Green Infrastructure Partners prioritizes sustainability in its culture through employee resource groups and its diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging program.Provided
For John Pontarollo, chief operating officer of Green Infrastructure Partners (GIP), three decades of involvement in infrastructure and construction materials companies have instilled a profound conviction.
“Every project is a chance to make the world just a little bit better,” he says, after a career that has taken him from completing Ontario’s concrete highway, the 407 ETR, to GIP’s newest project, preparatory excavation work for the new Ontario Line connection to the Pape Avenue station on Toronto’s existing subway system.
“You can’t build good infrastructure without building for the future,” Pontarollo says. “In our eyes, they’re one and the same. For us, how we build is just as important as what we build.”
Less than two years old under its current name, GIP nonetheless has deep roots in building transit infrastructure. It’s simultaneously one of Canada’s largest and most diversified companies in that field, and “a 4,000-person startup,” says Betsy Smith, vice-president, human resources, people and culture.
Smith came aboard as Toronto-based GIP’s first HR head in November 2022, a few months after its spinoff from GFL Environmental Inc. and its acquisition of Coco Paving Inc. She began the ongoing job of blending very different predecessor workplaces and thousands of employees. “Actually, it’s more like 5,000 now,” Smith adds, “after acquiring Aecon Transportation East.”
“There are practical matters involved, of course, like getting everyone on the same system,” Smith says, “but there’s also a huge cultural evolution going on as we establish our mission and purpose, foster our employee resource groups and emphasize our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging program. But sustainability is not an issue in all that – it’s the common thread amongst all the cultures.”
It’s also a crucial factor in securing GIP’s future workforce. “When we’re recruiting, our reputation for sustainability – right down to the ‘green’ in our name – is so important to new hires,” says Smith. “You can’t go out and try to hire a 28-year-old and not talk about sustainability in the interview. It’s a requirement for this generation of employees.”
Which an expanding GIP is actively seeking. In early 2024, the company began recruiting for over 60 full-time salaried positions and approximately 300 construction workers for its Ontario Line project. “GIP will be spearheading major work, including installing excavation supports and innovative geotechnical instrumentation, for what will be a transformational transit project,” says COO Pontarollo.
“Our early work will have a significant impact, helping to change the way hundreds of thousands of Torontonians access the communities and attractions they love, in a more effective and environmentally sustainable way.”
Increasing diversity among its workforce, he continues, will increase his company’s potential. “If you prioritize that, you foster a healthier culture, and you can grow sustainably,” says Pontarollo, who has aimed to integrate sustainability into day-to-day operations throughout his career in building infrastructure.
“When I say grow sustainably, I mean financially, socially and in engagement with your communities,” he says. “Those things become part of your organization and make you more conscious of the positive social impact you can have on the communities in which you work and on your employees. All that makes you a more effective environmental steward.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.