Checker's Not Chess: The 2025 Year-End Wrap-Up

Construction is typically a game of anticipation. At every level of the business, we tend to spend most of our time planning the next move — or executing a tactical defence strategy for the inevitable issues that lie ahead. It's an intricate game of Chess, where every piece has a long-term purpose.

2025 felt fundamentally different.

Between the persistent economic uncertainty (slowed GDP growth, stubbornly high inflation and elevated interest rates) and the heightened geopolitical posturing (trade tensions, tariffs and supply chain fragmentation), the luxury of long-term, strategic planning simply didn't exist for most of the year. The board shifted beneath our feet with every quarter.

Instead of Chess, 2025 was a masterclass in playing Checkers.

The Checkerboard Reality

The challenges we faced weren't about nuanced, multi-layered strategies; they were about immediate, tactical reactions. Success was defined by our ability to make sharp, decisive, single-move actions to survive the moment:

• Supply Chain Resilience: When a new tariff or conflict threatened key materials (looking at you, steel and copper!) we didn't have time for a 12-month pivot. We made Checkers moves: diversifying supplier networks immediately, near-shoring or aggressively locking in short-term pricing.

• Cost Control: With material costs and labour wages rising relentlessly, project viability could change overnight. Our teams excelled at tactical cost management, renegotiating smaller, immediate packages, and leveraging granular project data to stress-test designs on the fly.

• Talent Retention: The chronic skilled labour shortage intensified, making every key employee a vital piece we couldn't afford to lose. We focused on direct, visible retention moves — competitive wage increases and focused upskilling programs — to keep our teams intact and productive.

  
  

The Grandmaster Insight

The great lesson of 2025 is that sometimes, the most effective strategy is to simplify. We learned how to move with agility and focus on the critical path right in front of us.

While the Chess players in other sectors worried about their long-game, we, the Checkers players, kept building. Our operational resilience and the commitment of our project teams allowed us to absorb shock after shock without letting our overall momentum stall.

• Growth Bright Spots: Despite caution in private investment, public sector funding provided a steady engine. We successfully pivoted to focus on vital infrastructure and institutional megaprojects, proving that our adaptability is a powerful competitive advantage.

  
  

As we look toward the New Year, the environment remains volatile, but our capabilities are sharper. We close 2025 not just having survived, but having developed a lean, responsive muscle memory. We’re ready for a game of Chess when the board stabilizes, but until then, we know exactly how to win at Checkers.