Robert Frasca

Robert has always loved building. After attending the opening day celebrations at Canada’s Wonderland, Ontario’s premier theme park, he came home and set to work on a roller coaster in his backyard (much to his father’s amusement).

Robert pursued Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University and, upon graduation, secured a position as a Quality Control Engineer with Toyota. His natural aptitude for understanding equipment and manufacturing processes led Robert from producing cars to building and commissioning equipment and assembly lines for Toyota’s new model launches. This brought a revelation:

“I discovered that building the processes and equipment that manufactured the cars was more interesting and exciting than building the cars themselves!”

Seeking new opportunities and bigger projects, Robert moved to Aecon, where he managed projects for Ontario Power Generation as well as many other clients across several sectors. His responsibilities moved him beyond project management to creating training programs for nuclear energy and implementing a new software system for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Robert’s broad industry network created consulting opportunities which ultimately led him to Alltrade. As transit manager, Robert brought along his project management ‘toolkit’: Lean thinking from Toyota, multi-disciplinary problem-solving abilities, a collaborative leadership style, and a good sense of humour.

Leading Transit Projects

Having spent the early part of his career building his professional skillset, Robert sees his experiences managing transit projects as formative for him personally. With their long timelines, complex scopes, and diverse stakeholders, these projects can be unusually challenging. But in true Lean fashion, Robert used the opportunity to refine himself and his approach to problems, situations, and teamwork. He feels that he’s a better leader after guiding his team through the complex buildout of several Light Rail Transit lines.

“Over four hours of Toronto traffic a day teaches you patience, and solving complex problems with the team and stakeholders helps you learn to really listen,” Robert explains. “Stepping back and looking at the big picture is critical to keeping centred.” As Robert’s responsibilities continue to grow, he’s excited to apply the lessons he’s learned to other areas of Alltrade’s project portfolio while sharing his own personal discoveries with team members.

Ontario Focused

Recognized for his leadership abilities and outstanding contributions to Alltrade, Robert is a member of the Alltrade Executive Leadership Team with responsibility for executing Ontario-based projects in the energy and automotive markets.

Robert’s family life is his foundation. He and his wife Nydia have two children (their pride and joy), and love to travel and immerse themselves in local culture as a way of recharging their batteries.