- Story by Tess van Straaten

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on

Derrick Paas and Eric Gummer are the first to admit that they鈥檙e unlikely entrepreneurs.

鈥淲e weren鈥檛 business guys,鈥� says Gummer, co-owner of Saanichton-based Thomas Philips Woodworking. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 go to school for that so it was definitely the biggest learning curve.鈥�

And yet, the skilled tradesmen have managed to build a successful custom cabinetry and millwork company that鈥檚 grown from just the two of them to 11 people in five years, and won several CARE Awards for craftsmanship along the way.

鈥淟et鈥檚 launch a business in a recession,鈥� jokes 44-year-old Paas. 鈥淚t sounds crazy but we both had lots of contacts in the industry so I think it was an easy transition for us.鈥�

But it wasn鈥檛 without its challenges. Both men were unemployed when they decided to start the business back in the spring of 2012 and they worked out of their garages to keep costs down.

鈥淲e started with really small jobs and we used Eric鈥檚 garage for cutting all the pieces apart. Then we assembled them in my garage and rented another space to spray them,鈥� Paas explains.

鈥淚t was quite the ordeal and not at all practical,鈥� adds 32-year-old Gummer, laughing at the memory. 鈥淏ut it got us started and we started to get busier, so it gave us the confidence to take the plunge.鈥�

Without any major contracts lined up, the pair signed a three-year lease. It was a big risk but Paas and Gummer are passionate about their craft and they knew they could make it work.

鈥淥ur first three months of rent were free so we had those months to find work and that gave us a cushion,鈥� explains Gummer. 鈥淚 was living in a $600 basement suite and didn鈥檛 have a mortgage and kids like Derrick does, so the risk and stress for him was probably a lot higher than it was for me.鈥�

But the gamble paid off and they landed their first big job as Thomas Philips Woodworking, which is derived from their middle names, in about three weeks. That first job even won them their first CARE Award 鈥� a foreshadowing of the success to come 鈥� and they haven鈥檛 looked back.

鈥淚鈥檓 still a little shocked at how successful we鈥檝e been,鈥� says Gummer. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e not complacent 鈥� every time we get a job we want to do the best we can.鈥�

They also attribute a lot of their success to Gummer鈥檚 dad, Gordon. The retired Victoria Police officer helps with the books and has been an integral part of the business behind the scenes, especially when it comes to office management and leadership advice.

鈥淕ordon has been so great and he keeps us organized and in line so we can do the work and get the clients,鈥� says Paas. 鈥淲e tried to double his wage, but double of nothing is still zero so we finally got him to take a trip to Hawaii.鈥�

But the 鈥渧olunteer dad鈥� says he鈥檚 just happy to help. He credits the passion and hard work of his son and Paas, who still put in long days and work through weekends, with the business鈥檚 success.

鈥淚 think they have done remarkably well and they鈥檝e succeeded because they have such a good reputation within the Greater Victoria community,鈥� Gordon Gummer says. 鈥淭hey are both so passionate about their work and they bend over backwards to help their clients.鈥�

As the company鈥檚 grown, the duo has also put a lot of time and resources into employees 鈥� something that鈥檚 especially important in an industry plagued by a shortage of skilled labour.

鈥淕etting good, skilled staff that fit within our company is definitely the biggest challenge,鈥� says Paas. 鈥淲e鈥檝e put a lot of effort and money into our employees, including a full benefits package, and we picked the top (tier) because that鈥檚 what they wanted. We have such good employees and that makes all the difference.鈥�

It鈥檚 one of the reasons Paas and Gummer take such pride in their employees鈥� success. For them, one of the most rewarding things about being business owners is watching their staff succeed.

鈥淎 few years ago our apprentice, who was just out of high school, won a CARE Award and I think we were more proud of that than the projects we won for,鈥� says Gummer. 鈥淎nd one of our guys just got into the housing market, so it鈥檚 nice to know he could afford to buy a house.鈥�

And even though business is booming, they don鈥檛 plan to let the company get too big, as doing so would mean giving up some of the customer care and quality control.

鈥淚 think what鈥檚 made us successful so far is our customer service and attention to detail,鈥� Gummer says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to lose that. Word of mouth is massively important in Victoria.鈥�