"MacLean Construction
has
built it's reputation
on being competitive, and
we will continue to work hard
to earn your business"
Mike Lawlor
VP MacLean Construction
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MacLean Construction
Staff Stories
60 Years of Stories to Tell
Sixty years in business is a
special feat for any business, but sixty years accompanied by a
rock solid industry reputation is even more impressive.
Malcolm (Mac) MacLean (founder of MacLean Construction) built
his first house in 1939. For a while, Malcolm worked in
residential home building and renovation. But the impact of
World War II was felt everywhere, including construction on
Prince Edward Island. With obstacles like rationing and
shortages of raw materials as available resources were allocated
for vital projects such as hospitals, things got tougher.
Malcolm was forced to move to Halifax to take work in the
shipyards in Halifax. But his heart lay elsewhere, so after the
war Malcolm returned to PEI and MacLean Construction got its
start.
It was a traditional family business,
 and those roots are much
in evidence today. It only takes a few moments of chatting with
any of the staff at MacLean Construction to be overwhelmed by
the astounding pride in place they have in ‘their’ business. In
their minds it’s a family operation and always will be. “These
guys are like my brothers” commented Brenda Perry, the sole
female labourer on today’s construction crew.
In 1966, MacLean Construction became an incorporated company.
The mid-late sixties saw a fair evolution in both industry and
the company itself. Turning it into a real family affair,
Malcolm’s sons Keith and Merrill joined their father in the
business. When asked what made them decide to join their Dad in
business, Keith’s reply was as straightforward as his later
approach to running the business. “We couldn’t do anything
else”, commented Keith, laughing. It was also at this time that
Lloyd MacLean, Malcolm’s nephew, joined the company. A sense of
humor and humility appear to be a family trait. Lloyd was clear
to point out that, “Mac was looking for a poor farm labourer at
the time and I was available.” While family may have worked in
the business with Mac MacLean, they received no special favors.
Lloyd tells how his starting wage in 1964 was $1.25 per hour, a
whooping 35 cents per hour more than son Keith’s 90 cents per
hour when he joined the business straight out of vocational
school at age 17.
It was also during the late sixties that the industry itself was
experiencing a shift – a real transformation in the nature of
the business. What was once thought of as an all-in-one,
do-it-yourself occupation began it’s evolution into the industry
full of specialized professionals that it is today. Change is
not always easy, and for Malcolm MacLean this shift in the
industry was not one he welcomed with open arms. Keith enjoys
telling a story of one of the last homes Malcolm worked on where
the owner advised that a cabinet builder would be making the
kitchen cupboards. Malcolm responded by saying, “If we’re not
good enough for the whole job, we’re not good enough for any of
it.” He packed his tools and pulled his entire crew off the job.
But younger people are often more adaptable to change and the
MacLean children were more than up for the challenge. In 1977
MacLean Construction built its last residential home and led by
sons Keith and Merrill, starting evolving MacLean’s into the
multi-faceted commercial construction company it is today.
Malcolm MacLean retired from day-to-day operations in 1978 and
sons Keith and Merrill took the reins.
 Merrill MacLean passed
away in 1999 and today Keith and Lloyd are happily retired and
living in Charlottetown. But old habits die hard ... when asked
what they are keeping busy with in retirement, Keith replies
“driving by the MacLean job sites to see what’s happening ... I
guess it’s just in my blood.” he says with a slightly wistful
shrug.
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