By / Natalie Bruckner
Ask Mark Trevors if it was always an ambition of his to work in the world of insulation, and he will burst out laughing, before responding, “Well, here’s a funny story for you…”
It was back in 1982 and Trevors was living in New Brunswick. He had just completed his course at the local community college where he studied to become a structural technologist. “I heard there were lots of jobs in Edmonton, so I told my girlfriend Betty that I was off to Edmonton. She said, ‛Is that a marriage proposal?’ I responded, ‛Well, yes, I guess so!’”
Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, Trevors completed college on a Saturday, the next Saturday he and Betty got married, and on the Monday they had their suitcases packed and flew out to Edmonton. “We were young and foolish, and wanted to try something different,” laughs Trevors.
On arriving in Edmonton, Trevors got his first break in the industry when a person he describes as “a ruff and gruff guy” offered him a job at JK Campbell and Associates. “I will always remember him saying to me, ‛You went to community college, which shows me you are willing to learn, so I’m willing to teach you.’”
Once the door to the insulation world was opened, Trevors never looked back. His passion for the job, the people, and the industry as a whole is infectious, and his experience is incredibly impressive. After working at JK Campbell, he joined Reppsco and then went on to work with Altair Contracting where he stayed for just over 18 years. From there, he joined Kaefer where he worked for eight years before joining BrandSafway as insulation manager in July, 2019.
His love for the industry over those years just kept growing. “It’s the people I love the most,” he says. “I have made so many friends in this industry, friends that live all across Canada. We have so many good natured, honest people in our industry, always willing to help each other out. It’s like a big family.”
During his almost 40 year career in insulation, Trevors has seen the industry evolve and change, and he says that’s what gets him excited about getting up in the morning. “I really enjoy the constant changes you face in our industry, the evolution of safety and bringing that up to where standards should have always been, and coming up with solutions to get the job done efficiently and cost effectively. When I got into construction management and ran jobs, that’s when I really found my niche as you have to think outside the box to complete jobs within tight timelines,” he says.
This passion is part of the reason he joined the Thermal Insulation Association of Alberta (TIAA) and the TIAC’s boards of directors. Well that, and the fact that Jan Halliday and Murray Wedhorn twisted his arm. “I wasn’t even 30 when I started with TIAA, but they were quite convincing,” he laughs.
If you ask Trevors what memory stands out to him the most during his time in the industry, he will tell you there are many. One that comes to mind is when he was working on a job in Fort McMurray back in 2004—a job he stayed on for four years. He was working alongside 300 insulators, 220 of which were first-year apprentices. “Every week, a flight of new insulators would come in, and the crews would work a 20 and 8 shift. It was exciting back then trying to come up with ways of getting the job done,” he says.
His passion is so infectious that his son has followed in his footsteps and now works in the insulation industry . . .which came as a surprise to Trevors, as he always thought it would be his daughter (who is the hands-on type who likes to build things) to be the one to join him in the profession.
Trevors has, without a shadow of a doubt, had a fantastic career in the industry, but he says it wouldn’t have been possible without his wife, who he has been with now for 42 years. “She’s the strong, fun one in our relationship! Everyone at TIAC knows Betty. She’s the first one on the dance floor at events,” he says.
It’s fair to say that marriage proposal all those years ago was one of the best moves Trevors could have made. Betty has been there with him through the highs and the lows, and after he experienced heart issues a few years back, Betty was there to get him back on the road to full health.
These days, when Trevors isn’t working, you are likely to find him, his wife, and their border collie off on their daily 5k hike, looking after their four grandsons, or travelling the world.
“COVID has been tough on us because we love vacations,” he says. “Since 2007, we have spent every February on vacation . . . in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Roatán, Costa Rica, Jamaica. On that vacation, no kids or grandkids are allowed. That’s quality time for my wife and I and our friends.”
With a vacation booked for Cabo for January, Trevors is excited for the future, but, should plans change, you can be sure Trevors will “just roll with the punches and adapt to the changes that come up. “Just like we have always done in our industry,” he says. ▪
