The family-owned company, Allard Contractors Ltd., has operated in B.C. since 1945, when it was founded by family patriarch James J. Allard Sr. At that time, the company was a one-man, one-truck operation that mainly bought and sold gravel.
Allard Sr. bought his first gravel pit in 1964, a property on Pipeline Road in Coquitlam. His sons Barry and Jim were brought into the business in 1967 driving gravel trucks in the summer. Barry stayed on through the fall, while Jim, Jr. returned to the University of B.C. to complete his Bachelor of Science degree. Later, when Jim rejoined his brother in the company, the brothers reorganized the company as Allard Contractors Ltd. with Barry as president and Jim Jr. as vice-president. Both are involved in the company’Jim Allard – Vice Presidents day-to-day operations.
Allard Contractors now has six aggregate properties being actively mined. Allard Contractors is associated with Coquitlam Concrete which operates two ready-mix concrete plants. Allard Contractors Ltd. is fully focused on aggregate mining and the provision of ready-mix concrete products on the north side of the Fraser River, from Coquitlam to Mission. The long term plan is to expand company facilities in concert with regional growth as demand for our construction products occurs.
The Allard group of companies employs between 70 and 100 people. The employee base is stable and more than 60% have been with the company for more than five years. Most of the employees live in Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and Mission. Each pit has its own pit boss, scale services and maintenance facility. Accounts and corporate administration are done from the head office in Coquitlam.
The company recognizes that aggregate extraction is an interim activity and understands that there will be a subsequent use for its depleted pits. The Mining Act and the company’s Mining Permit require that our company has an acceptable Reclamation Plan that we are committed to implement. All of Allard Contractors’ aggregate operations are properly permitted in full compliance with the Ministry of Mines’ extensive environmental and operational requirements.