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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
If Yellowknifers have been seeing a lot of Kasteel Konstruction signs about the city lately, there is good reason for that.

Kasteel Konstruction Inc. is currently constructing this Ndilo home for Joanne Tsetta. The Yellowknife-based construction company is building on its brand and expanding. Recently hired project manager Ryan Roy, left, and owner Trevor Kasteel stand beside the construction site while carpenter helper Kevin Gosselin takes a break from working on the roof. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

After three years of actively building the brand, owner Trevor Kasteel is reaping the benefits of solid work, and continuing to expand the Yellowknife-based construction business, despite uncertain economic times.

"If I say I'm going to do something, I do it," said Kasteel, explaining one of the main tenets driving the company's growth. "People are recognizing the name and thinking customer service first."

On the project board inside Kasteel's Kam Lake shop there are 22 jobs the company has on the go across the city. The projects are at different stages and magnitudes—from window installations to full stick-built homes.

The demand for the company's services has grown so much the company was recently forced to seek out a new full-time project manager.

After a brief search for the right person for the job, Ryan Roy jumped ship from the City of Yellowknife, leaving his post as building inspector to join Kasteel last week.

Kasteel is continuing to recruit more apprentices and labourers to join the four-person payroll, including the new project manager, a finishing carpenter, and carpenter helpers.

"Trevor is very thorough and fast with any task asked of him and has a stronger sense of communication than any other contractor I have worked with in the past," stated Jenni Bruce, general manager of the Chateau Nova, in a reference letter struck following extensive renovations recently done to the Franklin Ave. hotel.

Despite the load of clients, Kasteel makes a point of keeping in regular contact during jobs, and his insistence on quality for every project has seen him rip projects apart and then re-do them to his standards.

Learning to be tough to ensure quality work is one of the key lessens Kasteel has learned to keep business coming in the community, he said.

Konge Construction, another Yellowknife construction company, is also doing well and owner Neils Konge cites customer satisfaction as the main factor in his company's success.

"We have not experienced any decline, no recession," Konge said, noting demand for his company's services has not stopped since it was started in 2003. "Those clients, they want us because we have a good reputation for doing quality."

Konge has 20 full-time employees, and is always looking for new apprentices.

"It's important to me to support local youth," he said, promoting the company's apprenticeship program.

Konge has expanded into projects in Iqaluit, and does not rely on government tenders, a sector in construction that is particularly slowing down.

As governments and companies maintain capacity during the broader, ongoing economic downturn, the Northern construction sector is going through a significant transformation, Phil Moon Son, executive director of the NWT and Nunavut Construction Association, said a few weeks ago.

"Within the Northern construction sector, a continuous decline in capital and construction projects poses a huge short-term challenge," he said.

While some companies are leaving the North or downsizing their Northern operations, Yellowknife companies such as Kasteel and Konge are strengthening their focus on customer service and have a bright outlook for 2012.

"This year is going to be really busy," Konge said. "Business is good. We have no complaints."

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