This company was founded in 1961 by four brothers (James Simkin, Solomon Simkin, Israel Simkin, and Abraham Louis Simkin) to amalgamate their 31 companies into one large entity, based in Winnipeg. The company was involved in three major businesses: building supplies, land and property development, and construction. BACM’s building supplies division made concrete products such as precast beams, piles, girders and other structural members; concrete sewer pipe; concrete blocks and brick; and ready-mix concrete.
The firm was involved in such construction projects as the Red River Floodway, several airports, hydroelectric developments in Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and James Bay, and the Athabasca Tar Sands Development at Fort McMurray, Alberta.
In 1968, BACM was purchased by the Genstar Corporation and later renamed Genstar Development Company, with operations at Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa. Presently, the corporation operates in Canada and the United States.
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: James “Jim” Simkin (1913-1997)
Memorable Manitobans: Solomon “Saul” Simkin (1915-1994)
Memorable Manitobans: Israel “Blackie” Simkin (1917-1998)
Memorable Manitobans: Abraham Louis “Abe” Simkin (1922-2020)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: British-American Cement Plant (Sturgeon Road, RM of Rosser)
Our Origins, Genstar Corporation.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 October 2026
