Carmen Yarley Receives Prestigious GTSWCA Award
June 29, 2016
Carmen Yarley, president of Earth Boring Co. Ltd., is the 2016 recipient of the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association’s (GTSWCA) Industry Award of Excellence.
Earth Boring Co. employees, from left, Garrett Mahon, foreman; John Currey, general manager; Rick Timleck, senior supervisor, Bryan Stark, foreman; Chris Keough, senior supervisor; Gene Woodbridge, CEO; Kyle Verwey, civil engineer; Antonio Fernandes, controller; and Ian Cooper, civil engineer; with Yarley and her manhole cover award.
The annual award, presented at the association’s annual general meeting in April, is given to individuals for their outstanding service and contribution to the sewer and watermain industry. Yarley is the first female recipient of the award.
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In the late 1970s Yarley, a Montreal native, made her way to Toronto settling on the south side of Mississauga where she raised her family of four — two boys and two girls. It was the mid-1980s when Yarley became actively involved in the family’s construction business Earth Boring Co., taking on the role of vice president and treasurer while working alongside her husband Tom Yarley, to grow the trenchless-focused business.
Following Tom’s passing in 1998, Yarley became president and working alongside her son, and business partner, Gene Woodbridge, CEO of Earth Boring Co., they grew the company — now in its 69th year — to include 14 crews that work year-round. Earth Boring Co. also boasts the largest fleet of auger boring equipment in Canada, multiple horizontal directional drill rigs including a 1 million lb. unit and three full microtunneling spreads.
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“My first passion is being out in the field, watching the men and equipment work. But as we get larger, I am spending more time in the office,” Yarley said in her acceptance speech. “Earth Boring has been fortunate in its 69 years, weathering some tough times and driving success to achieve what it has become.”
Outside of her work with Earth Boring Co. and her family, which has grown to include eight grandchildren, Yarley is committed to helping the community; volunteering at local hospitals and community organizations with a primary focus on helping children with physical, mental and other developmental disabilities.
She actively supports SickKids Foundation, The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, The Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Charity Water, Cheetah Conservation Fund and The United Way.
That work to help others also includes members of the Earth Boring Co. family. In 2013, Yarley created the Carmen & Tom Yarley Scholarship fund to help Earth Boring Co. employees and their families who are pursuing a civil works related post-secondary education.
“I will be turning 79 this year and people keep asking me if I am ever going to retire,” Yarley said. “My answer is always the same, ‘Definitely not.’ I love my business, I love the industry, I love this association and I like the fact that I am getting my very own personalized manhole cover.”
