By / Natalie Bruckner
Having a good sense of humour is perhaps one of the lesser publicized keys to success. In fact, a study by Robert Half International found that 84 percent of people feel that those with a good sense of humour do a better job. If that’s the case, it’s no wonder Jason Blake, president of TQ Insulators in BC, and his team are so successful.
Blake approaches everything with such a positive outlook, no matter what situation he finds himself in. “I remember doing some terrible jobs,” laughs Blake. “On one job, we were working underneath an Atco trailer that really should have been four feet higher off the ground than it was. It was the middle of winter and about -38 degrees C. We were in a crawlspace barely large enough to contain the duct we had to work on, it was pitch black, the ground was made up of large river rock, the tape wouldn’t stick, an area that… lets just say… I wouldn’t fit under there these days. But, despite that, we had fun. We always had fun when we were working.”
Blake never aspired to run an open shop commercial mechanical insulation firm. In fact, while insulation was always part of his life, having a father who was a journeyman for 35 years, his own passion began in a very different field.
“My father always pushed me to do things I love, and at 19 years old that passion was music, radio, and live concerts,” he says. “This led to a position with the CBC3 as a reporter and content creator for justconcert.com.” When in 2003 the federal government cut funding for the CBC, Blake went back to Prince George to pick up his car because of a new job he had been offered that required a vehicle.
“I remember sitting on the back porch with my mom and dad that day,” he recalls. “We talked about the business and how my father could use the hand. It was a gorgeous summer day, the BBQ was smoking, the beer was frosty cold. I was there to pick up a my car but ended up with his truck. I went back to Vancouver, grabbed all my stuff, and headed back to Prince George. And the rest is history.”
While the company was originally based out of Northern BC, Blake eventually grew the business to include Vancouver Island, where he now lives with his wife Paula and one-and-a-half-year-old son Benjamin.
“Our success stems from our wicked team of core guys,” he says. “It’s them that really drive the company. They don’t work for me, rather I work for them.” It’s this attribute of listening to his employees, treating them as he would want to be treated (a trait which says he inherited from his father), that has resulted in a very low turnover at TQ Insulators. “My father is a good man, best of the best,” he says. “It would be tough to find someone who would have a bad thing to say about him. I just try to do what I think he would do.”
Blake adds that hiring good people with a good attitude is essential, and that he gets a lot of calls saying how awesome his team are. “We can teach anyone how to insulate, but we can’t teach you how to be a good person.”
As for projects that showcase TQ Insulators’ skills, there are many. But one that stands out to Blake is Aurora Laboratories Building Cannabis Innovation Centre in Comox. “Marijuana grow-ops are great for insulators,” Blake says. “Every building has a purpose. Some are for learning, some are for living. Grow ops are purposely built to basically house a mechanical system, and in those systems efficiency is imperative. It’s a place where a pristine insulation systems really shine.”
While Blake is extremely passionate about the industry and his business, he believes his positive outlook also comes from understanding the value of family. In his spare time he likes to be with his “two favourite people”—his wife and son—and ensures he goes for at least two walks with them every day, rain or shine, although, he does admit that work isn’t too far away from his mind.
“I’ve been doing this for so long now it’s hard to not think about insulation all the time,” he says. “He recounted watching Die Hard the other night with his wife. “There was a big shootout in a mechanical room type setting, and I turned to my wife and said, ‛Did you see that? Pause it. Rewind it. See that right there? That’s a solid insulation job, right there. Check out that valve cover! Nice.’”
Blake is always on the lookout for more good people who also happen to be qualified insulators to join the family. Afterall, it’s a great place to work. ▪
