes is one of the central challenges of our time:  building more—housing, infrastructure, hospitals, schools—building faster and building in a way that is affordable.

It hasn’t been a straight line. Looking back over the past 50 years, Gardner said it can seem like it was all a matter of fact, a natural course, and an expected outcome that was easy. 

“There were many times it could have turned out differently, were it not for the fundamental belief in our mission,” he said. “Losing sight of your vision and the values that underpin it is a recipe for failure.”

Looking to the future, the group has plans to continue growing in B.C. and Alberta. But this will never come at the cost of its values. 

“We are committed to growing in a way that would make our founders proud – with purpose and conviction and staying relevant to the skilled men and women in construction, the innovators, the entrepreneurs, and the contractors,” said Gardner.