Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association

What Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association does

Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) is a Canadian non-profit trade association founded to represent contractors, service and supply firms, consulting engineers, infrastructure owners, and municipalities engaged in Alberta's heavy construction industry. It self-describes as the largest heavy construction association in Canada and represents work on highways, municipal roads, bridges, sewer, and water projects, as well as streets, curbs, gutters, residential, commercial, oilfield, oil sands, and forestry infrastructure. Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, ARHCA celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2025.

ARHCA's core products include the Roadbuilding Safety Training System (RSTS) — an online training portal for roadbuilding safety certifications — alongside an annual Equipment Rental Rates Guide (a benchmark publication sold in physical book format), a daily Tenders Repository delivering tender calls, results, and plan holders lists via email to members, an ARHCA Job Board (jobs.arhca.ab.ca), the BCRB Asphalt Index for asphalt pricing reference, and the Silica Live Tool for silica-related safety and compliance monitoring. The association also produces technical publications on asphalt paving plant systems and operates a branded merchandise storefront. The technology stack is conventional association-based web infrastructure rather than a software platform.

ARHCA's business model is membership-driven, with four membership tiers (Regular Groups 1-6 for provincial contractors; Service & Supply; Infrastructure Owner; Municipal) billed on annual subscriptions. Supplementary revenue streams include one-time publication sales (rate guide at $85-$200 with a 35% government discount), event sponsorships and registrations across six golf tournaments plus the AGM & Convention, RSTS training subscriptions, partnerships via partner portals (BIStrainer, Danatec), and branded merchandise. Distribution is direct-to-member through an e-commerce storefront, daily email tender notifications, and field sales. The association conducts advocacy campaigns (#betterABroads, #FixOurRoads, "Driving Improvement") targeting transportation infrastructure investment and is affiliated with the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) for national representation. ARHCA operates with a small staff of approximately 9 employees.

Name

Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association

Legal name

Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association

Website

https://arhca.ab.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) is the largest heavy construction trade association in Canada, representing contractors, suppliers, consulting engineers, infrastructure owners, and municipalities in Alberta's roadbuilding and heavy construction industry through membership services, training, publications, and tender information.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for contractors (Groups 1-6), service & supply members, infrastructure owners, and municipalities. Includes branch listings in annual Equipment Rental Rate Guide.
2. Equipment Rental Rates Guide & Membership Listings: Annual publication sold to members and non-members. Physical books only, not available digitally. Pricing varies by year ($85-$200).
3. Training Services: RSTS online training, partner courses through BIStrainer Portal and Danatec Portal
4. Event Sponsorships & Registrations: Golf tournaments (6 across Alberta), AGM & Convention, partnering sessions. Sponsorship opportunities for members.
5. Merchandise: Branded apparel including hoodies, shirts, toques sold through online store
6. Tender Information Services: Daily tender notifications for roadbuilding and heavy construction projects across Alberta

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARHCA is a non-profit industry association representing contractors, suppliers, and consulting engineers in Alberta's heavy construction industry. It provides membership services, an annual Equipment Rental Rates Guide, an online safety training portal (RSTS), a daily tender information service, industry advocacy campaigns, and networking events including AGM, convention, partnering sessions, and golf tournaments.

Product overview

ARHCA offers a membership-based association serving the Alberta heavy construction industry. The core offerings include an annual Equipment Rental Rates Guide & Membership Listings (physical book), RSTS (Roadbuilding Safety Training System), an online Job Board, and a Tenders Repository for construction opportunities. Additional services include the Silica Live Tool, BCRB Asphalt Index, technical publications on asphalt paving plant systems, and industry events including golf tournaments and the AGM & Convention. The association also sells branded merchandise through its online store. This is a traditional association model, not a software-as-a-service platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RSTS: Roadbuilding Safety Training System - online safety training portal for members
• Driving Improvement
• Fix Our Roads

Products and services

• Equipment Rental Rates Guide & Membership Listings Annual physical book publication containing equipment rental rates and member listings for the heavy construction industry in Alberta. Priced $85-$200 depending on year, with a 35% government discount.
• RSTS (Roadbuilding Safety Training System) Online training portal providing roadbuilding safety certification and courses for industry workers and members.
• ARHCA Job Board Online platform for posting and searching job opportunities in the heavy construction industry at jobs.arhca.ab.ca.
• Tenders Repository Daily tender information service providing tender calls, tender results, lists of plan holders, and additional notices for roadbuilding and heavy construction projects across Alberta.
• Silica Live Tool Online tool for silica-related safety and compliance monitoring for the heavy construction industry.
• BCRB Asphalt Index Asphalt pricing reference index for the roadbuilding industry.
• Asphalt Paving Plant - Baghouse Systems publication Technical publication covering baghouse systems for asphalt paving plants, priced at $25.
• Asphalt Paving Plant - Wet Scrubber Systems publication Technical publication covering wet scrubber systems for asphalt paving plants, priced at $25.
• ARHCA Apparel & Merchandise Branded merchandise including hoodies ($70), shirts ($25-$30), and toques ($30-$35) sold through the online store for association members.
• ARHCA Industry Events & Golf Tournaments Industry events including AGM & Convention, Partnering Sessions with Edmonton-area municipalities and Calgary, and six golf tournaments across Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Leduc, Lethbridge) with sponsorship opportunities.
• ARHCA Memberships Annual membership program offering Regular Membership (Groups 1-6) for contractors, Service & Supply Membership for support businesses, Infrastructure Owner Membership for service purchasers, and Municipal Membership for local governments. Includes up to 4 branch listings in the annual Equipment Rental Rate Guide and unlimited additional branch listings at $500/branch.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ years serving the Alberta heavy construction industry

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, minor and supporting.

• Edmonton Metropolitan Region MunicipalitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Annual Partnering Sessions bringing together municipalities including Edmonton, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Leduc, Strathcona County, and Sturgeon County to strengthen collaboration in the construction industry.
• Calgary Partnership With Industry ShowcasemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with City of Calgary and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) for the 2026 Partnering With Industry Showcase, including University of Calgary (U of C) and YYC Calgary International Airport.
• Canadian Construction Association (CCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARHCA is affiliated with the Canadian Construction Association, providing national representation and access to CCA resources, standards, and initiatives for the Alberta heavy construction industry.
• EPCORminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresentation partner for industry partnering sessions on utility infrastructure.
• AON InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance partner providing state of the industry insurance presentation at partnering sessions.
• NavacordminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSurety presentation partner at industry partnering sessions.
• BIStrainer PortalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline training portal partner for roadbuilding safety courses accessible through ARHCA membership.
• Danatec PortalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartner course portal offering additional safety training through ARHCA's RSTS platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Construction Association (CCA): National umbrella construction association with which ARHCA is affiliated. Both serve as member-driven industry bodies representing contractors and suppliers, providing advocacy, training, and standards — CCA at the federal level, ARHCA at the provincial level.
• Ontario Road Builders Association (ORBA): Provincial trade association serving Ontario road and heavy construction contractors. Highly comparable to ARHCA in mission (advocacy, training, tender information, networking events) and in the mix of contractor/supplier/consulting members.
• Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA): Saskatchewan's heavy construction industry association representing contractors and suppliers. Offers the same mix of advocacy, training, safety resources, and industry events that ARHCA does, just at a smaller provincial scale.
• Merit Contractors Association: Alberta-based construction industry association representing non-residential/general contractors. While ARHCA focuses on heavy/road and Merit on industrial/commercial, both compete for the same Alberta contractor audience and offer comparable training and member services.
• British Columbia Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association: BC's peer heavy construction association. Represents contractors engaged in roadbuilding and heavy civil works, providing advocacy, training, and tender-related services — direct functional analogue to ARHCA in another province.
• Association des constructeurs de routes et grands travaux du Québec (ACRGTQ): Québec's heavy construction contractors association. Functions as the French-language equivalent of ARHCA — collective bargaining, training, advocacy, and tender information for road and heavy civil contractors.

Regional players

• Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA): Alberta-based professional association for consulting engineering firms. Adjacent member-base overlap with ARHCA (consulting engineers working with roadbuilding contractors) and similar advocacy/event/training model.

Emerging players

• National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA): Industry association focused specifically on asphalt pavement production and paving. Overlaps with ARHCA's members on the asphalt paving side (BCRB Asphalt Index, baghouse/wet scrubber publications), and competes for training/advocacy mindshare on asphalt topics.

Broad incumbents

• American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA): U.S. national trade association for the transportation construction industry. Covers a broader scope and geography, but its advocacy, safety training, and market intelligence functions map closely onto what ARHCA does at provincial level.
• Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB): National cross-industry small/mid-sized business association with significant overlap on Alberta construction members. Provides small business advocacy and services that partially substitute for ARHCA's general contractor advocacy role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AB_Roadbuilders
• Facebookfacebook.com/albertaroadbuilders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arhca
• Instagraminstagram.com/albertaroadbuilders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association