Betting on EllisDon: A Cultural Turning Point

By Mike Demelo, Senior Vice President, Oxford Builder Supplies

Some of the most important decisions we’ve made at EllisDon didn’t come with a spotlight. They were choices that required conviction and a willingness to commit when the outcome wasn’t guaranteed.

Buying two of our own tower cranes from Germany in 1956 was one of those moments.

At the time, tower cranes weren’t common in Canada, and it was a big risk for a company just over a decade old. Cranes were often rented from overseas for a job, then returned once the work was done. The decision to purchase cranes, made by founder Don Smith, meant stepping forward without knowing exactly how it would play out.

On paper, it looked like an equipment decision. In reality, it was about ownership.

It was about controlling our own destiny and deciding that standing behind our work meant owning more of how that work got done. But it wasn’t glamourous. It wasn’t a sure thing. It was a risky chance that challenged the status quo and a lesson that has reverberated through this company for decades:

Make the decision and make it work.

That mindset mattered. It didn’t mean we expected everything to go perfectly. It meant we committed fully, learned quickly, and focused our energy on adapting to anything this industry could throw at us.

What started as a way to manage risk has grown into EllisDon’s in‑house equipment team. Oxford now supports projects across the country with cranes, hoists, scaffolding, formwork, temporary power, heat, swing stages, and general rental equipment, along with expert crews who plan, install, and operate that equipment properly. Today, with the largest‑capacity tower crane in the country about to go to work at The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital and Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, Oxford stands alone as the only company in Canada capable of delivering tower crane work entirely in‑house.

Looking back, purchasing our own cranes stands out as a turning point. Not because it was easy, but because it set a standard for everything we do. One that still defines how we think, how we invest, and how we show up for our clients and each other.

Seventy‑five years in, it’s moments like this that remind me why conviction matters. Sometimes, the most important move is having the conviction to back yourself.