The past year has been a busy one for Advicas, which included a number of changes to our team.
Goodbye…
In the Spring of 2017 we said a sad goodbye to Wendy Macdonald, who had been an integral part of the company for twelve years. She was first brought onto the team by Andy Kesteloo to work in the areas of LEED and sustainability, which at the time was an uncommon focus for a quantity surveying firm. In the years she was with the company she saw many changes, and worked hard to sustain for much of the time a team of one.
Advicas thanks Wendy for all the wonderful years we shared together. We all miss many things about her – the phone calls we could hear from one end of the office to the other, interesting topics of conversation, sushi lunches, and amazing Halloween costumes – and wish her well in her new endeavors.
The fall brought another sad goodbye to a staff member moving on from Advicas. Waseem Moorad, who had been with us for three years, was presented with a wonderful opportunity to join the team over at the Red Cross. Waseem followed his heart, and is now working in an area in line with what he truly believes is important – helping others.
We miss hearing Waseem’s updates of what’s going on in the world, his devout leanings, and overall fun times in the office (Carla is truly lost without him!). We wish Waseem all the best in his new position, and know that he will do so many wonderful things in his life. We are all here cheering him on!
Hello…
The fall of 2017 also brought new staff members as we welcomed Callum Galligos and Ofelia Dizon to the Advicas team.
Callum is originally from Powell River. He had been looking into making a move to the Island, and thankfully Advicas was there waiting! Callum is a quick learner and hard worker, with a background in construction, and has been navigating quantity surveying very well. (Now we just need to get him out of his shell in the office to shoot his nerf gun!)
Callum started his career as a welder and moved on to crane operating, heavy equipment operating, road building, and carpentry. He has also acted in various supervisory roles. Callum’s wide variety of construction knowledge has given him an understanding as to how different projects operate and the costs associated with them. The majority of his experience has been on the Lower Mainland of BC, with projects ranging from heavy industrial to residential.
At Advicas, Callum provides support in the cost estimating of the structural and architectural components of projects.
Ofelia and her family were originally on their way to Dubai, and we promised that Victoria had the same amount of sunny days. We’re not sure she believes us, but thankfully Advicas and Island life are growing on her (along with our waistlines, which are growing from the wonderful baking she shares with the office)! Ofelia brings a great deal of experience in many different QS avenues, and always pushes herself to be the best at what she does. We are so glad we were able to convince Ofelia that Island life is where it’s at!
Ofelia is a Professional Quantity Surveyor with CIQS and a chartered member of RICS. She has extensive experience in cost estimating and cost planning for various construction projects, specializing in the Architectural and Structural trades. She has been involved in a wide variety of projects, from single family dwellings to high-rise buildings, schools, hospitals, recreation centres, airport facilities, roads, and major infrastructure projects. She is very knowledgeable in the fit-out, renovation, and restoration of existing buildings.
Apart from estimating, she has undertaken Cost Control, Value Engineering, Risk Management, and Contract Administration, with experience gained through working with Contractors, Consultants, Project Management Companies, Developers, and Government bodies.
Onward!
We are excited to head further into 2018 with a strong team ready to continue providing you with the excellent service you as the client expect.
