Building Versatility

To establish JEDS Construction as a premiere contractor to commercial and government clients, Jose Prazeres parlayed his expertise in stone carving with his rich career in the construction of significant public projects. A native of Portugal, Jose served in the Portuguese military and learned the trade of stone carving before immigrating to Canada in 1973. A decade later, he launched JEDS Construction as a general contractor, first completing residential work and eventually moving exclusively into commercial and government work, including extensive work for the City of Winnipeg, Public Works & Government Services Canada, the Canadian military, and several school divisions. Today, JEDS Construction offers a wide range of services in construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance, including stone carving and design-build. The firm employs a staff of more than 30, working in project management, estimating, and administration. The company recently completed its signature project, the Path to Full Citizenship Ramp at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

1984: jeds construction is founded

Jose Prazeres founds JEDS Construction in Winnipeg. He previously owned a construction company with a partner but decides to open his own business, naming it for the first initial of himself, his wife, and his two children. An initial focus on residential projects gets the firm off the ground. “Work was work, and I never turned anyone down,” Jose says.

1986: work begins with the city departments

Among JEDS Construction’s first projects for the City of Winnipeg are office renovations and building repair and maintenance.

1988: moving into day cares

KinderCare Learning Centers, an international day-care operator, chooses JEDS Construction to renovate several facilities in Manitoba. The same year, JEDS Construction takes on a large, ornamental-stone project at Kil-Cona Park.

1990: the largest project to date

Construction begins on the Old Market Square Stage in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, a national historic site for hosting city festivals. The project includes removing an existing mobile stage and replacing it with a new, permanent, concrete stage complete with piles, planters, columns, interlocking stone, landscaping, and a steel canopy.

1995: company grows to 10 employees

As JEDS Construction’s portfolio of projects grows, so does the staff. JEDS Construction is hired to complete historic maintenance for the City of Winnipeg, including the restoration of a limestone wall and gate at East Gate, and an extensive façade restoration of the Firefighter’s Museum of Winnipeg.

2007: jose’s son comes aboard

Dinis Prazeres, Jose’s son, joins JEDS Construction as a vice president and helps position the firm to win larger projects. “I began working to harness all of the opportunities we had and to bring in the right people,” Dinis says. “We set our sights on larger and more complex projects by building on the strong foundation and client relationships we had in place.”

2008: a signature project takes shape

With a growing staff to handle increasingly complex projects, JEDS Construction wins the contract to construct a universal access ramp at the Manitoba Legislative Building. The ramp is designed and constructed to blend with the National Heritage site’s existing architecture. Concrete works, piles, grade beams, retaining walls, stone installation, a new canopy, and a heat-trace system (to melt snow through the winter) all make their way into the final ramp. “The major goal was to blend this century-old structure with an access ramp that would blend in with the architecture,” Jose says. “It looks like it was always there because it’s so comparable to the existing building. It’s functional for the public, and looks like it is part of the original structure.” The project garnered JEDS Construction a preservation award.

2010: assiniboine park zoo renovation

“The Manitoba Legislative Building Ramp became a catalyst for other large projects, and we put pins in place to functionally be able to tackle other projects,” Dinis says. “It gave us the confidence to see what else we could accomplish.” JEDS Construction renovates the existing Lion’s Pavilion at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. The project results in new roofing, insulation, glazing, eavestroughs, and down pipes for the structure. Aside from the construction of the new, interpretive display-area addition—complete with storage room, washroom, vestibules, and a gated-service area—mechanical and electrical upgrades are done throughout. The project was lauded with a Best New Exhibit award in 2010.