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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
At the beginning of this new year, Brandon Freund also launched a new business in Fort Smith.

At the beginning of the year, Brandon Freund of Fort Smith launched his own business, Hayze Electric. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The home-based business is Hayze Electric – Hayze being the first name of his three-year-old son.

Freund said it is exciting to start his own business.

"It's kind of intimidating, too, because it's all so new, especially when it comes to the paperwork and the taxes and all that stuff. That's all very new to me," he said. "It is intimidating, but all that stuff I'll learn as I go. I'm confident in myself, so I'm sure I'll do well."

Freund admitted it's even a little scary to start a business, as opposed to working for someone else.

"You don't have that guaranteed paycheque every two weeks," he said, adding that made him a little reluctant at first. "But it's a risk you've got to take, so I decided to give it a shot."

Freund has had his Red Seal journeyman ticket as an electrician for a year.

For the first three years of his apprenticeship, he studied at Aurora College in Fort Smith. For the fourth year, he went to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton because the fourth year of the apprenticeship in his trade is not offered in Fort Smith.

During his entire apprenticeship and for a year afterwards, he worked for Fort Smith Construction until branching out on his own.

"It's a good place to work, but I decided it was time for a change and time for a new challenge," he said. "So I thought I'd try going on my own. I've always been kind of interested in the business side of it."

Freund said at Fort Smith Construction he did all kinds of work during his apprenticeship, including maintenance and new construction on residential and commercial properties, and became well-rounded in his trade.

"Leaving Fort Smith Construction was tough, because they were good to me right from the start," he said. "It was a really good place to work and I enjoyed working there."

The new business owner/operator has been busy in the several weeks he has been working for himself.

"I haven't had any problem finding work," he said.

That involves a little bit of everything, from wiring houses to troubleshooting an electrical problem to working on electric motors.

There are many areas of work when it comes to electricity, Freund explained. "It's always different and unpredictable."

The 28-year-old enjoys the challenge of working on something new every day. "I just find it really interesting. I just like working with my hands."

Before he started training to become an electrician at 23, he was working as a gravel truck driver.

"I just didn't find it challenging enough," he said. "It got boring really quick. It was actually making me lazy. I decided it was time for a change, so I wanted to try out a trade."

Freund said the messages to young people from government and industry that more trades people are needed in the NWT had an effect on his decision.

"I think that had a lot to do with it," he said. "That's what got me into it."

Plus, he noted there was word of mouth in the community that more trades people are needed.

However, he said things seem to be getting better in the last few years, noting there are now a number of electrical businesses in town and they all seem to be really busy.

Freund said another factor in his becoming an electrician is it allows him to live and work in Fort Smith, and raise his two young children in the community.

"That's one thing I enjoy about my trade, as well," he said, although he noted he can live anywhere as a journeyman electrician.

"Electricians are needed everywhere. Even if I wanted to go out of the country and go somewhere else, electricity is the same everywhere."

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