Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 20/02) - Nine years ago Rod McCarthy gambled $100 on Yellowknife. It was all the money he had and he didn't have a credit card to his name.

Now he has a small construction business building unique concrete block houses, and if he can find the lots to build on he's sure he made the right move.

"We're versatile. We have a picker truck and a crane," said McCarthy. After working in the construction business for a few years, McCarthy set out on his own in 1997.

His company, New Age Construction, specializes in concrete work. Last summer McCarthy put up one energy-efficient concrete home and in the winter he takes his work indoors to the company shop.

The unique concrete house is in Ndilo. The special home has an energy R value of 40 and cost about $165,000 to build. The R value measures a home's insulating efficiency, and 40 is considered very good. The home in Ndilo has special composite concrete siding that doesn't expand or contract in the cold -- perfect for Yellowknife weather. McCarthy has a contract to build another one this year.

But the company is building more than just concrete houses. It also put up two five-plexes and some retro-fit porches. The year before, it built 11 houses.

"We're bidding stuff every day," said McCarthy.

Although concrete is the mainstay of New Age's business, it is also the toughest part. "Concrete is its own boss," he said.

That's why McCarthy bought the backhoe and the crane. Building is heavy work and hard on the employees.

"We have everything to make things a little easier for the boys." He also provides work clothing and bonuses. That's how he hangs on to 10 workers in the summer and four in the winter despite Yellowknife's labour shortage.

One of McCarthy's philos-ophies is to hire locally. When he's working in Ndilo he tries to hire from that community. He said training helps him retain his employees longer.

McCarthy builds his tool inventory every year by spending about $5,000 annually. But his biggest expense is labour. He spends about $250,000 per year on wages.

Last year New Age put up a shop where it pre-fabricates buildings. "And I never got one cent from the government since we started," he said.

Finding building lots is a problem faced by the construction company.

"Most of our building lots over the last few years were in Dettah and Ndilo," said McCarthy.

"But in town there is a problem with building lots."

He said lots that are available in Niven Lake are too small and too expensive.