This Nova Scotia Engineering Firm Was Years Ahead Of The Remote Work Curve
HALIFAX — The ability to work from home is now a perk that has become expected for most office workplaces. If an employee can’t work remotely five days a week, they’re probably at least allowed to use a hybrid work model.
But, before 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, the idea of being office-free was more taboo. Anthony Winston III, of Winston Engineering, however, was ahead of the curve by several years. He started his firm eight years ago and from day one he and his employees worked without an office.
“Honestly, I never liked going into an office when I worked for other companies,” said Winston. “It just made no sense to me to sit at a desk, even if I didn’t have anything to do.
“I’m not a lazy person at all; if I ran out of things to do, I’d go to the manager [to ask for more work]. You just didn’t know when you’d be there twiddling your thumbs. So that was just odd to me.
“Once I had kids, I really saw the benefit of it. I have photos of me with a sick child on my chest and I’m clicking away on a laptop doing my thing with the company. My wife, she’s a teacher, so she had to go into her job. But I’ve been able to take the kids to doctor’s appointments [and] go to recitals and performances.”
The story of how Winston started a California-based business and then moved to Nova Scotia is unique. He arrived in Halifax this past June with his wife Erin and two young daughters.
Following the brutal death of George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of police, the Winston family decided they had enough of the United States.
“We decided to move from the U.S. right after George Floyd was killed,” Winston recalled. “I just looked at my wife and said ‘we need to move. Let’s figure out where we want to go.’ We looked at various countries like New Zealand and Mexico and then we decided on Canada.
“We started trying to figure out where in Canada and just fell in love with Nova Scotia, especially because of the rich history in terms of American slaves coming here. And then we got to visit and see all the natural beauty.”
Because working remotely was already entrenched in Winston Engineering’s culture, it wasn’t difficult for Winston to take care of American business from way up in Canada. He has since attached a Nova Scotia branch to his business.
Winston knows remote working isn’t for everyone. Some people need that work environment where they are physically surrounded by colleagues. Winston says it’s important for him to be up front with potential hires about how his firm operates.
“When I’m interviewing, I’m very upfront and honest. If you like constant, face-to-face interaction, this is not the role for you. We put a lot of trust in our teammates and we don’t watch the clock here: we pay attention to results.”
“When I first started the company, I was scared to tell people that we didn’t have an office because, in my mind, I thought an office might maybe legitimize you a little bit more. But as time went on I’m like ‘wait a minute, we’re still doing quality work. I’m saving the client money because we’re probably not charging them as much as the other firms who have a ton of overhead.’”
Environmentally And Socially Conscious Projects
Winston has done a lot of projects in the states that he is proud of. His engineering firm has been involved in the design and installation of EV charging stations in California.
“A big bread manufacturer contacted us because they are going all electric with their delivery trucks. Helping them with their conversion over to all electric vehicles is relatively simple,” said Winston.
“I would consider myself a tree-hugger, so I’m always interested in trying to be as sustainable as possible, even though a lot of times the power that supplies those charges come from a dirty source. I hope that will change over time.”
Winston Engineering has also done work on public buildings that are meant to help the most vulnerable, such as mental health facilities, and affordable housing. The firm recently helped Rohnert Park with a project to help alleviate housing and homelessness issues in the city. That is just one of six affordable housing projects listed on the firm’s website.
In the medical field, the firm has 18 projects listed, in which they provided engineering services, several of which are community facilities-much needed for the most vulnerable in America’s for-profit healthcare system.
One such project is the UMMA Community clinic in Los Angeles- an organization that aims to give medical care for all who need it.
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].