At 19, Eric got his first full renovation job converting an old ice cream shop into a dry cleaner. He was largely unfamiliar with renovation work at the time. The business owner knew about Eric’s lack of experience but believed in his problem-solving skills enough to trust him to do the job well. With determination and a few new tools, Eric completed the project and found he really enjoyed the work, including the skills it taught him in electrical wiring, demolition, ceiling and flooring installs, and framing.

Eventually, Eric was hired by a homeowner to build a log cabin around Sherbrooke, Quebec. Over the 6 months of work, Eric absorbed all of the information he could from the onsite general contractor, who believed in Eric and instilled a sense of confidence that serves Eric to this day. He had the opportunity to do a lot of work he’d never done before, like framing, installing a metal roof, creating tricky dormer windows, and even sanding down the logs for that picture-perfect finish. Again, Eric was so pleased to gain all of these new skills from encouraging and experienced professionals.