multiVIEW Locates celebrates 30 years
Ontario-based utility locating company marks a milestone birthday and looks back on three decades of growth and evolution
multiVIEW Locates Inc. (multiVIEW), a leading professional services firm that specializes in utility locating, announced the 30th anniversary of the company's inception. For the past three decades, multiVIEW has supported safe construction practices throughout the province by offering a diverse range of services that include Private & Public Locating, Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE), CCTV Sewer Inspection, Concrete Scanning, Hydro Vacuum Excavation, Ticket Screening and Near-Surface Geophysics.
Since 1989, changes in the marketplace have created both growth and opportunity for multiVIEW. Demand for Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is now commonly incorporated in municipal contracts and it is law for contractors to arrange a utility locate prior to excavation. In response to increased service demand, multiVIEW established four office locations strategically situated across the province - Ottawa, Mississauga, Kitchener and London. This has allowed the company to mobilize quickly to meet contractual requirements and seamlessly service customers.
"It's been an honour to service the Ontario and Québec markets for the past 30 years, and we're grateful for our customers that have made this possible," said Kevin Vine, President, multiVIEW. "Over the past three decades, we've witnessed remarkable change and have continually evolved our business model to keep pace with this change while holding on to the core values that have guided us since 1989 - Safety, Quality & Customer Excellence."
multiVIEW began as a full service geophysics company, having evolved from the consulting division of A-Cubed Inc.: an organization founded in the early 80s that specialized in the development of new airborne Electromagnetic (EM) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems. At the time, multiVIEW focused on applying geophysical techniques to solve geotechnical and environmental challenges across Ontario. These techniques included seismic reflection/refraction, borehole geophysics, time domain electromagnetics, frequency domain electromagnetics, magnetometry, among others.
Over time, the application of these techniques began to gain popularity within urban spaces, for example, to scan concrete or locate complex buried utilities. As an industry innovator, multiVIEW helped pioneer early applications of GPR for concrete scanning, and was one of the only organizations to offer Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) services prior to it becoming a recognized practice in Ontario. When CI-ASCE 38-02: Standard Guideline for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data became prevalent in the province, multiVIEW's service offerings were already aligned with the standard.
"Something that differentiates multiVIEW is that our history is deeply rooted in geophysics, and as we've evolved, we've maintained these roots," explains Kevin Vine. "We still offer a range of near-surface geophysical services, and our geophysics department plays a lead role in overseeing quality management throughout every area of our business."
To help solve a range of customer challenges, multiVIEW's utility locating and geophysical services are today complimented by offerings that include NASSCO-certified CCTV Sewer Inspection. NASSCO sets the North American standard for sewer inspection practices, and multiVIEW is qualified to inspect mainlines, laterals and manholes. With 20% of municipal water, storm water and wastewater infrastructure across Ontario in poor or worse condition, regular inspections have become crucial to managing risk and prioritizing asset maintenance/replacement.
Another added service area includes ticket screening. multiVIEW has established one of the province's most comprehensive 24/7 ticket screening centres. The centre processes hundreds of thousands of Ontario One Call excavation requests annually, helping customers save money. By analyzing and accurately clearing tickets, customers typically see a 20-25% reduction in costly field visits.
In addition to diversification of services, an investment in training has bolstered the company's success. multiVIEW Technicians are some of the most highly trained in the industry; educational backgrounds include engineering, earth sciences, geology, geography, archaeology, among others. A rigorous internal training program is followed by Damage Prevention Technician (DPT) training and various other post-employment certification programs. There's also a big focus on safety training - Confined Space Entry (CSE), Confined Space Rescue (CSR), Working at Heights, among many others, and this safety-focus is recognized by the company's ISNetworld certification.
"Because we offer such a diverse range of services, we're able to retain a large pool of highly trained Technicians that we can continually invest in with ongoing skills development," said Kevin Vine. "This diversity protects against seasonality and attrition which can traditionally lead to a cycle of layoffs, rehiring and retraining."
multiVIEW is highly active in the damage prevention community at large, and actively participates in associations that include the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Ontario GTA Chapter, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA), the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS), among many others. Looking forward, multiVIEW will continue to actively participate in the community and will consider further diversifying services to meet changing customer demands, "we're looking forward to continuing to solve our customer's challenges over the next 30 years," said Kevin Vine.
In addition to diversification of services, an investment in training has bolstered the company's success. multiVIEW Technicians are some of the most highly trained in the industry; educational backgrounds include engineering, earth sciences, geology, geography, archaeology, among others. A rigorous internal training program is followed by Damage Prevention Technician (DPT) training and various other post-employment certification programs. There's also a big focus on safety training - Confined Space Entry (CSE), Confined Space Rescue (CSR), Working at Heights, among many others, and this safety-focus is recognized by the company's ISNetworld certification.
"Because we offer such a diverse range of services, we're able to retain a large pool of highly trained Technicians that we can continually invest in with ongoing skills development," said Kevin Vine. "This diversity protects against seasonality and attrition which can traditionally lead to a cycle of layoffs, rehiring and retraining."
multiVIEW is highly active in the damage prevention community at large, and actively participates in associations that include the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Ontario GTA Chapter, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA), the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS), among many others. Looking forward, multiVIEW will continue to actively participate in the community and will consider further diversifying services to meet changing customer demands, "we're looking forward to continuing to solve our customer's challenges over the next 30 years," said Kevin Vine.
In addition to diversification of services, an investment in training has bolstered the company's success. multiVIEW Technicians are some of the most highly trained in the industry; educational backgrounds include engineering, earth sciences, geology, geography, archaeology, among others. A rigorous internal training program is followed by Damage Prevention Technician (DPT) training and various other post-employment certification programs. There's also a big focus on safety training - Confined Space Entry (CSE), Confined Space Rescue (CSR), Working at Heights, among many others, and this safety-focus is recognized by the company's ISNetworld certification.
"Because we offer such a diverse range of services, we're able to retain a large pool of highly trained Technicians that we can continually invest in with ongoing skills development," said Kevin Vine. "This diversity protects against seasonality and attrition which can traditionally lead to a cycle of layoffs, rehiring and retraining."
multiVIEW is highly active in the damage prevention community at large, and actively participates in associations that include the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Ontario GTA Chapter, the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA), the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS), among many others. Looking forward, multiVIEW will continue to actively participate in the community and will consider further diversifying services to meet changing customer demands, "we're looking forward to continuing to solve our customer's challenges over the next 30 years," said Kevin Vine.
