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shop of carpentry subcontrac-
tors, and he and his team land-
ed a contract for an “extremely
high-end home,” one that was
“way beyond the calibre of what
we were used to.”
“I fancied myself the best thing
since sliced bread in the con-
struction industry,” Joe recalls.
“I thought I was one of the very
best, and then I was handed
this piece of work that made me
humble myself.”
Joe was already an experienced
builder, but through that con-
tract he experienced a “whole
new world” of construction. He
learned that high-end architec-
turally-driven homes were like
“really large math equations,”
where every element of the
build related to every other el-
ement, and where everything
had to be delivered “exactly by
the numbers” or the whole proj-
ect could be compromised.
It was daunting at first, but Joe
and his team embraced the
challenge and enjoyed the ex-
perience. As did the general
contractor, who awarded them
four more contracts in quick
succession, before ultimately
bringing Joe – plus his whole
team – directly on board. Joe
worked five years there as a
project manager, and then two
more years with another com-
pany, bringing his team along
with him every step of the way.
“That was an incredible time,
I really carved out my spot in
the industry,” he says. “After
JULY/AUGUST 2019
“We don’t want
clients walking
away with a sour
taste in their
mouth.”