ICBA celebrates 50 years of serving open shop construction this year, and we are looking back every week at some of the significant moments, milestones, and people who helped ICBA become Canada’s largest construction association.
Today, we turn back the clock to 2016 and a major shift in ICBA leadership.
The interviews and other original research on which the ICBA50 series is based were conducted by writer Kevin Hanson. We appreciate Kevin’s work capturing the people, events, and milestones that shaped ICBA’s first half-century.
Gord Stewart joined ICBA in 1999 as second-in-command and became a key builder over the next two decades. Originally from Ontario, he’d worked in B.C.’s forest sector before studying communications at Douglas College. A committed free enterpriser who followed politics closely, he already knew of Philip Hochstein and ICBA from the news. “He exuded to me a real sort of free enterprise, energetic kind of vibe in a world that I felt was overly governed, overly bureaucratic,” Stewart says. Through Hochstein’s wife at the time – a Douglas librarian and instructor – Stewart lined up an internship that turned into a summer job, including running ICBA’s golf tournament. That fall, a staff opening appeared and Stewart paused full-time studies to become ICBA’s fourth employee.
Stewart and Hochstein formed a tight, productive partnership. “They worked very well together and it’s a testament to both of them,” says former ICBA Chair Kurt Krampl. “Phil will push Gord and Gord will push Phil… They know how to work together but they’ve also remained friends.” ICBA member Scott Jacob agrees: “I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a duo that were as effective at working together, and as committed to the cause. I couldn’t say enough. Two of the most intelligent, most strategic people I have ever worked with on any file.”
Stewart oversaw ICBA’s group benefit plans and was also instrumental in building its training and apprenticeship capacity, with the help of staff like Sabine Just.
It was no easy task to deliver those results in the apprenticeship world. Hochstein and Stewart worked closely with ICBA members to understand what they needed from the training system, and with offering solid input on that basis.
Stewart’s bottom line: “It didn’t become exactly what we wanted it to be, but it didn’t go back to being what it was. It ended up somewhere in the middle.”
On the ground, Stewart helped turn policy wins into practical training. ICBA Training expanded course offerings year-round, built out safety, supervisory, and project delivery programs, and leaned into flexible formats so employers could upskill people without pulling them off jobs for long stretches. The focus was simple: job-ready skills that matched what contractors needed.
Stewart also played a central role in growing ICBA Benefits into a key value driver for members. He pushed for straight-ahead service, faster onboarding, clear plan design, and support built for construction firms – from small crews to large contractors. That approach helped ICBA Benefits scale up while keeping plans competitive and easy to use.
Together, those efforts – training that fit the jobsite and benefits that helped firms recruit and retain – made the open shop more competitive during tight labour markets, and strengthened ICBA’s platform to support members across B.C. and Alberta.
After 30 years at the helm of ICBA, Hochstein retired in 2016. Stewart chose that transition moment to depart as well, leaving to join one of ICBA’s member companies. ICBA’s board selected Chris Gardner as the new President and CEO (only its third in 40+ years), bringing in a fresh leader to carry the mission forward. Both Hochstein and Stewart were inducted as ICBA life members in 2017, recognizing an era-defining run.
In 2018, ICBA endowed nearly a million dollars to Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business to create a new Philip Hochstein Fellowship at the school. The gift provides resources to support the study of free trade, open markets and economic growth by researchers, academics and students.
“Philip’s contributions to building B.C. are immeasurable. His vision, conviction and courage helped transform the construction industry and established ICBA as a powerful voice for jobs, investment and opportunity in this province,” said Gardner at the announcement. “We have endowed the Philip Hochstein Fellowship to ensure Philip’s legacy continues. We want to support future generations of business leaders and the opportunities that flow from a strong economy.”
