By Charlene Boyce D an Monk’s vision sounds simple. Founding his company in 2009, he has built Monk Renovations from the ground up, one job and one relationship at a time. Talking to him, you quickly learn that “relationships” are one of the four keywords that sum up Dan’s work philosophy. Professionalism, trust, relationships and passion are the ingredients of Monk Renovations’ success recipe. HISTORY Dan Monk grew up in East Ship Harbour, a tiny fishing village on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, the child of a heavy equipment operator and a stay-at-home Mom. Dan got his first taste of construction helping his father build the family home, and got his first paying job in construction when he was 15--pouring concrete foundation by hand. He literally learned construction and building hands-on. When he went to Saint Francis Xavier University and later Dalhousie (TUNS) to become a civil engineer, he knew his life was going to be tied to building. He also knew he wanted to do it right. He tells a funny story about becoming a civil engineer. “Everyone seemed to know one thing about civil engineers: they build bridges. I’d argue that we learn so much more -- roads, buildings, dams, railways and more – but still, everyone says, ‘so you build bridges?’ Of course, my first job after I get my degree, what am I doing? Building bridges.” That first job was with Atlantic Industries, which he describes as a “great place to work and learn.” Atlantic cultivat- ed the leadership qualities their young engineer showed, putting him in charge of their Alberta operations, where he led projects in bridges and culvert construction for transportation, mining and forestry industries. When Dan eventually began to get the itch to learn more, he moved into environmental remediation projects, moving back to Nova Scotia to work with Dexter Construction, where he stayed for eight years. Dan describes his experience with Dexter as “learning business and construction in a fast-paced and exciting environment.”
His next move is the most straightforward of entrepreneurship stories: “I decided I was ready. So I put in my notice and I did it.”
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS • APRIL 2016
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