- Story by Tess van Straaten

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on

Derrick Paas and Eric Gummer are the first to admit that they害羞草研究所檙e unlikely entrepreneurs.

害羞草研究所淲e weren害羞草研究所檛 business guys,害羞草研究所� says Gummer, co-owner of Saanichton-based Thomas Philips Woodworking. 害羞草研究所淲e didn害羞草研究所檛 go to school for that so it was definitely the biggest learning curve.害羞草研究所�

And yet, the skilled tradesmen have managed to build a successful custom cabinetry and millwork company that害羞草研究所檚 grown from just the two of them to 11 people in five years, and won several CARE Awards for craftsmanship along the way.

害羞草研究所淟et害羞草研究所檚 launch a business in a recession,害羞草研究所� jokes 44-year-old Paas. 害羞草研究所淚t sounds crazy but we both had lots of contacts in the industry so I think it was an easy transition for us.害羞草研究所�

But it wasn害羞草研究所檛 without its challenges. Both men were unemployed when they decided to start the business back in the spring of 2012 and they worked out of their garages to keep costs down.

害羞草研究所淲e started with really small jobs and we used Eric害羞草研究所檚 garage for cutting all the pieces apart. Then we assembled them in my garage and rented another space to spray them,害羞草研究所� Paas explains.

害羞草研究所淚t was quite the ordeal and not at all practical,害羞草研究所� adds 32-year-old Gummer, laughing at the memory. 害羞草研究所淏ut it got us started and we started to get busier, so it gave us the confidence to take the plunge.害羞草研究所�

Without any major contracts lined up, the pair signed a three-year lease. It was a big risk but Paas and Gummer are passionate about their craft and they knew they could make it work.

害羞草研究所淥ur first three months of rent were free so we had those months to find work and that gave us a cushion,害羞草研究所� explains Gummer. 害羞草研究所淚 was living in a $600 basement suite and didn害羞草研究所檛 have a mortgage and kids like Derrick does, so the risk and stress for him was probably a lot higher than it was for me.害羞草研究所�

But the gamble paid off and they landed their first big job as Thomas Philips Woodworking, which is derived from their middle names, in about three weeks. That first job even won them their first CARE Award 害羞草研究所� a foreshadowing of the success to come 害羞草研究所� and they haven害羞草研究所檛 looked back.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 still a little shocked at how successful we害羞草研究所檝e been,害羞草研究所� says Gummer. 害羞草研究所淏ut we害羞草研究所檙e not complacent 害羞草研究所� every time we get a job we want to do the best we can.害羞草研究所�

They also attribute a lot of their success to Gummer害羞草研究所檚 dad, Gordon. The retired Victoria Police officer helps with the books and has been an integral part of the business behind the scenes, especially when it comes to office management and leadership advice.

害羞草研究所淕ordon has been so great and he keeps us organized and in line so we can do the work and get the clients,害羞草研究所� says Paas. 害羞草研究所淲e tried to double his wage, but double of nothing is still zero so we finally got him to take a trip to Hawaii.害羞草研究所�

But the 害羞草研究所渧olunteer dad害羞草研究所� says he害羞草研究所檚 just happy to help. He credits the passion and hard work of his son and Paas, who still put in long days and work through weekends, with the business害羞草研究所檚 success.

害羞草研究所淚 think they have done remarkably well and they害羞草研究所檝e succeeded because they have such a good reputation within the Greater Victoria community,害羞草研究所� Gordon Gummer says. 害羞草研究所淭hey are both so passionate about their work and they bend over backwards to help their clients.害羞草研究所�

As the company害羞草研究所檚 grown, the duo has also put a lot of time and resources into employees 害羞草研究所� something that害羞草研究所檚 especially important in an industry plagued by a shortage of skilled labour.

害羞草研究所淕etting good, skilled staff that fit within our company is definitely the biggest challenge,害羞草研究所� says Paas. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e put a lot of effort and money into our employees, including a full benefits package, and we picked the top (tier) because that害羞草研究所檚 what they wanted. We have such good employees and that makes all the difference.害羞草研究所�

It害羞草研究所檚 one of the reasons Paas and Gummer take such pride in their employees害羞草研究所� success. For them, one of the most rewarding things about being business owners is watching their staff succeed.

害羞草研究所淎 few years ago our apprentice, who was just out of high school, won a CARE Award and I think we were more proud of that than the projects we won for,害羞草研究所� says Gummer. 害羞草研究所淎nd one of our guys just got into the housing market, so it害羞草研究所檚 nice to know he could afford to buy a house.害羞草研究所�

And even though business is booming, they don害羞草研究所檛 plan to let the company get too big, as doing so would mean giving up some of the customer care and quality control.

害羞草研究所淚 think what害羞草研究所檚 made us successful so far is our customer service and attention to detail,害羞草研究所� Gummer says. 害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 want to lose that. Word of mouth is massively important in Victoria.害羞草研究所�