Like many Calgarians, Phil VanderVeen Sr., emigrated from Holland to Canada in the early 1950’s. For several years he worked as a laborer and supervisor for Dominion Construction. In 1956, with only a wheelbarrow on the roof of his car, and with his wife Lee, willing to do the bookkeeping, Phil Sr. went door-to-door offering to install concrete. Phil’s commitment to hard work and quality soon established A-1 Cement Contractors as a company that its customers could depend on.

Over the years, all of Phil and Lee’s seven children worked in various capacities at A-1 Cement. Then in 1985, Phil Jr. and his wife Linda purchased the company from Phil and Lee.  With a commitment to strong family values and a vision to see the business grow, Phil Jr. grew the business and began serving many homebuilders around Calgary and under his leadership, A-1 Cement became one of the leaders in concrete flatworks in the city of Calgary.  Phil and Linda carried on the tradition of employing family members and encouraging them to learn the trade of concrete work. Still true to this day, it is not unusual to see brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, sons or daughters working at A-1 Cement. Phil Jr. served as President of A-1 Cement for 34 years and under his guidance he made A-1 Cement a well known and respected name in the industry because of his honesty and strong integrity in business and personal life.  In 2019 Phil took on the new role of Chairman at A-1 Cement and that’s when the current General Manager, Russell Vanderveen took the helm as President.

 

Since becoming President in 2019, and Partner with his wife Beckie in 2020, Phil Jr.’s son Russell Vanderveen has shown his commitment to carrying on the family legacy by providing meaningful jobs to many people including his own children and extended family, while also delivering high quality concrete work to thousands of customers. Together Russell and Beckie are committed to honoring Phil SR.’s passion for doing a job well and have a dedicated team of professionals who are aligned with the company’s core values.

In the span of over six decades, since our inception in 1956, we've witnessed remarkable advancements and worked through immense change. Our tools have been modernized, our equipment continuously upgraded, and our location shifted to meet evolving needs. Yet, amidst these changes, our promise to provide unparalleled concrete work remains unchanged. A-1's reputation rests upon the pillars of honesty, excellence, and Christian values. Throughout our corporate journey, we humbly acknowledge God's faithfulness as the cornerstone of our success."