Driven By Professionals: Interview with @bigdogconstruction (aka. Aron Jones)

As a family owned Canadian company that began in 1929, we know that construction professionals need products and service they can count on.  Our slogan “Driven By Professionals” is the driving force behind all the products and services we offer. As part of a new initiative, we wanted to highlight some professionals in our industry who are doing some pretty incredible things. Each month we will be featuring two individuals in our industry to learn a little bit more about them and the type of work they specialize in.

Aron Jones (aka. @bigdogconstruction.gm) is a Red Seal Carpenter based out of Grand Manan, NB. Having worked in every level of construction from industrial to commercial and residential, Aron is extremely experienced and is a huge advocate for sharing his knowledge with apprentices. In this short interview he talks about the joys of the job, and the importance of helping younger generations to continue to support the growth of the trades.

Here are 8 questions with @bigdogconstruction.gm:

1. Who are you? 

Aron Jones, Red Seal Carpenter. I grew up in Manitoba, Canada. Home is now Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, Canada. My business partner and I run Big Dog Construction together; I supervise and work with our small crew of apprentices every day while she looks after a lot of other tasks it takes to run the business. I have worked in every level of construction from industrial jobs to commercial and residential. I enjoy the simple life of where we live and work now, and really enjoy teaching the apprentices every day at work.

2. What’s your specialty?

I am not sure I have mastered any one specialty in carpentry, I dabble in every part of it from concrete forming, to building cabinets and milling specialty moldings. But I enjoy framing and trim work the most and feel I excel in those areas because I enjoy it.

3. How did you get into the trade?

I always enjoyed carpentry growing up, just didn’t see it as a career path or something I would do full time, I saw it as a hobby. My first career was in the military and later in that career I was a Construction Tech, which is a carpenter in the military. When I left the military, I saw the trade differently and sought out my Red Seal Certification.

4. What’s your favourite part about work?

The best part is seeing the results of your work every day. Sometimes those results are what you have built and sometimes it seeing an apprentice advance in their skill level.

5. What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the workplace?

Hiring skilled people. It is part of the reason I am such a big advocate for training apprentices and helping the next generation learn our skills in this trade.

6. What project/job(s) are you the most proud of?

It is so hard to choose! Every job I have been a part of in some way was important to my growth as a carpenter. Some of the more recent jobs though have been building the Grand Manan Nursing Home (2013). It was a commercial job where I was framing the building and then installing windows and exterior finishes. We were there for the entire year and it is the reason we moved to Grand Manan. Another commercial job I was contracted to frame included setting 104 ft long trusses on a commercial warehouse. We also recently completed a new house on White Head Island, another small island off of Grand Manan. I think I am proud of that job because of all the challenges that were presented to us over the course of the build (which was almost 3 years from planning to completion). It is an interesting house with some very detailed layouts and finishes. Lastly, my partner and I designed and built an entry with a large shelf unit and other shelving for a client who has a huge Christmas Village collection that she wanted to display. There was a lot of design and planning that went into the shelving and having it work for the houses and getting the electrical plugs where they needed to be. But it turned out amazing and the client was super happy with it.

7. What advice would you give to someone getting into the trade?

– Always show up early and ready to work.

– Take the extra hours.

– Ask questions and seek knowledge.

– If your employer is not helping you in your education and skills development, don’t give up! The opportunity to learn is every where, learn on your own while you seek out a better employer.

8. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I hang out with my Newfounland dogs, Jack and Cinder. I enjoy shooting sporting clays such as skeet and trap a couple of times a week at the local shooting range. I try to spend a couple of hours a week in the shop doing all sorts of woodworking projects.

9. BONUS! Favourite Bissett Product?

The Coil Framer is my favourite so far!

You can find Aron on Instagram @bigdogconstruction.gm or by clicking the link below:

https://www.instagram.com/bigdogconstruction.gm/

Do you know someone who should be featured next in our series? Let us know!

Check out our other interviews by clicking the links below:

• Interview with Thibault Nivarro
• Interview with Byron Schmidt