With roots reaching back to the 1920’s, Greyback Construction and the Kenyon family have been fixtures in the Okanagan’s construction industry for almost a century. We sat down with Greyback Construction’s General Manager, Matt Kenyon, to find out more about the company’s continued commitment to developing the next generation of skilled workers.
Matt’s ideals related to his business and the construction industry include a strong desire to help grow and develop a new skilled workforce. This is evidenced by the company’s willingness to have upwards of 20 apprentice carpenters employed at any given time.
“We need to get people excited about the trades sector again,” shared Matt. “Having a trade provides you with essential skills that are always something you can come back to. I think a lot more people would enjoy the trades if they were introduced to it in the right way.”
Over the past few years Greyback has collaborated with the local training providers and the Penticton Indian Band to offer hands on training for workers interested in a career in construction. In many cases they have coordinated with training providers to align work experience with an entire construction process –allowing participants to get exposure to an entire build, working from the foundation stage all the way up to the roof.
Greyback’s commitment to local training programs, which typically sees them retain a few workers each cycle, as well as a desire to see the construction industry thrive as a whole are two of the main reasons that they are here for good.
During our discussion Matt also stressed Greyback’s commitment to employee promotion as a reason his company has experienced success in retaining employees in a traditionally high-turnover environment.
“As a company we are focused on opening up opportunities for our employees to show how they can move up whenever possible,” explained Matt. “We don’t want anyone to leave because they didn’t get an opportunity to move up within the company.”
In addition to their commitment to training and internal promotion, Greyback’s industry recognition as a top-tier company is evident by their continued accumulation of Thompson Okanagan Kootenay Commercial Building Awards. Most recently, the company earned a Multi-Family Development Award of Merit for the BeechWood Townhouse Development.
For more information on Greyback Construction, please visit www.greyback.com
