Bulldog Concrete - Cranbrook

Chris accidentally got himself into the concrete finishing trade in 2007 after him and his family up rooted from Cranbrook and moved to the big city of Edmonton. Originally, Chris only planned to do concrete for a couple of weeks but little did he know that he would quickly find his passion.

What was suppose to be a 2 week gig to bring in an income until he started the job he moved to Edmonton for, quickly turned into 12+ years of finishing all over Alberta and Southern BC.

Chris spent a few years in Edmonton finishing commercial concrete. It was mainly floors for big box stores, high rises, parkades and large shop floors. An average day was usually at least 10,000 sq. ft. up to about 30,000 sq. ft. and he was working anywhere from 60 to 100 hours per week.

Despite the hard work and long hours, Chris had found his passion. The problem was, Chris was not a city boy. The hustle and bustle of the big city drove Chris and his wife crazy. They had to get out of the city and come home to Cranbrook.

He thought, now that he has a trade under his belt he could move his family back to Cranbrook and live comfortably. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, the concrete finishing scene in Cranbrook was very different.

The only company that Chris had the option to work for was very small, 2 people including Chris. And Chris was lucky to get 8 hours in a day. Most days were only 4 to 6 hours. It was impossible to support his family off a finishers wage in Cranbrook.

After struggling for 2 years in Cranbrook an opportunity of a lifetime came up in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Chris would spend the next 4 years based in Cold Lake, finishing concrete all over Northern Alberta. Gaining experience in everything from small residential jobs, large commercial projects and industrial oil field projects. He spent a few years running the finishing crew and a year as foreman for the entire place and finish crew.

Then oil prices crashed… And the company that Chris worked for was built around the oil industry.

Shortly after, Chris would find himself back in Cranbrook and working for a concrete finishing company out of Creston BC. They were able to offer Chris a livable wage but he had to do a ton of traveling from Cranbrook over to the West Kootenays (Trail, Castlegar, Nelson, Kaslo, Revelstoke) almost daily.

After 2 years Chris was sad to say that he just couldn’t do it anymore. It was time for a career change if he wanted to stay in Cranbrook.

Chris would spend the next few years working at the mines, driving an explosives truck. But over those few years Chris always had an itch to get back into the mud. On occasion he would help people pour concrete on his days off just so he could fulfill that itch.

Chris had concrete running through his veins and he had an itch to get back into the industry, so he decided that he would try driving concrete mixer for Salvador Ready Mix in Cranbrook.

And this is where the idea of Bulldog Concrete was born.

During his season driving concrete mixer Chris witnessed a few things that fueled his decision to start Bulldog Concrete…

1. There were a handful of “Concrete Contractors” serving the East Kootenays that were doing less than desirable work.

2. There was a major shortage of experienced concrete finishers serving the East Kootenays.

3. There were a handful of concrete contractors taking advantage of the shortage of finishers and charging East Kootenay residents ridiculous money for their services.

After witnessing these things happening in the concrete industry in the East Kootenays, Chris decided that he needs to step up and do something about it. He had to start a quality concrete finishing service that offered fair pricing.

Not all heros wear capes, right!