Sean Jack

Sean Jack asked if the prolonged softening macro environment in roofing would facilitate easier acquisitions, particularly for mom-and-pop businesses. He also inquired about any new offensive strategies being employed as part of the brand-building strategy to position the company or gain market share during the weak broader macro environment.

Answer

Scott Patterson (CEO) stated he doesn't foresee easier acquisitions due to the high number of private equity-owned roofing platforms competing in the market. He emphasized the need to differentiate and focus on long-term brand-building, valuing businesses appropriately based on results. He stated there are no new offensive strategies of note. He reiterated that the strategy focuses on people, customer service, building culture, and incremental platform improvement, approaching investments with a long-term focus and timeline.

Sean Jack asked if the short-term macro softening in roofing would make acquisitions easier, particularly with mom-and-pop businesses. He also inquired about any new offensive strategies being employed to position or gain share while the broader macro environment remains weak.

Answer

Scott Patterson (CEO) stated that he does not foresee acquisitions becoming easier in roofing due to the competitive landscape with numerous private equity-owned platforms, emphasizing the need to differentiate through their long-term brand-building strategy. He added that there are no new offensive strategies of note, as their brand-building approach consistently focuses on people, customer service, culture, and incremental platform improvements with a long-term investment horizon.

Sean Jack from Raymond James asked for clarity on the expected trajectory of Australian gross margins in the second half of the year and inquired about the timing of potential new project wins from the infrastructure bid pipeline.

Answer

CFO Jason Veenstra projected Australian gross profit margins to be in the low 20% range for H2, with a slight improvement in Q4 over Q3 as subcontractor issues are resolved. CEO Joe Lambert explained that while some subcontractor infrastructure opportunities could materialize as early as 2026, major design-build project wins are more likely to be awarded in 2026 for construction starts in 2027.

Sean Jack inquired about the competitive landscape for new bids in Australia, given the new opportunities in the pipeline. He also asked whether there has been any noticeable change in client sentiment in that market, considering the recent noise in global markets.

Answer

Joseph Lambert, President & CEO, characterized the Australian market as having strong but disciplined competition, stating that no competitors are acting desperate. He expressed confidence in their ability to win work due to their safe, low-cost provider status. Lambert noted that client sentiment remains positive, with continued opportunities for early contract renewals and expansions, concluding that the company is in the 'best place we've ever been'.

Sean Jack questioned how much of the recent U.S. expansion was driven by requests from existing customers versus greenfield opportunities. He also asked for clarification on the expected pace of fleet growth in Canada, wondering if it would accelerate beyond the recent trend.

Answer

President and CEO Todd Ziniuk estimated that 10-20% of U.S. expansion is driven by existing customers, while executive Amin Ladha noted that some growth is opportunistic, based on finding the right personnel in new locations. Regarding Canada, Todd Ziniuk confirmed that growth is expected to increase significantly. He stated that Q1 was slow due to weather and permitting delays, but the Canadian operations are now at 99.9% utilization and will have no problem meeting the goal of adding approximately 300 towers for the year.

Asked for an update on the progress with large enterprise customers and for guidance on how to think about profit margins for 2025 given the planned expansion.

Answer

The company stated that enterprise sales cycles are long but they are making progress with major retailers like Walmart and Kroger. For 2025, they expect to maintain operating margins, although EBITDA margins might see a slight, temporary dip in Q1 due to increased hiring and spending on expansion before revenue growth catches up.

Sean Jack from Raymond James asked for an update on Zedcor's progress with large enterprise customers and inquired about the margin outlook for 2025, given the company's aggressive expansion into new U.S. territories.

Answer

Executive Amin Ladha stated that enterprise sales cycles are long, noting an ongoing trial with Walmart and an upcoming RFP with Kroger. CEO Todd Ziniuk added that the national sales team is also focused on expanding business with existing multi-state clients. Regarding margins, management expects to maintain strong operating margins, though adjusted EBITDA margins may see a temporary dip in Q1 2025 due to upfront hiring and expansion costs before normalizing as revenue grows.

Sean Jack of Raymond James Financial asked about production bottlenecks, wondering if any hurdles remain beyond securing additional manufacturing space to ramp up tower assembly. He also questioned the expected trajectory for SG&A expenses and whether the recent acquisition of competitor Stealth Monitoring by Garda would alter the competitive landscape.

Answer

CEO Todd Ziniuk identified the supply of steel components as the only other potential bottleneck, which is being mitigated by adding second and third suppliers. Executive Amin Ladha projected SG&A would increase slightly in the near term to support back-office functions before leveling out as a percentage of revenue. Both executives described the Stealth Monitoring acquisition as 'business as usual,' citing the vast market opportunity and Zedcor's differentiated product with in-house monitoring.

Sean Jack from Raymond James Limited asked which of Stantec's business operating units (BOUs) currently offer the best value for potential M&A targets.

Answer

CEO Gordon Johnston responded that Stantec is actively engaged in M&A discussions across all five of its business operating units. He emphasized that the company is not preferentially targeting any single BOU, but is instead looking at opportunities across its key geographies, including the U.S., U.K., Northern Europe, and Australia/New Zealand.