so that he could oversee and approve the experience of apprentices. The company makes a practice of hiring young carpenters. “When they start, they really can be very green to the construction and renovation industry,” says Dan. “Devel- oping their skills takes commitment from the employer.” “We pay a fair wage and really put a lot into bringing ap- prentices along,” Dan says. “Of course, what often hap- pens is that once they get really good, they move out West to pursue the opportunities there.” He laughs rue- fully. “You kind of have to approach it altruistically. Hope- fully they return.” Dan recently hired a graduate of NSCC’s Engineering and Ar- chitectural Design program, who was brought on first as an intern. “Customers like to see the visual of what something is going to look like - plus he’s learning and developing into a solid estimator and project manager. It was a good hire.” TRUST Dan knows that in today’s world, contractors don’t receive a lot of trust. “Everyone has a horror story. Everyone’s seen Mike Holmes, they know what terrible service looks like.” To show how the company builds trust, Dan refers to customer feedback.
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APRIL 2016 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS
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