DENINU KUE/FORT RESOLUTION - Derek Beaulieu of Fort Resolution describes himself as a jack of all trades.

Through his company, Northern Wrenching, Beaulieu mainly erects fencing.

Derek Beaulieu is a contractor in Fort Resolution. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

However, he said he takes on other various contracts as they become available, such as Bobcat work and snow removal.

"Plus, I look for other work," he said. "I'm not scared of working."

Beaulieu said he always watches for job opportunities and is not shy to ask if someone needs his services.

The 38-year-old, who was born and raised in Fort Resolution, lives on the edge of town with his wife and two children.

Beaulieu never went to school to learn his mechanical skills, but instead learned by doing.

"I've been doing this since I was a little kid building models," he said.

When he was about 13, he started buying old vehicles and dragging them into his mother's backyard.

"I was taking doors and fenders off," he recalled. "That's where I learned it. I was learning as I was going, I'd teach myself."

Among other things, he would switch doors and fenders from one vehicle to another.

Occasionally his mother would get upset about the old trucks in the backyard, he said. "She'd get rid of my vehicles."

Beaulieu said he learned to do anything with machines.

"Whatever you put in front of me I could fix," he said.

Today, Beaulieu continues to work on vehicles as a hobby.

"It's like building models, but full-size models," he said. "It's just like a big hobby."

Currently, Beaulieu has about 120 vehicles in his yard, mostly trucks, plus a few cars, snowmobiles and motorcycles.

The vehicles include a Dodge Charger and a couple of Chevelles - muscle cars from the 1970s.

"They're all going to be worked on," he said.

There are also many other vehicles in his collection - Broncos, Darts, Coronets, Novas, Hummers, Mercedes and BMWs. There is even a 1962 army troop carrier.

"I work on just about every make and model," Beaulieu said.

Working on the old vehicles gives him something to do, he said, adding he doesn't have to go out drinking or smoking.

Beaulieu said, if he ever stopped working on old vehicles, he would not know what to do. "I'd be really bored."