Meet the Ontario Team Bringing Transportation Innovation
Nestled between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Centennial Park you’ll find our adaptable Ontario transportation team. Inspired by bustling Mississauga, Ontario, a local hub for travel and recreation, our team is dedicated to delivering infrastructure solutions that keep the community thriving. Get to know this energetic, innovative team through the lens of Senior Project Manager Karim Meleka.
But first, a little about Karim… Since joining Consor fresh out of university at 23, he was just one on a team of three. He continued his education to earn his master’s degree while leading back-to-back design-build projects. Now 11 years later, their 32-person team is filled with an energetic blend of young professionals and seasoned experts, and their office buzzes with creative ideas and a shared determination. Karim strives to build a supportive and cohesive culture—essential to the collaboration required by the large design-build freeway, exchanges, and crossing projects his team delivers.
We asked Karim some questions to uncover his determined and collaborative team’s idiosyncrasies.
What would surprise someone about your team?
Visitors would be surprised by our driven team, which consists of many young professionals—future leaders of our firm. We’re focused on nurturing fresh talent and hiring individuals with 1-2 years of experience to grow within their careers. Our younger teammates bring an imagination to problem-solving that has shaped our innovative culture.
What brings your team together?
We’ve cultivated a warm, fun atmosphere with an open-door policy. Our management team believes it’s important to be approachable and hands-on, breaking down typical barriers between leaders and their team members. We’re also big on food—celebrating birthdays with cakes and lunches in the office. Many of our teammates spend time together outside of the office, like park hangs, canoeing in Lake Ontario, and BBQs.
What other things can your team be spotted doing outside of work?
You might find us playing ping pong downstairs in the building or taking walks around the area during lunch. Our office is very close to Centennial Park and lots of great shops and restaurants, so there’s always something interesting to discover. We’re looking forward to volunteering and giving back to our community this year, like supporting our local food banks.
What’s a big project your team tackled that you’re proud of and why?
We recently worked on a project along Highway 17 rehabilitating the pavement structure with cold in-place recycling with expanded asphalt mix (CREAM) and replacing several structures. This project had a rigorous schedule, but we were able to meet it. Another project is the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE), a 9.2-kilometer extension of the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (ECLRT) Line from Mount Dennis to Renforth Station, with a possible future connection to Toronto Pearson International Airport, including 1.6 kilometers of elevated guideway. This project marks one of Consor’s first forays into transit projects. Both projects demonstrate our team’s flexibility and teamwork—we rolled up our sleeves to overcome challenges and deliver successful outcomes.
What’s a goal that you have for your group in 2024?
We aim to expand our team by bringing in talented people with a wide range of expertise and investing in career growth for our current team members. We’re looking forward to connecting too by organizing more team-building events outside of work. In our industry, there’s a lot of work to be done, which makes balancing workloads for a healthy work-life balance important. We’re committed to doing that by maintaining our culture of openness and support.
What word would you use to describe your team?
Resilient. Our team is strong and capable of tackling any project in Canada. We work hard and remain adaptable, no matter the challenge.
Interested in joining our resilient and innovative team? Explore open positions and become part of our journey to enhance transportation infrastructure in Canada!
