While today he oversees operations across Canada as the Vice President, Civil Infrastructure, Chiasson’s impact is seen across North America. From the southern United States to the growing metropolises of Alberta, Canada, Chiasson has often been sent to lead PCL’s most complex and challenging projects to success.

Chiasson’s introduction to construction came with the swing of a hammer at age 12. His father owned a carpentry business and Chiasson was keen to learn the trade. He spent his next 10 summers doing everything from driving forklifts to framing houses and in that time gained a deep appreciation for construction.

His passion led him to the University of Alberta where he studied Civil Engineering. After joining PCL in 1989, he spent his first five years in estimating as an estimator in the heavy civil sector. It was in those early years that he came to appreciate the impact his work had on the community. “We were building bridges, but we were also connecting communities and leaving a lasting legacy for the people.”

Chiasson’s first signature build began in 1995 when he joined the Chesapeake Bay Parallel Crossing project in Virginia as a cost engineer. The bridge project was a remarkable engineering achievement, requiring the restoration and dualization of the original bridge built in the 1960s which at that time was called the “eighth wonder of the world”. The complex modernization project helped put PCL on the map in the civil infrastructure world. It also put Chiasson on the map within PCL. His experience on the large-scale project positioned him to take on larger roles leading future civil jobs.

In the early 2000s, Calgary, Alberta was at the front end of a building and infrastructure boom, as high oil prices drove investment, job creation and population growth in the region. Chiasson relocated back to Canada from the U.S. and was instrumental in developing a long-lasting relationship with the City of Calgary — starting with when PCL was called in to rescue the City’s Centre Street Bridge restoration after another contractor had fallen behind schedule. The successful completion unlocked a series of projects with the City of Calgary, including dozens of light right transportation and interchange projects, and eventually the Calgary Airport Parallel Runway and concurrent City of Calgary Airport Trail Underpass.

By the time PCL was awarded the Glenmore & Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant upgrades in 2003, Chiasson had been named the leader of PCL Calgary’s civil division. The Glenmore & Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant project increased capacity at the plants to 550 and 400 million liters a day respectively (roughly 145 and 106 million gallons). The upgrades eliminated waste discharges into Calgary’s two rivers and included more advanced pretreatment, filtration and treatment technologies at the two plants. PCL ensured water supply to the city’s residents was not disrupted during the eight- year, multi-phased project.

Chiasson’s successes in Alberta enabled him to take on a larger role within the company as Vice President, Civil Infrastructure in 2015. Chiasson led PCL’s Transportation Infrastructure Group based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, which, at the time, was involved in major bridge pursuits across the United States. 

Over the course of his career, Chiasson has been a part of nearly 100 civil projects. Today, Chiasson is back in Canada, now leading the construction of critical wastewater treatment plants that ensure communities can sustainably support population growth and enjoy continued access to earth’s most critical resource for generations.