Talking Apes

Did you know that the builder for your home, probably got PAID anywhere from $10 to $10,000 PER HOME, just to SELECT the products that go in (furnace, faucets, tiles, flooring etc.)? Vresh didn't know until he got into the industry. He feels strongly about them - maybe a little too strongly. If you didn't know now you know...

I'm sure we've all heard the buzzword "Passive House", or "Passive Construction". How many of us truly understand the tenets of PAssive construction, its benefits, and costs? Frank Crawford and Kim Walton of Passive House Alberta (PHAb) gave us the lowdown.

Ever wondered why certain neighbourhoods look the way they do? Ever got push back on developing somethingin on your own property because of by-laws? This week we chat with Ali McMillan, Comunity Engagement Director for a neighbourhood in the city of Calgary. She fights the good fight to ensure that neighbourhoods aren't bastardized by profit hungry developers, and vision-less homebuilders.

Ali also talks about her pet project - the Flyover park: a ground breaking initiative where she collaborated with the community, private sector and government to turn the gateway in the Bridgeland neighborhood from a scrubby waste to a beautiful park!

We conferenced in Chris Rupp, a Distribution executive with over 20 years in the Plumbing & Heating Industry. Chris brought great insight to our conversation including his thoughts on 'Made in Canada', the conglomerization of distributors, and more!

Being unemployed gave the Apes some time to contract the hiring practices that are common across the corporate side of the industry vis-a-vis being on the tools in the construction industry. We also took the time to review the education models of trades/apprenticeship vs. college/university. Bit longer than our usual rants, but packed with some great insight!

Most family businesses stay small, and get passed on from generation to generation with marginal growth. Not these guys. John and Eric WIehler sit down with us to tell their philosophy of being "Yes Men" in a world of critics, naysayers and obstacles. Their zany strategies helped grow their 4-man plumbing outfit into a 50 person Mechanical behemoth that had designers, international employees, and even a Harvard MBA! Hear John's vision, and Eric's focus on being the best in the biz, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES.

The recent tariffs imposed on Canadian Aluminum caused us to stop, and scratch our heads. American producers claim that Canada has been dumping in their markets, and The Donald has reacted in the one way he knows best. Jeff gets into what the fall out might look like.

From his start as a plumber and gasfitter to being a construction manager at one of the most reputed Spec-Engineering firms in Canada, Aaron Chute has stepped into a new role: Creating an online platform where manufacturers, contractors, developers and specifiers can communicate to stay as up to date with the latest energy saving technology as possible. As the Founder of Energy Visionary, Aaron gives us a look into why Made in Local is important, what he sees as tomorrow's landscape, and more...

When was the last time you visited a trade show that was actually engaging, and you spent the day learning, instead of catching up with the cronies? Probably never, is our guess. We feel that way too, and are sick and tired of predictable, yawn-worthy expos. Let's chat...

Downtown condo towers are often built to a minimum spec, creating residences that have countdown to becoming decrepit, derelict buildings over a decade or two. Vresh and Jeff ask questions as to why developers don't invest in high build-quality to ensure a more efficient and longer lasting asset.