In 1919, after a decade of gaining experience in both mechanical and electrical engineering, Harry Holborn Angus opened his own practice in Toronto. H.H. Angus and Associates was a pioneering firm in Canada, exclusively offering mechanical and electrical consulting engineering services. At a time when electricity was still rudimentary in use and air conditioning was a rarity, early projects for the small office consisted of industrial plants and hospitals.

The company grew slowly and steadily throughout the first half of the twentieth century and was incorporated as H.H. Angus and Associates Limited in May of 1946. That same year began HH Angus' involvement with the greenfield site soon to be Sunnybrook Hospital. When completed it would have 1600 beds and be the largest healthcare facility in the British Commonwealth. HH Angus continues to work on the Sunnybrook campus today, having provided engineering services for almost 60 years.

During the 1940's and 50's, the company worked on many hospitals, which were amongst the only buildings at the time using steam for heating. The firm's subsequent reputation for excellence in boiler plant work developed from these early roots. The Walton Street Steam Plant, which was originally designed to provide steam to the University Avenue hospitals, was eventually expanded and has become a core asset of the Toronto District Heating Company providing steam to buildings in Toronto's downtown core.

Harry Holborn passed away in 1959 and the company leadership was passed on to his son, Donald L. Angus, who had joined the firm in 1946 after returning from World War II. The company flourished under his leadership.

In 1960, the heart of the Cold War, HH Angus helped develop SAGE, or Semi-Automatic Ground Environment, the firm's first computing centre job. The project was commissioned by NORAD to control its continental missile and radar detection systems in the event of a nuclear attack.

On a more peaceful note, in 1967 HH Angus worked in conjunction with Mies Van der Rohe on his elegant black Toronto-Dominion Centre Tower, one of the earliest skyscrapers in Toronto's downtown core. This set the stage for many more towers, and to date HH Angus has worked on, in different capacities, the majority of office towers in Toronto.

The company moved to its current address overlooking the wooded parkland of the Don Valley in 1967. At this point the company had 60 employees and 7000 square feet of office space. The Vertical Transportation group was established at this time.

In the 1970's the company continued to grow steadily. Clients began asking HH Angus about the increasingly complicated operations of new facilities and, responding to our clients' needs, Angus Consulting Management Limited (ACML) was founded. ACML has grown considerably and its mandate continues to be to provide building management services. It gave rise to the Angus Systems Group (ASGL), which specializes in building maintenance software.

HH Angus offices were established in the United Kingdom (London) in 1972, and the United States (Dallas) in 1985. The Lighting Design Group was formed in 1981, and the Tenant Engineering Group was established in 1984. Another U.S. office, H.H. Angus and Associates Incorporated, opened in Greenville, South Carolina in 1992 to provide process engineering consulting for pharmaceutical clients.

Harry G. Angus assumed the presidency in 1985, replacing his father Donald, and becoming the third-generation Angus as head of the company. Throughout the 1980's and 1990's, HH Angus worked on many prestigious and international developments including: Canada's National Art Gallery, Skydome, Canary Wharf, and projects in The Peoples Republic of China, the Middle East and Africa.

With the latest changes in the construction industry, HH Angus has been significantly involved in the Private Public Partnerships for healthcare projects across Canada. Our prime consulting and fast-tracking skills, essential for P3 projects, have been continuously improved since their development by working in the automotive sector in the 1970's.

Our 80 years of experience have allowed us to witness significant changes in the engineering and building services community. Today, HH Angus and The Angus Group continue to grow. Currently, we have over 400 permanent employees and are continuing to spread into new opportunities and industries.

Our people are a motivated and skilled group of individuals. Our approach can still be summed up by a quote from our past-president Donald Angus:

"There is no magic in doing a good job. It just takes knowledge, determination, good staff, and interesting clients."

It is with this in mind that we face the future with optimism and enthusiasm.