Joe Geluch is the president of Naikoon Contracting Ltd., a construction business based in North Vancouver that specializes in sustainable home building.
He recalls learning an important lesson from his father about proving yourself before asking for help.
Geluch grew up around the construction business his father had started on Haida Gwaii in the 1980s. In his early 20s, with his Red Seal carpentry training under his belt, he decided he wanted to start a business in Vancouver.
“I went to my dad and I said, ‘Dad, I need to borrow $40,000 because I want to start a construction company,’” he said.
“My dad politely told me I knew nothing about business and there was no way he’d lend me any money and forget it.”
Geluch went ahead and started a business on his own.
“I started the business anyway with nothing, not a dime to my name. I started getting jobs and earning money and buying tools and going down the road of making it work with no help from Dad.”
It was only after Geluch had worked hard enough to find success on his own that his father offered to help out. Geluch said the experience taught him the value of hard work and the importance of mentorship.
“It’s not easy working hard to get where you need to get, and from there I found many mentors in business who were happy to take the time to help me out,” he said.
He credits those advisers – three or four people he says were always ready to help him with a question or problem – with steering him toward specialization in the niche market of green home construction. The business now employs 22 staff and has won several green building awards.
“There was one great guy who helped us rethink what we were doing with building, and to be successful you should kind of think a little bit differently than everyone else,” he said. “You’ve got your typical homebuilders and typical homes, and maybe you should think outside the box and use your creativity.”
On hiring for the long term | “The construction industry I think is interesting the way hiring and firing goes. The early days of our business, before we had any office staff, it would literally be hires from driving by a guy who has a tool belt looped over his shoulder. … We’ve always found more challenges finding good people to do the work than finding the work – we have high standards. Those days are long behind us now. We work with a very good HR consultant to help us with all of our policies and processes to help us run a proper business.”
Has a work or life challenge taught you a key career lesson? Contact Jen St. Denis at [email protected]
