2002 Recipient

Paul Charette, Civil Technology, 1967 and Computer Programming, 1968

Paul Charette was born and raised in Winnipeg. He attended West Kildonan Collegiate, and graduated with diplomas in Civil Technology and Computer Programming from RRC Polytech in 1967 and 1968 respectively.

His first position was with Crippen Acres Consulting as a civil engineering coordinator, where he was employed for nine years. In 1976 he moved to Regina to take a position as a junior project Coordinator with Bird Construction. Paul excelled in this position and was quickly promoted to various positions within Bird; eventually ending up as the chairman, president and CEO. Paul is truly a hands-on expert in the field of construction, and can speak to many current and future trends in the industry.

Under Mr. Charette’s direction, a buyout of the majority of the Bird family holdings was initiated in 1996. The employees now control 70 percent of the shares of the publicly traded company. Currently, Bird business spans borders, and sales surpass $400 million dollars per year.

Paul’s achievements are numerous. He has won the Ontario General Contractor Association’s Chairman’s Award for recognition of an outstanding contribution to the general contracting industry. In a statement to Portrait magazine, RRC Polytech’s annual publication, he stated: “It is a very humbling experience to be recognized by one’s peers.” Paul was recently appointed both the Chairman of the General Contractor’s Council and also to the Executive of the Canadian Construction Association at their recent AGM.

Paul’s dedication to RRC Polytech is exceptional. Since the late 1960s Bird Construction has annually sponsored two scholarships for students in the Civil and Building Technology programs. More recently he has set up bursaries at both West Kildonan Collegiate and RRC Polytech to assist students in advancing their education in the Civil and Building Technology programs. He has also made it a point to keep in touch with numerous Civil Technology instructors, giving short speeches to classes regarding opportunities in the construction business.