It’s no small feat to be recognized as a business leader in your industry. Being honoured as a Forty under 40 by Business in Vancouver (BIV) on top of that, is even more remarkable. That’s exactly what BCIT alumnus and Red Seal carpenter Kevin Hatch has achieved.
“I was super honoured to receive the award amongst so many amazing business leaders,” says Kevin, President and Founder of Twin Lions Contracting. “I’ve always really tried to drive our company forward, while providing a company culture that makes people love to come to work, and while keeping our community a top priority. It was great to be recognized for that.”
His commitment to community, growth through entrepreneurship, and a strong focus on the skilled trades are why Kevin and his company, Twin Lions Contracting, were recognized on BIV’s prestigious Forty under 40 list.
Turning creativity into a career
His love for building with his hands and the creativity he found within carpentry is a big part of Kevin’s success. He was able to transfer those skills to his company, building custom homes and doing home renovations. It was also important to Kevin to give back to his community.
“We’ve always been a very community focused company…that’s been one of our cornerstones since day one. So, it’s always a huge focus and a huge driving part of why we do what we do,” he says.
In addition to their busy contract work, Kevin and his team make time to take-on pro-bono work in the North Vancouver community, applying their renovation skills to projects that are not only impactful for the non-profit organization, but also meaningful for his staff.
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The importance of education and focus for young trades workers
Kevin says that his BCIT education gave him structure and helped turn a job into a career. “The program provides a cornerstone and general best practices,” Kevin explains. He adds that “it focuses people too… it gives them benchmarks to progress.”
The Carpentry program in BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment, impacted Kevin’s career growth and projection so much so that he has hired several alumni, and also encourages his employees to take the Carpentry program at BCIT.
“It provided a good foundation for us moving forward and also has been a big part of our company growth because we sent so many apprentices through BCIT over the years, and they’ve always come back in a better space than when they left,” Kevin says of the Carpentry program.
Kevin is a strong advocate of the BCIT Carpentry Apprenticeship program and continuously looks for BCIT grads to work with at Twin Lions Contracting.
Opportunities in the skilled trades
As part of his community outreach and motivation for growth, Kevin aims to help youth understand the potential growth that a start in carpentry can lead to.
“This is a viable and pretty awesome career path,” says Kevin, who now focuses on business development. “There’s lots of different opportunities… different branches and different ways you can do things.”
His love for the trade is why Kevin is passionate about sharing his experience and being an advocate for working in the industry. Kevin credits his biggest motivation to “creating a scenario for the people who work with me to thrive and to grow.”
Learn more about BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment and the BCIT Carpentry program.
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