About Us

People often ask why we call it “Squirrel” construction. I usually respond with “because our prices are nuts!” ..and its good for a laugh. But, if you want to hear the whole story, Ill explain below, as well as how we’ve matured into a thriving business.

Education

Woodworking had always been an interest of mine. Receiving several high school awards for Industrial Arts and Mathematics the pairing made a logical decision to enroll in the Faculty of Engineering for my university studies. After the introductory year, I was employed by a large construction firm with my first job in the industry. Fascinated with the hands on experience I opted to explore Science and Management courses while continuing to pursue construction jobs in the summers. Ultimately receiving my Bachelor of Science majoring in Chemistry.

Skill Development

Over the course of my education hockey remained my main priority. Participating on college and university teams from Red deer, AB to Toronto, ON. Each summer I would return home to Winnipeg seeking employment in the construction industry. Every year brought new skill development including detailed painting and signage to building concrete forms and framing complete houses. After seeing a broad spectrum of the industry it was clear to me that my passion was woodworking.

Poker Boom

Before completing my degree there was a huge boom in poker popularity. A friend suggested we build a table. It turned out really nice so I donated a second to a close friend’s wedding social. Someone attending requested another and an entrepreneur was born. I started advertizing them on Kijiji and the next thing I knew I was using a printing company to produce the cloths and manufacturing them for Winnipeg’s Major sports teams. Their players autographed them in order to be auctioned off at their fundraisers. The Winnipeg Firefighters raised almost $20,000 with theirs. I was lucky to make a little bit of money building them as I certainly didnt make any by playing on them!

Poker Table gallery

The Next Step

Other tables were produced for local high schools, bomber alumni, Football Manitoba, Dental offices and many families across Winnipeg. It was a good run, but the poker craze began to fizzle out. In the mean time I gained some new skills by building decks and fences with one of my summer employers. Once again, the entrepreneur in me decided to put an ad on Kijiji offering my new abilities/services and just like before the emails came rolling in. Unlike the poker craze, every year more people would call. After a few years I was no longer to keep up with demand on my own and every so often I would ask friends for help out when they were available.

Expansion

Throughout university I continued a friendship with a group of engineering students. We all came from different high schools, and had our own previous groups of friends, but it wasn’t long until we all got to know each other and our network grew. These in fact are the original “Squirrels”. The name dates back to before I had met them.. but was always the name chosen for our rec hockey team in the winter and slo-pitch team in the summer.. as well as just a general term for the group of friends it encompassed. As demand for my services grew, several of them took turns helping out with projects, and collectively we became “Squirrel” Construction!

Current Staff

We’ve all since graduated from University and have moved on to our respective careers. Our team is still led by myself, but now employees are selected from Red River College’s Construction Co-op Program. We chose only the most respectful, dedicated, conscientious students who value and produce the highest standards that we have striven for since the beginning.

Our Commitment to Excellence

I have always taken pride in the work we produce. It was never just building poker tables or decks and fences. It has always been about building a reputation for quality craftsmanship and attention to detail. After all these years, we have it down to a science, and we haven’t lost sight of our goals. We are still dedicated to offering exceptional quality and extraordinary customer service while maintaining competitive prices.