CANS Celebrates Black History Month

Get to know Glenn Carvery, Owner, Carvery’s Construction Limited

Carvery’s Construction Limited offers the following services, plumbing, electrical, heating, painting, carpentry, snow plowing, and pavement markings.

Tell us a little bit about how and when you were introduced to the construction industry. When did you know you wanted to build a career in construction?

I was introduced to the trades when I was young but was uncertain which direction I wanted to take. I knew I wanted to work with my hands. Once I finished high school, I worked for one year before applying for the plumbing trade program at the Halifax Vocational School. Then, I went to school and graduated from the plumbing trade, but I had a difficult time finding a job. Once I realized there was no plumbing work available, I decided to accept a job as a painter’s helper at The Nova Scotia Hospital, where I stayed employed for a total of four years.

As I worked in those four years, I realized that wasn’t where I wanted to finish my career, so I started my own business as a painting contractor. Once I was in business for a few years, I changed my company to supply a service that covered all trades — this was the start of Carvery’s Construction Limited.

Who were your mentors?

The mentors in the industry that I looked up to are:

• Larry Gibson – (Install-A-Floor)
• Mike Duck – (Sure Shot Solutions)

What piece of advice would you give Black youths entering a career in construction?

The pieces of advice I would give to black youth are:

• always use the negative as a positive
• never give up on what your dream is or will be
• you can do it — just believe in yourself — don’t stop
• start small and work yourself to the top

What is the best piece of advice you received?

To always keep your head high and always push for the best in everything you do. Things will happen in great ways as you push to the top.

What was your biggest moment of growth in your career?

When I started Carvery’s Construction Limited, which was created to service all areas of the trades that replaced Carvery’s Painting. We now operate another new company, CGR Mechanical Inc. which is a complete mechanical provider.

What is your proudest moment or accomplishment in your career?

The proudest moment in my career was the build of our new headquarters in Burnside, which was completed in June 2021. That was an accomplishment that I’m proud of after thirty-one years of being in business.

What has been your greatest success throughout your career?

Having the opportunity to surround myself with a hard-working team that helped support, grow and expand my companies to the size they are today — covering all trades.

What do you hope to achieve in the next five years?

I hope to take my companies to the next level by increasing revenues by fifty percent. Also, I would expand our customer base to help us grow over the next five years, which includes employing more people to support the growth.

What excites you about the future of construction?

The East Coast is one of the last coasts to be fully developed. Over the next few years, there will be many families moving here and major developers are already investing in Nova Scotia for commercial and residential high rises, which will be a great future for the construction industry.

What does being Black and working in this industry mean to you?

Being a Black business owner working in this industry means a lot as I’m one of the largest Black-owned construction companies in Nova Scotia. We are a well-known contractor with over thirty years in business with many more years and accomplishments to come.