VIDEO: Interviews with contractors at the RONA Show, Vancouver

There is nothing better for me as a publisher than to get face-to-face with my readers. With the miracle of digital media I can let you in on some of those encounters. Here are two conversations I had with contractors during the recent RONA Contractor show at the Pacific National Exibition grounds in Vancouver.

Jon Sheppard, my first interview, is the owner of Medina Construction, Vancouver. We talked about how installed sales (for RONA) is now 80 per cent of Jon’s business – including a lot of kitchen and bath installations. “It’s a continuous source of referrals, lots of customers,” Jon says. “I give up a little bit of money, yes, but I don’t have to generate all those leads, do a lot of advertising, etc.”

Shaun St-Amour, my second interview, is the CEO of Footprint Sustainable Housing. Shaun runs the business with his family members Richard and Steven St-Amour. They have just finished doing what Shaun calls a “test lab” – renovating a “Vancouver Special” (an economical, boxy, no-frills housing style typical of the 1970s) to get as many energy-efficient features into it as possible. “We used spray foam, put in new windows, a new roof, HRV – the whole works,” Shaun says. All in a West Coast Modern style, much nicer than the original. To see more about his project visit www.homesbyfootprint.com.