Welcome to Red Army Radio — the official Tomlinson Group podcast celebrating the people, projects, and progress driving our business forward. In this year-in-review episode, host Francis Brazeau is joined by Adam Hendriks, Ryan Downing, and Ron Tomlinson to break down the biggest wins, toughest challenges, and most surprising moments in the past year.

Together, they reflect on how Tomlinson teams responded to major external pressures — including the February tariff shock and unexpected technology setbacks — while still delivering standout results in construction, materials supply, environmental services, and logistics. The conversation highlights cross-divisional collaboration, frontline resilience, and innovations that are shaping the future of our operations.

Ron shares a breakthrough sustainability milestone: producing green asphalt without natural gas or conventional fuels, a major step forward for low-carbon road building. Adam spotlights the Thunder Road project, a standout example of circular construction that used 100% recycled materials while maintaining performance standards.

The group also dives into a fun and revealing “Myth vs. Reality” segment, clearing up common misconceptions in the industry — like the idea that Head Office only focuses on strategy, that winter is downtime, or that quality slows production. They also unpack the real story on AI in construction, emphasizing that artificial intelligence is being adopted as a productivity and decision-support tool, not a replacement for skilled people.

To close, the team looks ahead to what’s next: expanding the salt business, launching a new conveyor system at Ontario Trap Rock, and exploring opportunities to offer Material Supply and Logistics (MSL) services to external customers.

Episode Highlights

• Tariff Surprise & Industry Impact
• How February tariffs sent shockwaves through operations — and how Tomlinson teams rapidly adjusted forecasting and planning.
• Green Asphalt Innovation
• A sustainability win: creating asphalt without natural gas or conventional fuels, reducing emissions while maintaining quality.
• Thunder Road Recycled Materials 
• A landmark construction project proving recycled materials can deliver top-tier results at full scale.
• Myth vs. Reality: Construction & Head Office
• Debunking myths about field vs. office roles, winter operations, and the connection between quality and productivity.
• AI in the Industry (Productivity, Not Replacement)
• Real examples of how AI supports contract evaluation, tendering, and data analysis to help teams work smarter.
• The Challenge Coin Story
• The origin of the core values challenge coin and how it reinforces recognition and appreciation across Tomlinson.

Key Takeaways & Quotes

• Resilience in Action
• “The thing I take away is that the Red Army just jumps right in and gets things done… it doesn't affect our business.”
• Innovation That Works
• “We were hoping it was going to work. We were happy when it did work.”
• Customer Strength Comes from the Field
• “The field is probably the greatest source of positive interactions with the customer side.”
• Quality Drives Speed — Not the Other Way Around
• “Quality does not slow us down. And we've learned that lesson firsthand a few times.”
• AI as a Competitive Advantage
• “AI is code for trying to use technology to get better at what we do and make decisions faster.”
• Always Evolving
• “We need to constantly change and evolve… and we will just continue to do that.”