When he was pursuing a degree in materials management at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont., Matt Belanger knew that a career in fleet management was for him.
“Most of my career has been spent in private (not-for-hire) fleet management in the trucking and construction industry,” said Belanger, who grew up in Montreal, Que., before moving to Hamilton, Ont., at age 11.
“I have been a plant manager at a few large ready-mix plants in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as terminal manager for a wastewater treatment chemical producer. In these positions, I learned how to manage private fleets for optimization of internal revenues, as well as how to effectively manage people and equipment, and how to gather and use metrics for operational improvements.”
Current role
Belanger has been with Soletanche Bachy Canada/Berminghammer Foundation Equipment for the past five years as an equipment manager in its Hamilton office. The company has more than 100 years of experience as a leading manufacturer of vertical travel leads, diesel pile driving hammers, excavator-mounted leads, foundation equipment and more.
“As the equipment manager, I helped the company implement billing systems and metric tracking for its internal rental systems,” he said.
In the past year, Belanger has been working in a sales role in his assigned region — Western North America.
“I spend my time on the road as much as I can, trying to grow our business and show folks what we have to offer and how our engineering team works. My main goal is to set up new collaborations for our customers’ challenging projects. We want them to give us an opportunity to help them bid on projects they may not have had the courage to get involved in with their current fleet setup.”
In addition, Belanger says getting Berminghammer’s name out there is crucial. He explains that their presence with roadworks and bridge contractors is not as strong as with dedicated piling contractors.
“That being said, one of the most rewarding parts of the job is getting into a room with someone who hasn’t dealt with us before and having the meeting run long because they like what they’re hearing, and they then bring new people into the room to hear what we have to say,” he said.
“The jobs that get us the most excited are when our customer is asking us to help them do something that hasn’t been done before.”
– matt belanger, berminghammer foundation equipment
Deep foundations sector
Belanger doesn’t miss a beat when asked what he likes most about the deep foundation industry.
“The sector seems to be heading into some fun new directions for deeper and bigger foundations. The jobs that get us the most excited are when our customer is asking us to help them do something that hasn’t been done before,” he said.
His favourite projects are those in which his team helps a company develop the tools needed to self-perform work they previously contracted.
“The other good ones are when we come up with a solution for a problem that no one ever had before. As a company, this is one of our greatest strengths — the engineering horsepower and creativity that is needed to spawn true innovation. This industry is full to the brim with smart and resourceful folks. I see the common trait in the people at the top as having the ability to accept new innovations and industry trends.”
As for where the industry is heading in the near future, he anticipates that there will be a trend into larger foundation elements, as volatility in the materials market has impacted the industry, forcing it to adapt to steel prices.
As for his own future, he said, “I would like to continue to be part of the growth and expansion of Berminghammer in the deep foundation equipment market.”
And while he is away from work, Belanger can be found spending time with his wife and 13-year-old daughter, or on the golf course.