Episode 033 | Geoff Smith: Forget About Hope, It’s Time To Do Something!

In this podcast I talk with Geoff Smith, CEO and President of EllisDon. Geoff is the President & Chief Executive Officer of EllisDon, an employee-owned, $5 billion-a-year construction services and technology company. In the world of Climate Change mitigation, Geoff Smith is probably best known for his leadership of the Carbon Impact Initiative – A Building Industry-Led Action Plan in Support of Canada’s International Climate Change Commitments.

In our conversation, Geoff and I talk about how climate change and carbon emissions came to be such an important concern for Geoff, and what EllisDon is trying to do about it; what the construction industry can do to make a difference in moving the needle on carbon emissions; the big efforts EllisDon is making to tackle the opportunities and challenges associated with Mass Timber given its potential to significantly reduce embodied carbon and lock up carbon; and what will be required to actually meet our commitments to the Paris agreement and reduce carbon emissions before it is too late. We also talk about losing hope and what we need to do about it.

I have known and worked with Geoff for many years and have come to admire him as both one of the Construction Industry’s most respected leaders, but also as a great guy. He is one of those rare people, who is successful, intelligent, and incredibly competent, while also having a real sense of humility, and a wonderful sense of humour. These are the qualities that have made him such an effective industry leader and innovator and why I wanted to interview him for this podcast.

I hope you enjoy our conversation!

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You can read more about this podcast in the podcast’s Show Notes. 

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