Weston offers variety in projects – and growth

What keeps someone working at the same company for 35 years? For Mark Emery, president of Weston Consulting Group, part of the answer is that every day presents different opportunities. “There’s lots of variety in the types of clients and projects,” he says of the Toronto-based planning and urban design firm. “No two days are the same. It keeps it interesting.”

It also has something to do with the company’s employee growth and development programs, which include mentorships, leadership training courses, external speakers, team retreats and a willingness to advance staff members in their careers.

“It’s a great place to grow and expand your skills,” Emery says. “We encourage employees to get their registered professional planner or project management designation. We have people that coach and mentor them, and we celebrate when they’re successful. And we don’t hold back on promotions. If people are ready, we move them up.”

Emery says the company expanded its leadership training this year, and now features experts from different facets of the industry coming in every month to speak to the staff about transportation, the environment, air quality and other relevant issues.

“One of the biggest land surveyors in Ontario was recently here and it was really just a great education for people in the office,” he says. “We had 45 people engaged in learning for two hours and asking great questions.”

Darrin Cohen has been a planner at Weston Consulting for three years. “There are a lot of learning opportunities and initiatives,” he says. “If you want to take a course to learn a job-related skill, they’ll cover the tuition, and formal leadership training is ongoing. We have regular check-ins with our supervisors, and there’s easy access to the leadership team for informal mentorship.”

Cohen also appreciates the company’s generous benefits plan, which includes an RSP matching program and a wellness allowance. “It’s a $500 discretionary fund that we can spend every year,” he says. “It can be anything that makes us happy, within reason. I bought a new desk for my home office.”

Emery has been impressed by the impact of Weston’s charitable giving program on its staff, adding that the program embodies Weston’s values and mission by giving back to the community.

“We are involved with a number of organizations,” he says. “Our Thanksgiving food drive was a huge success, and a number of staff did tree planting with the City of Vaughan and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. If we can combine team-building with some sort of positive community endeavour, that’s a success because people feel engaged, they feel part of something larger than themselves. And I think that’s really important.”

Cohen values the company culture’s emphasis on growth and development for its staff.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places, but I’ve never worked in a place with a culture like Weston’s,” he says. “It’s grounded in a philosophy where you’re allowed to make mistakes and ask questions. The expectations of us are quite high, but at the same time we’re encouraged to take risks. I think the leaders understand that having staff who are growing and learning means we are better able to deliver for our clients.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Weston Consulting taps curiosity as a tool for growth

Ryan Guetter joined Weston Consulting Group as a junior planner in 2004, and has spent the past two decades working his way up to his current role as president at the Greater Toronto Area-based planning and urban design firm. His rise, he says, is thanks to a company culture that embraces curiosity as a way to grow.

“It’s always been a place where you can be curious, and that drives you into territory you’ve never experienced and provides lots of opportunities to advance,” he says. “There’s a belief that there’s nothing that can’t be solved with a bit of creativity and innovation, and that enables people to learn and grow incredibly quickly.”

Guetter notes that working with professionals in real estate development, municipal governance, home building and the not-for-profit sector at Weston is an advantage. “The exposure we have to such a diversity of clients and knowledge and expertise is unparalleled,” he says. “And to see it evolve into new business offerings like landscape architecture and community consultation is tremendous.”

When it comes to professional development, Weston offers employees formal training opportunities through the provincial and national planners’ associations as well as its own Spotlight professional development training platform.

“We bring in outside experts and also do internal spotlights to learn practical skills like public speaking, the art of delegation and coaching,” Guetter says. “There’s something to cater to all kinds of learning styles, from peer-to-peer to lectures, collaborative walking tours and professional mentoring.”

Stephanie Dalmage, project accountant at Weston, values the company’s openness to employee input at its offices in Toronto and suburban Vaughan, Ont.

“I love that everybody has a voice,” she says. “I feel like I can say whatever I need to say. Every week we have an accounting meeting, and the CEO and one of the VPs are present, so we’re voicing our opinion to the people who can do something about it. We also have town halls, team outings and events, so there are tons of ways to ask questions and get results. They make it easy.”

Dalmage also values the work-life balance options she enjoys at Weston, which include flexible hours and an account that can be spent on anything related to wellness. “We can work at home some days and in the office other days, which I appreciate so much,” she says. “And we’re consulted about things like what’s covered in our benefits. They listen to us, and if it’s possible, they’ll get it done.”

Guetter echoes the importance of flexibility. “All our training sessions are offered virtually and in person, and there is flexibility in working hours,” he says. “We try to honour people’s time and give them appropriate flexibility, and they’ve responded well, as our productivity and efficiency remain very strong.”

According to Guetter, what makes the company special is that it has managed to retain its core values as it’s grown over the years. “It’s a great model,” he says. “It’s a place of opportunity where we care genuinely about our people and make sure they have the work-life balance they choose while enabling growth in a corporate mindset that focuses on teamwork. It’s been exciting to be part of it.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers winners, published April 8, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.