The Young Veteran of Fraser Valley

Teenagers tend to steer a few particular ways come high-school graduation time, with the widest roads leading to either employment, postsecondary education, or some combination of the two. Erik Lacey, however, saw a slightly different path for himself: a path that started—and ended—with him as the boss of his own construction company.

Lacey’s father, a builder of tilt-up warehouses, offered cautious encouragement. “He was positive, but kind of thought I was crazy,” Lacey says, laughing. “I had to explain to him what I was thinking, and how I didn’t really know what I had to lose.”

That was 13 years ago. Today, Lacey Construction thrives as a home builder in the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia. With roughly 18 high-quality projects completed annually and Lacey’s amiable, trustworthy reputation, the company’s against-the-odds success is unmistakable.

Lacey returns the favour by using local suppliers and trades, donating labour for community parks and buildings, and giving back to the Fraser Valley community as best he can.

Some of Lacey Construction’s most prolific work can now be found among the Aboriginals in his area. “I’m surrounded by First Nations communities; I went to school with quite a few and had some as friends,” Lacey says. “So I stopped at one of their band offices one day and asked them what they do for construction maintenance, and who builds their houses. The local one didn’t have anyone, so I dropped off a card and set up a meeting.”

Lacey followed suit with every band in Fraser Valley, and the extra effort paid off—in 2009 and 2010, his company was responsible for more than 140 projects involving First Nations homes.

The building of most of those homes was overseen by Claire Seymour, the company’s construction manager. Filling a role almost exclusively occupied by men, Seymour’s initial acceptance was similar to that of Lacey’s as a teenage entrepreneur—pretty hard to come by.

“She has to prove herself with new clients,” Lacey says. “But she achieves that quickly. It’s probably a challenge for her, but she’s a good asset for my company. She connects with both men and women, plus she has the female input on different things. She manages quite a few guys—they respect her now.”

Seymour’s presence also frees up Lacey to pursue new opportunities, such as one of his largest to date: a 9,000-square-foot, high-end residential project in Surrey, British Columbia, designed to easily accommodate people with disabilities. Homes and cottages continue to be Lacey Construction’s mainstay, though, with a large concentration of Off the Grid (OTG) structures now turning up in the Harrison Lake area.

When he first ventured into OTG projects, Lacey encountered many challenges due to the remote locations and lack of systemized power, water, and communication. “The first time out, I had no idea what to charge for an OTG,” he recalls. “So I simply doubled the price I would charge for a ‘normal’ house in a standard subdivision … and I barely broke even. That was a learning experience!”

Lacey has also learned to appreciate the focus that comes from working in a peaceful locale with a weak cell-phone signal, forcing his numerous business calls to voicemail. Such is a hazard, perhaps, of a relatively young man with a dream that has already come true. “I saw a vision for my company and where I wanted to go,” Lacey says simply. “I just did it the way I thought I could.”