DOING BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
STRATEGIES, CHALLENGES AND RISKS OPPORTUNITIES
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
WHO IS ELLISDON
 In 2012 EllisDon celebrated 61 years of success in delivering construction services
 EllisDon completes USD $3 Billion of construction annually throughout the world with
close to USD $7 Billion backlog
 EllisDon is proud to be employee owned with over 1,500 salaried employees
 900 employee shareholders
 Key Markets in the Middle East we are participating in include:
- UAE
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Afghanistan
- Kuwait
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
OUR EMPLOYEES…
 …voted us as one of the top company to work for in Canada (last 10 years running)
EllisDon has achieved these rankings for a number of reasons:
 …love what they do (Less than 5% annual voluntary turnover)
 …have Trust, Complete Openness, Mutual Accountability, Integrity, and Mutual
Respect
 Individual Leadership  Entrepreneurial Enthusiasm
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
STRATEGY
Starting up…
 Lots of Calls in Canada  No Business in the Middle East
 One Entrepreneurial EllisDon Engineer took on the Challenge
 In 2006, EllisDon opened up our first office in the UAE.
 By 2008 we employed more than 250 employees – office and site staff
…evaluate every opportunity , every region, every project
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
STRATEGY
 Build Relationships  Clients / Business Partners in the Middle East want to know
you  TRUST
 Select regional joint venture partner when beneficial
 Watch your Risk Profile  Know your Clients and Understand your Obligations
 Promote, Sell and Deliver what you’re BEST at
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
STRATEGY
In EllisDon’s Case…
 World Class Design & Build Techniques
 World Leaders in Healthcare, Research, Airports, High-rise Office Towers, Infrastructure
 Collaborative alternative forms of procurement
- Integrated Team Delivery
- P3
- Project | Construction Management
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
OUR CHALLENGES
 The Middle East = Many Countries | Many Different Cultures
- Establishing our company takes patience, time,
human financial resources
 Large demand for Canadian Expertise in the MENA Region but harder to find
Canadians (with the required experience) who want to move
- Often expensive
 Strong Client relationships are critical
- Often contractual terms in the region
are challenging
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
RISKS = OPPORTUNITY
 The Middle East is Accessible to Canadian Business
- Canadian Government Agencies are well represented, knowledgeable
and eager to promote business in the Middle East
 The Middle East is embracing much of the specific expertise Canadian businesses
can bring to the region
 In our sector – Design, Construction and Operating Buildings – the Middle East
can benefit from collaborative and progressive procurement delivery models as
well as the opportunity for knowledge transfer
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
RISKS = OPPORTUNITY
 With the federal and provincial government organizations, Canadian businesses
and institutions working together, Canada can export the expertise to provide
complete and competitive Project Delivery on the most complex programs
- Healthcare | Research Laboratory Institutes
- Academic | Higher Education Facilities
- High-rise Office Towers
- Infrastructure | Transportation
Anything can be built
and built to the most advanced technical standards
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
RISKS = OPPORTUNITY
Canadian business can provide
fully integrated building programs
to the MENA Region
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
RISKS = OPPORTUNITY
Doing Business in the Middle East through providing an Innovative
Procurement Delivery Model (ie P3) Integrated Team Approach
FULLY INTEGRATED
PROGRAMME
=
FULL
GUARANTEES
=
MINIMIZE RISK FOR
MENA CLIENT