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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Why work for the man when you can be your own boss? That's what East Coast brothers Gary and Philip Rogers of GAP Electric thought when they were forming their company in 1998.

It all started with a push from their family.

Gary Rogers, left, and Philip Rogers, owners of GAP Electric in the Kam Lake Industrial Park, stand in front of their office, acquired in 2003. The business celebrated 10 years of service earlier this year. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

"This was not part of the design," said Gary, who grew up with Philip and eight other siblings on a mixed farm in Antigonish, N.S., raising sheep, pigs, chicken and dairy cattle.

It was "not the most lucrative business," said Gary.

One sibling after another, the Rogers flocked to Yellowknife, starting with sister Darlene, who started work as a nurse at Stanton Territorial Hospital in the late 1970s.

Darlene was followed by another sister in the early 1980s.

"In 1984, I graduated from high school," said Gary. "I was working on the farm. My sisters thought that was less-than-productive. They recommended coming up here because there was an abundance of work, thought it would be a better environment for me."

Gary learned to be an electrician at Ryfan Electric, working there for 10 years.

Brother Philip followed in Gary's footsteps, also taking a job at Ryfan, until the brothers formed their own company.

"It was time to move on somewhere," said Gary.

According to Philip, the first year as a little rough but it didn't take long before the business took off, positioned nicely between the end of one mining era and the start of another for Yellowknife.

"There was some opportunity there," said Philip.

"The gold mines were starting to slow down. And then the diamonds were just starting to take off, which was very good. Things moved along very quickly. We just had to get our name out there and build a customer base."

The business - which mostly handles small renovations and maintenance work for the federal government - started with just Gary and Philip but now employs eight people including their brother Mike and one nephew.

The Rogers brothers acquired their office in the Kam Lake Industrial Park in 2003, something Gary is particularly proud of.

"Since then we've done two additions to it and now we're working on a third," said Gary.

GAP is building a caretaker's home up the hill from the Kam Lake office for Philip to live in and watch over the property, which has been vandalized in the past.

"He won't have to go out in -40 weather," cracked Gary.

As for Philip, he's proudest of the company's contributions to the second phase of the Yk Multiplex in 2004.

"We went in at cost to do a portion of the work," said Philip.