The history of this great company was brought to the present, as hundreds of Dawson employees gathered to celebrate our centennial anniversary last Saturday at the Powwow Grounds in Kamloops.
We welcomed current and former employees, along with their families, and were joined by key suppliers and vendors that helped us reach this significant milestone. More than 400 guests were entertained all afternoon by a variety of talent.
The Margit Sky Project performed during the celebration, while they also shared the stage with world-class guitarist, Dan Alder, along with Henry Small and Friends.
In between musical acts, Ian Dawson, Executive Chairman (son of Graham Dawson and grandson of Fred Dawson), addressed the crowd and shared his and his family’s memories from the first century of work with the company.
He talked about the outstanding efforts it took to complete such projects as the Burrard Street Bridge, the Granville Bridge and many sections of the Coquihalla Highway, among several others. He shared the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships, both within the company and with the communities we serve. The desire to get people to where they need to go was a shared thought that has been passed down through each generation of Dawsons.
Lastly, he touched on our four Core Values: People First, Integrity, Excellence and Respect. Those Core Values have been embodied all our employees, past and present, and have allowed us to accomplish many incredible projects, reshaping the way highway users travel across western Canada.
The afternoon at the Powwow Grounds served as a wonderful opportunity for employees to connect and interact with others from the Dawson Group family of companies that they might not regularly engage with during the work week. Many of the employees in attendance brought their significant others and children to the event as well, as there was entertainment for people of all ages.
Specifically, the children enjoyed a sandbox and toys provided by Brandt Tractor and Dawson Construction. That, along with a face-painting booth and a fishing game kept kids entertained for hours. Brandt also donated a skid steer and a small excavator for display. Those two pieces, along with a pair of skid steers and an excavator from Finning, a loader and roller from Dawson Construction, a brand new snowplow truck from Dawson Road Maintenance and a new LT Tractor from Dawson International Truck Centres brought joy to everyone in attendance, as they climbed inside the equipment to see what is required from our operators when on the job.
Dawson Group made sure to keep everyone refreshed and well-fed. A buffet-style lunch was provided by Uptown Chefs Catering, with bannock and Frozen Paddle ice cream available for dessert.
After a short break, the party shifted to Riverside Park, where Dawson Group welcomed the Kamloops community to Music in the Park, when we sponsored the evening’s performance of David James and Big River, one of the most authentic Johnny Cash tribute bands out there.\
In all, it was a wonderful day of celebration, family, inclusion and reflection. Dawson Group would like to extend a massive thank you to all our suppliers, vendors, sponsors, organizers and volunteers that helped pull off this fantastic day, along with all the families that travelled down to the Powwow Grounds to celebrate our significant milestone.
Cheers to 100 years!
