Profile: North South General Contracting

September 5, 2015 in People
Explorer: Fall 2015

On many days this summer, Peter Piochion has been busy operating and maintaining his company’s equipment at the Stony Rapids airport project, hauling gravel and placing it on the runway, as well as hauling gravel to the bypass road. “Peter has been great to work with,” says Glen Strong, Community Relations Coordinator for Points Athabasca.

“Not only is it great to be working with a local subcontractor on this project, but Peter has been here running and maintaining his equipment over the course of the project. I’d like to commend him for the great work he’s been doing for us.”

The Stony Rapids resident owns North South General Contracting Ltd, a general contracting company that offers a variety of services, including road hauling and road building, ice roads for drilling companies, freight hauling, seasonal road work and hauling gravel, cleaning and demolition work. He has also recently started house moving. “The work comes in spurts,” says Peter, “But I like the challenge of running my own business. I try to get myself into good jobs and hard jobs – even the jobs nobody wants.”

Like many of us, Peter got his start in a different field before owning his own company. Beginning as an automotive mechanic in Uranium City, he apprenticed as a Heavy Duty Mechanic, before realizing that line of work wasn’t for him. “I liked the work, but I didn’t really like working indoors,” he says. “So I got into Heavy Equipment Operating, and that was much better.”

Working outdoors suited Peter well. In 1999, Peter started North South General Contracting in Uranium City, and moved to Stony Rapids eight years ago. His company continues to be strong, with March being the busiest time of year for him as he opens winter ice roads. “Mostly it’s just me, but sometimes I get busy enough that I hire a few people to help out,” says Peter. “It really depends on the amount of work. My girlfriend, Connie helps do paperwork, and I really appreciate her doing that – paperwork is a big headache!”

Peter does manage to find time to enjoy the best that Northern life has to offer. “Owning a business keeps me busy but not too busy,” Peter says. “When I have spare time, I like to go fishing in the summer, and snowmobiling and hauling firewood in the winter. Really, I just like being outside.”

“We’ve been very pleased with how the project has gone,” says John Scarfe, CEO of Points Athabasca. “And work from local subcontractors like Peter plays a big part in the successful execution of this project.”

Over 70% of the employees and subcontractors for the Stony Rapids project have been local residents. “We like to work with local contractors and employees, because not only does it help us fulfill our vision of ‘building capacity,’ but it also just makes good business sense,” says Scarfe. “While we do have to bring in specialized equipment for some things, it’s much cheaper and easier to work with local people and local equipment than it is to bring equipment in from down south.”

The Stony Rapids airport project is expected to be completed on time and on budget in October this year.

For more information on North South General Contracting, please contact Peter at northsouth@sasktel.net