Three Ukrainian immigrants are building a successful construction company

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Many of us who immigrate to Canada choose to move here to improve our lifestyle.

Igor Marchenko did exactly that. After growing up in Ukraine, when he and his wife decided to travel here for a new life six years ago, he felt the country was unstable and unpredictable. According to him, at that time it was impossible to plan the future even for three to five years in his country.

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He learned English while pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering and agriculture, benefiting from summer exchange programs at the universities of Canterbury, Bristol and Taunton in England. While studying in England, he met and befriended Ukrainians Artem Tkachenko and Andriy Lysak, who are now his business partners in Calgary.

He said it took him two years to get to Canada, during which time he improved his language skills to get a certificate in English, which helped him with his application.

Marchenko's first residence in Canada was in Winnipeg, but after 18 months in Manitoba, he decided to move to Calgary in 2019.

He now lives in Calgary with his partners, gaining experience in the construction industry and after working in several industries here, he launched ThreeStones Alliance. The three share equal positions that distribute responsibility — Marchenko serves as CEO, Tkachenko as COO, and Lysak as CFO.

They began chasing small jobs as subcontractors and working hard to gain a reputation. Their efforts were rewarded when an engineering company, impressed by the way they ran their business, recommended them to Truman Homes, and ThreeStones was awarded their first major job, designing the exterior of 160 units.

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Today, the company has about 60 workers, who are trained to work on all existing materials – brick, stone, plaster – on contracts for the completion of exterior cladding. New prospects are tested to see how they fit into the company and trained for potential senior positions.

The rapid growth of the immigrant's new company meant they needed some help running the business. Fortunately, they were introduced to the Mike Joseph Executive Coaching program, which helped them create a business plan, vision and business development strategy. And, realizing they needed financial advice, he introduced the partners to CFO Center Regional Director Brian Anderson, who leads a team of retail CFOs who can set up the right accounting procedures, reporting and banking relationships.

Most of the work so far has been in multifamily residential projects, but Marchenko says he's won more work in commercial construction and wants to expand into that area.

ThreeStones has an informative website that showcases many of its completed projects, and it is currently working on a number of new projects, including two six-story condominium buildings for Truman in the West District called Mondrian, and a neighborhood condo in Banff. Trail SW

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Ambition and courage have provided three Ukrainian partners with a successful Calgary company, and they are dreaming of expanding in this province and throughout Western Canada.

To celebrate their success, with the help of Joseph, Anderson and ATB, they hosted a reception at the Teatro last week for clients, suppliers and key people in their growing network.

It was a celebration of the immigration story that brought three good guys to Canada and this town.

Notes:

A well-deserved congratulations to Kim McConnell, who has been named a recipient of the Haskayne Business School and Calgary Chamber of Commerce 2024 Inspirational Business Leader Award. McConnell, a well-known agricultural icon, spent most of his career in the advertising agency business. After receiving a degree in agriculture from the University of Manitoba in 1984, he launched Fieldstone Marketing in Calgary and grew it until it merged in 2002 to become AdFarm, one of the largest agricultural marketing companies in North America. Working with national and international agricultural and food companies, he oversaw major marketing campaigns working with major multinational brands. “We are thrilled to honor a visionary and respected leader in ag and food whose work has shown that innovation, leadership and deep respect can lead to inspiring results and impact across the sector,” said Gina Grandy, dean of the Haskayne School. Business.

David Parker appears regularly on The News. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.

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