Burnaby-based engineering firm R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd. (Binnie) has set up shop in Prince George.
The firm's office at 1448 6th Ave. is currently home to a single employee - longtime Prince George resident Gordon Wagner - but once all the hiring is done, as many as 10 to 12 people could be working out of the office, depending on the workload.
"I think there are lots of opportunities for the types of services we provide here in the north," said Wagner, who is Binnie's division manager in Prince George.
"There are still lots of development in the oil and gas sector, Highway 37 electrification, on and on it goes."
Binnie, which offers services in civil engineering, project management and surveying, is already busy.
Wagner said the firm is involved in determining the potential impact on Highway 29, from Chetwynd to Hudson's Hope to Fort St. John, as part of the preliminary work on BC Hydro's proposed Site C hydroelectric project in the Peace.
Binnie is also administering the contract on behalf of the provincial government for realigning 12 kilometres of Highway 97 North between Bennett Creek and Link Creek in the Pine Pass.
The $40-million project, currently underway and expected to be completed this fall, will improve corners to a 90 km/h standard and includes construction of four new bridges.
Prior to becoming Binnie's division manager in Prince George, Wagner was employed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure from 1977 until May 2011.
As the regional manager of engineering at the time of his departure, he was responsible for engineering services on all highway and bridge projects in the ministry's northern region.
Established in 1969, Binnie employs about 130 people primarily in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.
"They're expanding out and recognizing the opportunities that exist in the north," Wagner said, and added Binnie brings years of experience in both the private and public sectors.
Wagner, who was born and raised in Prince George, believes finding talent willing to move to the city should not be a problem, particularly given the price of housing and the typical commuting times in the Lower Mainland.
"I go home for lunch every day," Wagner commented. "You don't do that in Vancouver unless you're living above the store or something."
