Former Olympic wrestlerDean DeHamel is turninghis young company into anindustry contenderBy Frank O’Brien

Port Coquitlam roofer DeanDeHamel came within a match ofrepresenting Canada at the BeijingOlympics in 2010, and the youngnationally ranked wrestler now hasa solid grip on the local roofingindustry.

As founder and president ofaptly named Olympic Roofing Ltd.,and one of the latest members ofthe Roofing Contractors Associationof BC, DeHamel believes he knowswhat it takes to build a winningcompany: hard work, talentedcrews and the experience and gutsto take on any contract.DeHamel, 34, started Olympic

Roofing in 2001, shortly aftercompleting his RCABCapprenticeship training with

Western Roofing Ltd. of Kamloops.“It all started as a summer job,”

he recalls, with his first roofing jobthe expansion of Thompson RiverUniversity, where he worked onboth flat roofs and metal sheets.Recalls DeHamel: “I remember

walking to school one morning inKamloops with my nice cleanclothes and I saw Western Roofingworking on a warehouse with thetar kettle smoking and the workerson the roof with dust all over them.

I thought to myself, ‘man I wouldnever want to do that job – it’s hotand dusty, glad I’m going to schooltoday’, but only a couple of yearslater that’s right where I ended up,now I look back and just laugh.”DeHamel started Olympic with

an old Ford pickup and Skidootrailer he borrowed from his dad.His first contract was installingshingles for Sears residential andhe then moved onto commercial

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THE VOICE OF PROFESSIONAL ROOFING CONTRACTORS Vol. 8, No. 3 • FALL 2011

FALL 2011I N T H I S I S S U E :

OLYMPIC continued on page 4Fall protection 101First in a series. See page 16

Award-winning ASMNelson Roofing takes ASM work tonew heights. See page 12

Dean DeHamel of Olympic Roofing

Member profile: Olympic Roofing Ltd.

FEATURES:Member profile: Olympic Roofing ..........................1LEED the new normal ............... 8Nelson Roofing wins ASM awards ...............................12Fall protection hierarchies .......16

ASSOCIATION:President’s message .................. 3Steep roofing partnershipbetween RCABC, CITO............... 6Admiral saves boathouse....... 20

INDUSTRY NEWS:New roof walkway system....... 6Roofing Expo booking .............. 6BC’s Commercial outlookbrightens...................................... 9Largest solar roof complete....10Hurricane-proof nail................ 11Steep slope better in high winds..................................11New wood building guide.......11BC Building Code delayed.......11Firestone’s SA TPO andweatherproof vapour barrier membrane.....................14Metro building permits up......15WorkSafeBC gets creative ...... 18Roofing BC coming online .....18BC Housing aids buildingscience programs ......................19China’s Ghost Cities empty .... 21RCI waterproofing seminar ... 21CSC presents free fair ............. 21

COLUMNLegal Affairs: Post-employment restrictions ....... 22

4 FALL 2011 ROOFING BC

and government contracts.Olympic’s first big job was a rockballasted EPDM roof for FederalFisheries in Kamloops.Working from a small

shop/office and metal plant in PortCoquitlam, Olympic runs eightcrews with three to six workers ineach. While his staff are a mix offellow apprentices and old friends,Olympic also recruits foreignworkers, with which it has hadsome startling success. DeHamel’smanager and estimator at OlympicRoofing is Mexico-born ErnestoSandoval who started with thecompany as the low man on thetotem pole. “He surpassedeveryone,” DeHamel said, “even mesometimes.”The downturn in the construction

sector has had an effect onOlympic, but DeHamel saidinstitutional and industrial work haskept his crews busy. Recent jobshave included a new arena in NewWestminster, a mine building in

Tumbler Ridge, a local animalshelter and Firehall 15 heritagebuilding downtown Vancouver.Right now an Olympic crew

is roofing the new $16 millionSamuel Brighouse Elementaryschool in Richmond. The roof isparticularly challenging: thecurved wood platform calls forthree layers of ISO; one layerof Sopra Board, taperedinsulation and highly reflectiveSopraStar from Soprema. Partof the roof is also a greenplanted roof.DeHamel said maintenance

on green roofs can bechallenging. “If you ever haveany leaks they can be costly tofix” and he also expressedconcern about the fireresistance of plants andgrasses on rooftops. “It is ahuge fire hazard, especially in a dryclimate like Kamloops.”DeHamel estimates that 95

percent of Olympics roofs are

commercial and institutional withresidential making up the rest. Hiscompany is now offering afinancing option for homeowners in

a bid to take more work in thecompetitive residential sector.But like the young wrestler

who ranked among the topfive in Canada – he held anational title in 2003 –DeHamel knows how to setand achieve goals.“From my first week at

Olympic Roofing I wanted thecompany to be a member ofthe RCABC,” he said, “it hasalways been my goal.”It took Olympic Roofing

eight years to meet that goal,and DeHamel said there areexcellent advantages tomembership.“We get to work on a range

of high-profile projects and wedeal with clients who want topay for quality productsinstalled by qualified

tradesmen. The main clients includesenior government andmunicipalities,” he said.Olympic also signed on for

RCAIC member insurance, and headds that networking with otherRCABC members has also helpedhis business.Looking forward, DeHamel

believes the BC constructioneconomy is going to remaincompetitive and does not expectany big improvements. His strategyfor success: “Keep the overheaddown, stick to what we know andstay efficient.”Today, DeHamel – married and

with a child on the way – workseight to 12 hours a day, six days aweek and the only vacation he canrecall is the week he took off to getmarried last year.The young CEO is not often

found in the small office he shareswith Sandoval and accountantSheila Morton: often he is leading acrew onto a rooftop or working anestimate on a job site. “You dowhat you have to do,” DeHamelsaid, “and you make sure the job isdone right.” ■

OLYMPIC continued from page 1

Dean DeHamel (red shirt); above, with Ernesto Sandoval. Below, accountant Sheila Morton