With kids of his own, Josh Yates appreciates the importance of a comprehensive care facility like Phoenix Children’s Hospital, should his family ever need it. That’s why he’s passionate about raising money for the institution.

For the past four years, Yates — district construction risk manager for PCL Construction’s Civil Infrastructure Division — has volunteered with the Big Dig for Kids, an annual fundraiser for Phoenix Children’s Hospital that gives young patients the chance to take the reins of heavy equipment in a safe environment.

Since 2016, the Big Dig has raised more than $4 million for pediatric cancer research. But Yates measures its success in a different way.

“It’s one of those events where, if you volunteer, it’ll tug at your heartstrings,” he says. “We just want to help these kids have a good day. I love seeing the patients smile, because they’re going through a lot.”

PCL employees understand that building communities isn’t just about erecting structures; it’s about taking care of others. Yates is one of countless employees across the United States who lead local charity efforts in the communities where they live and work. These workers are passionate about construction, but maybe even more passionate about their chosen causes. Their charity efforts create more opportunities to deliver value for the company’s clients by strengthening relationships across PCL’s different offices and departments.

Even some of PCL’s largest charitable initiatives started locally. While PCL has partnered with United Way for more than 50 years, each of the more than 30 offices across North America organizes its own United Way fundraising campaign and plans unique events.

Local, grassroots efforts are at the core of PCL’s approach to community giving. These efforts are powerful demonstrations of the difference individuals can make when they put their minds to it, and PCL is proud to support them.

Yates first got involved with the Big Dig for Kids in 2022 after relocating to Phoenix. He responded to an email from Mike McKinney — who recently retired from PCL — asking for volunteers. McKinney was heavily involved with the Big Dig, serving on the board and acting as co-chair of the event for several years.

After that first year, Yates was hooked. He started looking for ways to get more involved. Today, he sits on the event’s board of directors along with Civil West District Manager Ankur Talwar and Phoenix Buildings District Manager Dave Campbell. He also volunteers on the event site every year along with nearly 40 other PCL employees.

Yates’s enthusiasm for the event may only be matched by that of his six-year-old son, the youngest of his four children. “He could spend the whole day just wandering around,” he says.

“I knew nothing about the Big Dig at first, and now it’s something we do every year,” he adds. “I didn’t know it would become part of our November routine and something we’d look forward to.”

Another PCL employee with something to look forward to is Cory Aspelieter, senior manager, procurement and equipment with the company’s Orlando office. For the past 12 years, Aspelieter has been involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida and their annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Buddy Walk. He has served on the DSACF board for the past five years, helping guide the organization’s mission and community impact.

Aspelieter began his PCL career in the Regina, Saskatchewan, office before relocating first to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then to Orlando. When he arrived in Florida, the wife of the district manager at the time was a therapist who worked with children with Down syndrome. Friends back in Regina also had kids with Down syndrome, so Aspelieter felt a connection to the cause.

“The people with Down syndrome, the families, everyone is just so upbeat and happy,” he says. “The kids are so full of energy. They’re always happy, always wanting a hug and a high-five.”

PCL donates the medals that are given to Buddy Walk participants, and several employees volunteer to help out at the event. Aspelieter says that’s helped build camaraderie around the Orlando office and gives employees the chance to connect with people from other departments who they might not interact with on a day-to-day basis. 

“We probably get 40 or 50 people to volunteer on the Saturday to hand out medals at the finish line,” he says, adding that employees from PCL’s Florida Buildings group also volunteer with team build days throughout the year. “They just love it. It makes their day. They’re always asking when the next walk is.”

Meanwhile in Denver, you can often find Vanna Hosanny making wishes come true.

The project manager with PCL’s Denver Buildings division is one of many PCL employees who donate their time and skills to the local Make-A-Wish Foundation. Most recently, she was involved in building an indoor playground in the home of a young boy whose epilepsy and sensitivity to light mean he can’t go outside for long stretches of time.

It might not be a trip to Disneyland or a meet-and-greet with their hockey heroes, Hosanny says, but these projects are just as important in the lives of these kids and their families.

“Construction is a unique industry in terms of being able to give back to the communities where we live, work and play,” she says. “When you’re able to do something small that makes a big impact for a family, I know I’m leaving that place better than I found it.”

About 15 PCL employees worked on the playground over the course of a couple of weekends. Like in Orlando, Hosanny says volunteer work builds stronger bonds between co-workers. “The conversations you have aren’t about RFIs or submittals or project milestones. They’re more about how we fit into the organization and help it grow, and about what our lives are like outside of work.”

Whether she’s working on a volunteer project or on a huge redevelopment project — like the Cherry Lane project she’s currently working on in Denver — Hosanny believes the face-to-face connections are just as important and the connections made with rebar and concrete.

“When people think about construction, they think about buildings. But we must also think about people; our business is a people business.”

Indeed, people are the foundation of everything PCL does, and the company strives to develop lasting relationships with construction clients and with local charities that help those in need in their communities. In 2025, PCL supported more than 50 charities across North America, and the companywide total for charitable donations exceeded US$9.7 million. But it’s the local employee-led efforts that have the most impact and form the deepest connections.