Careers Under Construction

What does the future of construction in Manitoba look like? As Executive Director of Workforce and Learning Pathways at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, Marnie Bickerton is helping shape the answer.

In this episode, Marnie talks about growing up in a small town, the setbacks that made her tougher, and what it takes to earn respect in a male-dominated field. She gets real about mentorship, building trust, and why coll...

Tom Sparrow is making history as the first-ever Chief Construction Officer for the City of Winnipeg — and in Canada. After decades of leading multi-billion-dollar projects across the country, Tom came to Winnipeg to oversee some of the city’s most critical infrastructure projects, including the North End Sewage Treatment Plant, as well as future schools, hospitals and roads.

In this episode, Tom shares what it means to hold this bra...

Before starting his own business, Jaret Horbatiuk got his start in structural steel shop drawings. But when drawing plans wasn’t enough, he built a company to bring them to life — a gamble that paid off and grew into Tractus Projects, now a 20-year success story.

In this episode, Jaret shares how he overcame imposter syndrome, what running a small roofing company taught him about cash flow, why he avoids relying on a single big proj...

David Peters went from building houses to building software. After more than a decade running his own construction company, he sold his tools, his truck — even the business itself — to solve a problem every contractor knows too well: bad timesheets.

In this episode, David shares how selling his construction business allowed him to tackle that problem head-on and how the idea evolved into Construction Clock, an app now used by thousa...

Shreeraj (Raj) Patel’s path was anything but straightforward. After failing out of university, he took a year off working retail before finding his footing, returning to school and eventually becoming Vice President at one of Canada’s largest banks.In this episode, Raj shares how mentorship and second chances changed the course of his life, what he learned leading multi-million-dollar portfolios and why he walked away from the secu...

From engineering student to COO, Janet Gauthier’s career has taken her from northern project sites to leading one of Canada’s largest real estate developers! She shares how teaching 6 a.m. spin classes shaped her leadership style, why aligning with the right company culture is a game-changer and what it’s really like to climb the ranks in a male-dominated industry.

Plus, hear Janet’s take on how AI could transform construction — fro...

With over 30 years in construction, Dom Costantini has seen it all—from finishing concrete at 8 years old to leading major operations across Canada. In our first episode, Dom shares what it really takes to build strong teams, why culture beats strategy every time and how he’s helping the industry evolve through his new consulting work.

Plus, hear the story behind his famous “sock collection” and how something small became a symbol o...

🎙️ Local voices, real stories.

Careers Under Construction isn’t just a podcast—it’s a blueprint for resilience and a playbook for building a stronger career.

Each week, Justis Pederson sits down with the builders, the leaders and the risk-takers—the ones who’ve faced the chaos and come out stronger.

Powered by The Pederson Group, we’re spotlighting the people shaping businesses and the truths behind their success.

This is Careers Unde...