Whelan Construction

What Whelan Construction does

Whelan Construction (legal entity: Whelan Construction Westcoast Inc.) is a Richmond, British Columbia-based general contractor and construction manager founded by Brian Whelan in 2021 after his eight-year tenure at PCL Constructors Westcoast. The firm delivers four core services — pre-construction planning, general contracting, construction management, and design-build — for commercial projects in the $1 million to $50 million range across Metro Vancouver. Its primary customer segments are airport infrastructure (notably Vancouver International Airport), data centers, institutional buildings, and commercial/retail interiors, with a defensible niche in executing construction inside live, security-sensitive operational environments where downtime must be minimized.

The company's go-to-market is relationship-driven direct enterprise sales targeting institutional and commercial clients in the Vancouver region, with no public pricing and a bid/negotiated contracting model. Revenue is generated through fixed-price general contracting contracts and professional-services fees on construction management and design-build engagements. Project delivery relies on a lean core team of fewer than 10 personnel supplemented by a network of specialty trade partners and engineering consultants (Stantec, MCW, Hatch, Bush Bohlman & Partners, Grout McTavish, RJC). Whelan holds COR safety certification and is a member of VRCA, WorkSafeBC, ICBA, GVBOT, BCAC, BBB, and ComplyWorks; it is privately held by its founder with no institutional investment or parent company.

Notable project credentials include the first Canadian deployment of CATSA Plus CT X-ray screening at YVR Pier C (2025 VRCA Gold Award), the multi-bridge YVR Bridge Replacement Program, Air Canada's eGSE electric ground support charging stations, and a seismic upgrade of Cologix's Gastown data center executed jointly with Lease Crutcher Lewis. The business has no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, no AI/ML capabilities, no patents, and no app or API surface; competitive positioning rests on senior construction leadership (veterans of PCL, Clark Construction, Flynn, John Sisk & Son, JJ Rhatigan), COR-certified safety performance, and repeat institutional client relationships.

Name

Whelan Construction

Legal name

Whelan Construction Westcoast Inc.

Website

https://whelanconstruction.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whelan Construction is a Richmond, BC-based general contractor and construction manager delivering pre-construction, general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for $1M–$50M commercial projects across Metro Vancouver, specializing in airport, data center, and institutional infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAFAAAA

Commercial General Contracting (New Build)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/General Contracting & Construction Management

SECONDARYIMAFACAL

Airport Terminal & Aviation Facilities Building Construction

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Commercial & Institutional Building Construction

SECONDARYIMAFACAA

Office & Corporate Building Construction

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Commercial & Institutional Building Construction

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• Pre-construction planning
• General contracting
• Construction management
• Design-build delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Fixed-price contracts for construction project execution based on architectural and engineering plans, providing cost certainty for clients.
2. Construction Management Services: End-to-end project oversight as client advocate, managing risk, quality, and coordination throughout the construction lifecycle.
3. Design & Build Services: Integrated design and construction delivery model streamlining project execution from concept to completion.
4. Pre-Construction Services: Early-stage planning including value engineering, risk mitigation, and trade partner coordination to optimize project outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Whelan Construction delivers mid-sized commercial construction services ($1M-$50M project value) in British Columbia, with capabilities spanning Pre-Construction planning, General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design-Build. The firm focuses on mission-critical infrastructure in airport, data center, institutional, and commercial sectors, serving clients such as the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR), Air Canada, and Cologix. Operations are run from Richmond, BC with a small core team (1-10 employees).

Product overview

Whelan Construction is a general contractor and construction management firm headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., serving Metro Vancouver. The company offers four core construction services: Pre-Construction Services, General Contracting, Construction Management, and Design & Build. Specializing in commercial projects from $1 million to $50 million, the company delivers projects across diverse sectors including airport infrastructure, institutional infrastructure, data centers, seismic and building performance upgrades, and retail spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Construction Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered YVR Pier C CATSA Plus Conversion on time and under budget with zero lost-time incidents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Grout McTavish ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture consultant on YVR Bridge Replacement Program, providing design services for the 14-bridge installation project at Vancouver International Airport.
• MCW Group of CompaniesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering consultant providing mechanical and electrical expertise across multiple YVR projects including Bridge Replacement Program and Automatic Passenger Gate Systems.
• Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering consultant on YVR Bridge Replacement Program, supporting complex structural design requirements.
• HatchminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering consultancy providing project support on YVR Bridge Replacement Program and Automatic Passenger Gate Systems projects.
• StantecminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and design consultancy providing professional services on YVR Pier C CATSA Plus Conversion and eGSE Charging Station projects.
• RJCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering consultant on Cologix Data Center project, providing expertise for seismic upgrade and structural reinforcement work.
• Lease Crutcher LewisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner on Cologix Data Center expansion project in Vancouver, combining Whelan's local expertise with Lease Crutcher Lewis's data center construction capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EllisDon: Major Canadian general contractor with a broad institutional, commercial and civil portfolio. Competes with Whelan for institutional and commercial work in BC, though at far larger scale and project size.
• Graham Construction: Large Canadian general contractor active in commercial, institutional and infrastructure markets across Western Canada. Overlaps with Whelan on mid-to-large institutional and commercial scopes in Metro Vancouver.
• Ledcor Group: Vancouver-based, multi-sector general contractor with significant airport, infrastructure and commercial work. Competes with Whelan on BC institutional and commercial bids but operates at significantly larger scale and scope.
• PCL Constructors: One of North America's largest general contractors with a deep Westcoast operation out of Vancouver. Whelan's founder and pre-construction lead both spent years at PCL, and PCL competes head-to-head with Whelan on YVR and institutional work — but at materially larger scale.
• Bird Construction: Canadian general contractor with institutional, commercial and industrial capabilities across the country. Competes with Whelan on BC institutional and commercial pursuits, especially larger public-sector projects.
• Clark Construction: Major US-based general contractor where several Whelan leaders (including the pre-construction manager) previously built their careers. Competes on larger commercial and institutional scopes and represents a comparable talent pedigree.

Direct peers

• Flynn Group of Companies: International trade and construction firm with a significant Vancouver presence and Canadian operations. Multiple Whelan team members (including the superintendent) trained at Flynn, and the firms overlap on commercial and institutional scopes in BC.
• Wales McLelland Construction: Long-standing Vancouver commercial and industrial general contractor. Comparable to Whelan in regional focus, project size band, and emphasis on tenant improvements, industrial and institutional work across Metro Vancouver.
• Chandos Construction: Canadian mid-market general contractor headquartered in BC that targets similar commercial, institutional and tenant-improvement projects in the $1M–$50M range. Closest comparable in size, geography and project profile to Whelan.
• Lease Crutcher Lewis: Pacific Northwest general contractor specializing in data centers, healthcare and commercial builds. Whelan's JV partner on the Cologix Gastown project, making it both a peer in commercial/data center construction and a strategic partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whelanconstruction
• Instagraminstagram.com/whelanconstruction

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Whelan Construction