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Restoration work among this company's notable accomplishments
Balraj Mann (right) and his son Milan work together as BM Group continues to expand both here and abroad
It’s not a leap to view Balraj Mann’s personal philosophy as the reason for his professional success as chairman and CEO of BM Group of Companies, whose portfolio includes construction, project management, material supply and land development firms.
Mann’s philosophy that you only have one life and must therefore leave behind a positive contribution dovetails nicely with the activities of BM Group member Polycrete Restorations Ltd, the purpose of which is to restore heritage buildings, commercial facilities and infrastructure.
“The preservation of heritage elements and infrastructure is very important to me,” he says. “We need to preserve the great work of people who came before us and it’s one of several avenues I’ve been fortunate enough to pursue in developing BM Group as not only a multi-service construction resource, but also a business that can provide mentorship for new talent.”
With a 30-year history in consulting, land development, construction and corporate management in B.C., Mann’s BM Group has evolved to include a diverse range of companies: Polycrete, currently celebrating its 40th anniversary; Urban Sawing & Scanning, which provides concrete cutting and structural scanning services; Yard-At-A-Time Concrete Ltd., a supplier of quality ready-mix concrete with a specialty of small delivery; plus Contech Services Inc, TEK Roofing Ltd., RMX Logistix, and Dallas Watt Demo Ltd.
BM Group’s real estate development wing consists of Manorlane Homes Inc. (a custom and multi-family home specialist) and Penmat Contracting and Project Management Ltd. (residential and commercial development).
BM Group has earned many achievements, but arguably its restoration work is what the general public would most recognize, examples of which include the recent roof restoration of Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver and the current restoration of Stanley Park’s seawall. “Many of these projects resonate with me,” says Mann.
“For instance, as an engineering consultant, I inspected and evaluated the seawall over 25 years ago; and as a specialty contractor, I returned to do reparative and restoration work.”
A good deal of Mann’s business values were inherited from his father, a farmer “who worked hard and treated everyone with respect, without exception,” he recalls of his childhood in Punjab, India. Unsurprisingly, this consideration of others has also led to BM Group supporting such causes as BC Children’s Hospital, the Ride to Conquer Cancer and Make a Wish Foundation.
Although Mann is far from approaching retirement, he notes that his son Milan, 22, works for BM Group and “will have the ability to take over the business when the time comes. In the meantime, BM Group will continue to expand, ready to tackle restoration both here and abroad.
“Aging infrastructure is a problem throughout North America and in other parts of the world, and with companies reaching out to us wanting to be a part of BM Group, we’ll expand our ability to provide solutions — as well as provide career opportunities for our employees,” Mann says.