CCPPP recognizes pair of P3 Champions
By Adam Freill
Commercial Construction Infrastructure Institutional P3sThe Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) recognized a pair of industry leaders, both advocates for the P3 project delivery model, during its 29th annual conference, P3 2021.
The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) recognized a pair of industry leaders, both advocates for the P3 project delivery model, during its 29th annual conference, P3 2021, held virtually this past week. Jim King, Founder of EllisDon Capital, and David Podmore, founder and chair of Concert Infrastructure, received 2021 Champion Awards from the council.
King, who retired in 2019 after a 38-year career with EllisDon, helped pave the way for greater acceptance and innovation of the “made-in-Canada” version of the public-private partnership model. His approach had a tremendous impact on the way the first hospital P3s in Ontario were structured.
CCPPP Champion Award Winner Jim King.
King joined EllisDon in 1983. In 2000, he founded a new EllisDon division and operating company called EllisDon Capital. While growing EllisDon into a market leader in P3, he also dedicated his time to educating others about the model and its benefits.
“Jim played a critical role in bringing the private sector to the table in the early days of P3s in Canada,” said Brad Nicpon, partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, and chair of the national awards committee. “His work with EllisDon Capital showed construction companies could be more than just contractors. They could bring capital and innovative financing solutions to a project, and thereby transform themselves into partners in the true spirit of a P3.”
“Jim’s ability to be the ‘voice of reason’ in resolving commercial and financial negotiations with clients and lenders during the earliest days of the Canadian P3 model truly makes him one of the pioneers of P3s in North America,” added Danny Giacomel, vice-president, infrastructure with EllisDon.
“I am honoured to be recognized by The Canadian Council of Public-Private Partnerships and my peers with the 2021 Champion Award,” said King. “The PPP/AFP model, from the beginning, was a great way for the existing Canadian marketplace to participate in the Canadian program. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on the original projects and continued to stay with the program for nearly 20 years… I think there’s no limit to its potential.”
CCPPP Champion Award Winner David Podmore.
Podmore, a Canadian real-estate development icon, and founder and chair of Concert Infrastructure, is another tireless advocate for the P3 model. His vision of a pooled pension plan infrastructure investment vehicle enabled small- to medium-sized Canadian union and management pensions, including building trades, to directly invest in Canadian P3 infrastructure.
In 1989, he co-founded Concert Properties to deliver assured rental housing on behalf of the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia. Concert Infrastructure was founded in 2010 as an independent entity to directly invest in, develop and manage Canadian P3 infrastructure projects. Concert Infrastructure has since gone on to successfully deliver essential infrastructure projects across Canada.
“David’s vision for P3s has touched every corner of the Canadian market. He founded Concert, an important Canadian player in the social infrastructure space, brought pension plan investors into the P3 fold, and advocated for use of the P3 model across the country within unique and challenging asset types,” said Nicpon. “David had a remarkable vision of what the P3 model could achieve, that others are continuing to follow to this day.”
“I am humbled and honoured to be recognized by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, the Board of Directors and its members, and be amongst a group of tremendous leaders who previously won this award,” said Podmore. “It’s been wonderful to see the growth of the Canadian P3 market and to successfully deliver and manage the critical infrastructure projects that Concert is so proudly part of.”
Champion Awards are presented by CCPPP to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to P3s in Canada. This year’s winners join a long line of distinguished Canadians who have received the award, including John McArthur, former president and chairman of Kiewit Development; Mike Marasco, formerly CEO of Plenary Concessions; James Flaherty, former federal finance minister; Aecon Group Inc. founder and chairman John Beck; and Sarah Clark, president and CEO at Fraser River Pile and Dredge (GP) Inc.
