History & Story

Tri-Core Projects began with a simple vision: do great work with great people and always stand behind what you build. In 2003, Ron Duncan, John Highmoor, and John Duncan co-founded Tri-Core Projects, combining a powerful mix of construction expertise, engineering knowledge, and entrepreneurial fortitude. Ron and John Highmoor met while studying engineering at the University of Manitoba, students with complementary skills and shared ambition. 

With modest bonding capacity, a handful of used equipment, and a small team of trusted operators and labourers, Tri-Core’s early years were defined by grit. The company operated out of shared shop space, took on complex winter projects in swampy terrain, and shadow-bid larger jobs to prove its capability. Every job was an opportunity to learn, grow, and build trust, both with clients and within the team.

What made Tri-Core different, even in those early days, was its people. Crew members came because they knew someone who already worked here, and they stayed because they saw a future. Many of Tri-Core’s current leaders began as operators, mechanics, and skilled labourers. Others came from engineering or consulting roles and grew with the business. A culture of developing people from within took root, forming the foundation of the company’s long-term strength.

Tri-Core’s consulting roots trace back to DAL Projects, the engineering firm founded by the Duncan brothers’ father. Both Ron and John Duncan worked there during their early careers, and DAL Projects remains a key partner in Tri-Core’s integrated design-build delivery model to this day.

Over the years, Tri-Core expanded its capabilities in earthworks, sewer and water, structures, and complex technical scopes, growing alongside its clients and collaborators. Some projects, like the Main Street reconstruction, tested the company’s resilience and resolve. Faced with immense challenges, Tri-Core doubled down on its commitments, rallied the team, and delivered, a defining moment of integrity and unity.

As Tri-Core matured, it diversified. A long-standing presence in the public utility sector strengthened its reputation for safety, compliance, and quality. In 2019, the company made a strategic investment in a telecom design-build startup, Quantum Utilities, and by 2024, acquired it fully, folding the operation into its brand and launching a dedicated Telecom Division.

Today, Tri-Core is a multidisciplinary infrastructure partner with over two decades of experience. From bridge rehabilitations to broadband backbones, Tri-Core continues to build for the future, grounded in the same values it was founded on: work hard, invest in your people, and always do what you say you’re going to do.