SIMON DEGROOT, CET, GSC

President

From a young age, Simon knew he would have a professional career in construction. His passion for the industry was sparked when he started out working as a labourer for his father’s construction company, where he would form and pour concrete, work on framing and mechanical tasks, and virtually everything else in between. This hands-on and well-immersed experience early on set the foundation for Simon’s extensive career and provided him with the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with various disciplines.

Since those days, Simon has overseen numerous projects across Canada totaling in excess of $1 Billion over the course of 25 years working in construction. While each project is certainly unique in design, each is unique in terms of challenges as well - such as the school in Nunavut built on permafrost, or the composting facility in Cape Breton built on an old landfill site using dynamic compaction techniques, or the Porter Airlines & Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Terminal that was built using only a ferry to deliver materials while the airport was in operation, or the building of high rise multi-residential projects in tight Toronto sites.

Following in his father’s footsteps of investing in residential properties, Simon flipped his first house at the age of 19 and has completed many other residential renovations since then. The experience Simon has gained from investment properties has enabled him to have a keen sense of awareness for trends and challenges when it comes to residential and commercial development.

Simon’s extensive experience leading large teams on construction projects, such as on a 1.4 million square foot distribution center for Canadian Tire and the 34 story condo (155 Redpath), combined with his on-site knowledge and education in engineering has afforded him the ability to use a holistic approach to working with consultants and contractors alike. This approach ensures the best results are achieved for each respective project and client.

With a commitment to excellence and professionalism, Simon has never been one to simply rest on his past accomplishments. He routinely seeks out ways to surpass industry standards and opportunities to form strong professional partnerships – the core values that drive all of alliance7’s construction projects.