“The Kootenays isn’t a very big place,” he says. “It’s one of those places where reputation is everything. So, we really try to uphold a great reputation in the community, and I think we do a good job of that. I think we’re known for delivering high quality and good value on the work we perform.” According to Jeff, that quality – as well as that value – is a credit to the company’s team of employees. Currently, that team is about 25 strong. Jeff says they have selected those people very carefully. “The people we try to attract are people who really care about the work and who care about doing a good job,” he explains. “Our point of view is we can build up someone’s skills, but we can’t make them care more. Some words that really strike home for us are ‘initiative, hustle, likability, diplomacy, and reliability.’ We like to find people who tick those boxes, and then we develop them as employees.” Jeff adds that he and Matt have high standards for their employees, but he emphasises that they hold themselves to those high standards as well. “We’re here every day,” he says. “I don’t think that goes unnoticed by the crew. If they have an issue or a question, they know they can come right to the top. They can talk to the people that are paying their wages. I think that goes a long way. And I think they’re very cognizant of the fact that we’re not going to ask them to do anything that we wouldn’t be willing to do ourselves. It’s not abnormal for Matt or me to be out on site and in the ditch when needed. That obviously can’t happen all day every day, but when something JULY 2025
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