PHIL TOMA, FORMULA CONTRACTORS

PROFESSIONAL

Describe your current job.

I am the senior project manager and estimator at Formula Contractors. Some of my areas of responsibility include:

• Providing leadership and general direction to project managers, superintendents and supervisors;

• Scheduling and completing construction projects;

• Providing project estimates, as well as managing projects and purchasing construction materials as required;

• Providing direction to ensure that Formula projects are completed in a standardized manner and according to the company’s policies and procedures;

• Developing construction and sales opportunities;

• Completing project close-out packages:

• Establishing company and project resourcing priori-ties and facilitating communication between clients and customers, senior management, project managers, superintendents, supervisors and managers

How did you get to where you are now?

I attended university and studied forestry. I was employed in the forest sector for 15 years. In the later part of my forestry career, I was mostly involved with timber harvesting, road construction, bridge construction and log yard activities.  Formula provided bridge construction activities in some of the areas I was involved in operationally with forestry. I decided it was time to make a career change and the princi-pal of Formula and I struck up a conversation in 2005. I have been with Formula Contractors going on 12 years.

What do you love about your job?

The diversity in what Formula builds and the geographi-cal areas in which we work keep day-to-day operations very interesting. We work as far east as Manitoba and as far north as Tuktoyuktuk, N.W.T.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Most days involve advancing construction projects. Each one will be at a different stage of completion – some on the books, some starting and some wrapping up.

What are the challenges you experience in your job?

Dealing with day-to-day logistics [can be difficult]. Most of Formula’s work is either a several-hour drive or a flight to get to. Planning to successfully execute a project is time-consuming, but is required. Sometimes, the best laid plans can get thrown a curveball and you have to know what is required to address and correct.

What are your future goals?

Future goals will be to continue building and maintaining Formula as a successful construction company.

What are your predictions for the future of deep 

Foundation construction in Canada?

I can’t look at a crystal ball to make predictions! However, I hope [that we see] continued and required industrial proj-ects that Canada needs to keep the economic wheels turning. These projects generally include deep foundation solutions that include piling.

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