Ontario Construction News staff writer
Mike Marasco, a trailblazer in the field of infrastructure P3s, has been named the recipient of the 2019 Champion Award by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP).
Marasco, who recently retired after 12 years as CEO of Plenary Concessions, will receive the award at CCPPP’s 27th annual conference tonight at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
“Mike has been a recognized and respected leader for the Canadian P3 model. He is truly a champion and completely deserving of this recognition,” CCPPP president and CEO Mark Romoff said in a statement.
“He is one of those rare people who have risen above self-interest to advocate for the industry as a whole and is one of the key reasons the Canadian P3 model has become widely accepted and praised.”
In particular, the awards committee noted that Marasco has done “missionary work” on both sides of the border and across Canada to educate governments about the P3 model and its benefits, as well as to bring integrity and transparency to agreements while always seeking innovation.
The Champion Award is presented by CCPPP to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public-private partnerships in Canada.
Previous award winners include: James Flaherty, former federal finance minister; Bert Clark, president and CEO, Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and former president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario; John Beck, founder, president and CEO of Aecon Group Inc.; and Sarah Clark, president and CEO at Fraser River Pile and Dredge (GP) Inc. and former president and CEO of Partnerships British Columbia.
“I am truly humbled to be recognized by the council for my contributions to the P3 industry,” said Marasco. “It was very rewarding to be part of the growth that saw the Canadian P3 market become a world leader. To be among those who previously won this award is a great honour and a nice way to cap off my career as I start a new chapter in my life.”
Marasco started in the realm of public-private partnerships in British Columbia where he helped successfully procure the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre from 2001-2004. It was the province’s first acute care hospital and set a new benchmark for public infrastructure in B.C.
That success led to the launch of Partnerships BC with Marasco as one of the public agency’s founding members. During his tenure, the agency closed more than $4.7 billion in 11 P3 projects in the health, transportation, advanced education and resource sectors.
He then moved on to Plenary Group and CEO of Plenary Concessions, the subsidiary responsible for design, construction and asset management of all Plenary projects throughout North America. In his role as CEO, Marasco was also responsible for business growth and teaming, with the objective of identifying and developing new infrastructure opportunities and markets across North America, including the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) project, the Humber River Hospital and the University of California, Merced’s 2020 Project. Since 2005, Plenary has closed more than $18 billion in 34 P3s.
CCPPP says in a statement that its annual conference attracts 1,200 senior public and private sector infrastructure leaders from across Canada and abroad with networking and business development opportunities.