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80 81 DISTINCT INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP thecommunications sector.So,theydecided tostartDistinct Infra- structure.Lanni recalls, “Fiber tothehome wasbecomingavery real thinganda lotof peoplewe’ddealtwith over severalyears inthe businesswere looking for capable,reliable partnersorvendors.It provedtobeagood opportunityforAlexand me.” Thecompanybegan asanicheserviceprovider,workingonspecifictypesof projects,andevolved intoa full-service,turnkeysolutions provider toanyonewhoownsanetwork.Full-servicemeans theycanhandleanysize ofproject fromconcep- tiontocompletion,or anyaspect alongthe way.That includesall relatedservices,suchas survey,design,engineer- ing,construction,aswell asmaintainingandser- vicingthosenetworks after the fact. “We’renot aget into town,doabuild,and thengetoutof town typeof company,”says Lanni. “Ourbusiness model revolvesaroundestablishingmulti-year,master serviceagreementswithour clients that allowus tocon- tinueservicingthat customerontheirprojectsasawhole, ALEXAGIUS,AND JOE LANNI not individual projects.We’re thereasa long-termpartner for futureconstructionneedsalongwiththeserviceand maintenanceaspects theirnetworkdemands.” Distinct Infrastructure isexpanding its footprint across Canada throughanacquisitionstrategythat represents thenext evolution inthecompany.Rapidgrowthhasbeen achievedorganicallyover the lastdecade; acquisitionswill nowbean integral partof thatgrowthgoing forwards.Con- tinueddiversificationof thecustomerbaseas theyexpand customer concentration iskeytothegoal of servicingthe majorityofCanada’s largestblue-chipcompanies.Thereare currentlyabout540employeesonthe firm’spayroll,oper- atingoutof theTorontoheadquartersandoffices inEd- monton,Albertaanda recent acquisitionbased inWinnipeg, Manitoba. “We’recurrentlyinvolved inTorontowithBell’s fiber-to- the-home initiative,”Lanni explains.“Backin2015,George Cope–theCEOofBellCanada–madeahugemediaan- nouncement that theywouldspend$20billiontoenhance theirnetworkcapacityacrossCanada.Roughlyabout$1.2 billionwas tobespent inToronto,alone,andDistinctwas namedasoneof thekeyserviceproviders tohelpthem executeonthat requirement.” Thecompetitive landscape inthe infrastructure industry isveryfragmented.Alotof regional serviceprovidersare typ- icallymom-and-popor family-typebusinesses that stickto their specifictownsor cities.Insomeof thosecases,a larger contractormayhave100employees.Distinct Infrastructure