EllisDon is an employee-owned construction services company that was founded and incorporated in 1951 in London, Ontario, Canada, by brothers Don and David Ellis Smith.[1] The company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
In 1951, EllisDon was launched by brothers Don and David Ellis Smith as a local contractor in London, Ontario.
1951–1989
Between 1956 and 1968, EllisDon computerized its accounting and cost control systems, and operated a purchased tower crane – the first construction company in Canada to do both.[2] In 1971, EllisDon launched a Corporate Safety Strategy to improve job site safety.[3]
Between 1974 and 1976, the company expanded, establishing operations in Edmonton, Alberta and in Saudi Arabia.[2][4][5] Since then EllisDon has expanded its current operations to its offices around the world.[6]
Once EllisDon was awarded the Construction Management Contract for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre project in 1982, it moved on to build the SkyDome (renamed Rogers Centre in 2005).[7] This project was completed in 1989, and was the world's first retractable rooftop stadium.[8][1]
1990–2003
In 1990, EllisDon established the construction industry's first freestanding Research and Development Department.[2] Following that, EllisDon in 1993 became the first Canadian company to build in Latvia and Lithuania following the removal of the Iron Curtain in the USSR.[9][10] In 1997, EllisDon completed its first project in Malaysia.[2]
In 1996, Don Smith's son, Geoff Smith – who joined the company as a full-time employee in 1982 – became EllisDon's president and CEO.[11]
EllisDon delivered Toronto's MaRS (Medical and Related Services) Convergence Centre (Building B) in 2005.[12]
In 2008, EllisDon completed construction and installation work in the Dubai Waterfront, the largest waterfront development of its kind in the world.[13]
In 2010, EllisDon completed Winnipeg International Airport Terminal Building, Canada's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified airport terminal.[14]
In June 2016, EllisDon launched The Carbon Impact Initiative Action Plan[15] in support of Canada's international climate change commitments. Industry executives, in collaboration with government leaders, established the initiative outlining strategies to transform the market toward a low-carbon economy.[16] Mohawk College's Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation Building[17] is Ontario's first net-zero institutional building as well as the first pilot project under the Carbon Impact Initiative.[18]
In June 2023, Geoff Smith was succeeded as President and CEO by Kieran Hawe, previously COO. [20] Geoff Smith remains Executive Chair of the Board of Directors.
