Business View Magazine | November 2020

61 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 of its members, as well as his insights into current challenges and the future of the industry in Ontario. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: How would you describe the evolution of OGCA over the years? Cautillo: “Back when it began, over 80 years ago, our founders realized that the sector required a proactive voice for general contracting across the Province of Ontario. The need, at the time, was consistency and standardization for contracts, including standardized payment terms, contract specifications, and general conditions. The OGCA’s mission has expanded and is not only centralized on procurement matters but also on safety, and advocacy, for members. To date, our members account for approximately $12 billion of construction each year in Ontario. We’re focused on the infrastructure needed to support growing communities, as well as the niche of the industrial, commercial, institutional (ICI) sectors. “We have 194 members and five tiers of membership based on dollar volume of business. In tiers one and two, we have approximately 80 percent small- to medium-sized contractors. And tiers three, four, and five are the larger contractors who do a great deal of the larger heavy infrastructure work, and Infrastructure Ontario work. There are no individual members; it is all companies - a small company may have 20 to 30 employees; a large firm may be upwards of 1,000 workers. Each company has a vote at the table and a voice, so a small contractor can have just as much effect as a larger firm.” BVM: How do you communicate with members? Cautillo: “In this day and age, we focus on the technology around us. We’re currently in the process of revamping our system to be accessible for our members. We’re going to a cloud-based VoIP, so a member actually connects with a human person when they call in. That’s an important note nowadays because so much is ONTAR IO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOC I AT ION