A Day in the Life as a New Hire at Kimco Controls

Collaboration and planning are key. Kimco’s electrical and controls teams review detailed project drawings before every installation. If you’re a detail-oriented electrician or technician, Kimco Controls might be an excellent place for you. 

Are you thinking about taking the next step in your career? It can be nerve-wracking to take a leap of faith and try out a new company or a new skill, but it helps when you know you will be supported by your employer. Here at Kimco Controls, nothing is more important than our people, teams, clients, and local community impact. We are actively hiring for a variety of positions in Fall/Winter 2025, and we are always open to reviewing applications, even if nothing is posted on our careers page. 

So what’s it like to work here at Kimco? Will you be thrown to the wolves, overworked, or undercompensated? Is there any sort of greater value or meaning in the work here at Kimco? Does anyone care about mentorship?

“My favourite part [about working at Kimco] would be that there isn’t any knowledge gatekeeping, which is very common in the trades. This, in turn, helps everyone learn and develop their skills further.” 

— Austin Carruthers, Journeyman Electrician at Kimco

Some of our coworkers have been with Kimco for decades, and those folks have a lot of great things to say about our culture. We also took the time to catch up with a couple of our more recent additions, Pawel Gora and Austin Carruthers, to see what a day in the life as a new hire at Kimco Controls is really like — and capture some sage advice for newcomers. 

One of the best perks of working at Kimco? Our modern office facilitates good work and a sense of community.

Brainstorm, present, and discuss your best work in Kimco Control’s comfortable, recently renovated boardroom. Careers grow here! 

Sparking a Career in Kelowna Automation

Pawel Gora’s Origin Story

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started at Kimco?
A: I was born in Poland and immigrated to Canada in 1990. I have always loved figuring, fixing, and tinkering with things from a young age, always enjoyed the hands-on approach, drawing me to the technical end of the spectrum over anything else growing up, which then turned into a hobby of repairing things from engines, cars, to electronics, something I love doing to this day.

We visited Kelowna several times over the years and fell in love with the city, lifestyle and culture, I then decided to apply at Kimco but plans did not work for the time and it was 3 years later that I tried again and made the jump from the Lower Mainland chaos to the Kelowna lifestyle starting work at Kimco, this was 4+ years ago and counting, and would never look back!

Q: What drew you to automation as a career path?
A: I've been through many jobs in the past, but none ended up making me happy and feeling fulfilled at the end of a day. I then ended up in the electrical trade about 20 years ago as a construction electrician, and by chance, I was introduced to a BAS Systems Service technician while on a project. This had intrigued me a lot and showed me a whole new path in electrical I never knew existed. I switched professions and indentured with a Controls Company in Surrey, BC. Was in the field for 13 years as a Construction Site Supervisor managing many projects at a time deciding I wanted more out of a career, taking it one level higher, we decided it was time for the big change and moving to Kelowna with my wife and baby at the time would be the clear choice to have a better life in a city we both love.

Austin Carruthers’ Origin Story

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started at Kimco?
A: I’m a Journeyman Electrician with 5 years of automation installation experience. I moved to Kelowna a year ago and applied at Kimco as it was similar to what I did back in Saskatchewan.

Q: What drew you to automation as a career path?
A: I found that traditional electrical work became monotonous and repetitive, whereas building automation is a continuously evolving field with a wide variety of skills to develop. 

A Day in the Life: Working at Kimco Controls

Pawel: Controls Systems Designer

Q: What does a typical day look like for you in your role?
A: A typical day usually starts by scheduling the tasks for the day, from answering emails, following up on requests from the engineers, project manager, and most of the time is spent working with the design tools to create schematics, review documentation submittals, create and update points reports, or sequences for a project. No single day is the same, as new challenges arrive.

Q: What are some of the main tools, software, or equipment you use every day?
A: I use a wide variety of applications, from Autocad, Excel, PDF editors, Smartsheet, and our own in-house DesTool to put together the document packages required to complete the Design Intent documentation for each project. We also do our own tags and site reports that the technicians install on-site.

Austin: Journeyman Electrician

Q: What does a typical day look like for you in your role?
A: That’s a tough question, as it varies so much day to day. It could be anything from changing damper actuators or sensors to diagnosing a problem remotely on a laptop or changing a light out. That is what I enjoy about it: every day is different.

Q: What are some of the main tools, software, or equipment you use every day?
A: What I typically bring with me to every service call is the standard electrical hand tools, a terminating screwdriver, a multimeter, and my laptop. As for software, it would mostly be Orcaview or enteliWEB.

Q: How much of your work is in the field vs. at a desk?
A: It really ebbs and flows a lot, but if you average it out, it's about 70% in the field and 30% at a desk.

Kimco’s Team & Work Culture

Pawel: Controls Systems Designer

Q: How do you collaborate with other departments (service, design, project managers, etc.)?
A: Collaboration usually happens through talks, emails, and discussions throughout the day as challenges are presented. We have a very good team of skilled people with a lot of experience to bring to the table, making you think, sometimes outside the box, when faced with certain scenarios.

Q: What’s your favourite part about working at Kimco?
A: Kimco has provided me with an amazing opportunity to be a Controls Systems Designer which has allowed me a lot of personal growth within the company and outside giving me all the support needed to excel, another bonus is the awesome teams we have here for support, from the owners, to my colleagues, everyone wants to work together as we all are trying to accomplish our goals, a good family to be a part of.

Austin: Journeyman Electrician

Q: How do you collaborate with other departments (service, design, project managers, etc.)?
A: When the construction team is busy, I will help them sometimes, as well as covering the DDC support desk when required, and gathering information for the estimating team from time to time.

Q: What’s your favourite part about working at Kimco?
A: My favourite part would be that there isn’t any knowledge gatekeeping, which is very common in the trades. This, in turn, helps everyone learn and develop their skills further.

Sage Advice for New Hires Working at Kimco Controls

Pawel: Controls Systems Designer

Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a Designer?
A: I would say that having hands-on experience in the field is the key in order to excel in the Design of Automation Systems, having a good understanding of why and how it works in the field will give you the experience and the edge to be successful in the design allow you to catch some of the things you otherwise wouldn't by not being in the field first.

Q: Where do you see the future of building automation heading?
A: With the evolution of HVAC and computers, now with AI being introduced, I can foresee a bit of uncharted territory that will for sure be a challenging one, and it won't get boring! It will be a whole new toolset master and new technologies to learn as things shift more from the mechanical to software/electronics.

Austin: Journeyman Electrician

Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming an Automation Service Technician?
A: Ask questions if you don’t understand something. Building automation can be quite complex. Kimco thankfully has some very experienced employees and management who will be able to help you understand some of the issues you may come across in the field.

Q: Where do you see the future of building automation heading?
A: It is thankfully one of the careers that cannot be replaced by AI and is necessary in most commercial buildings. I believe that the future will be good for building automation.

Installing and commissioning automation sensors at a commercial site. If you enjoy hands-on work, a career at Kimco Controls might be great for you! 

Challenges & Highlights of an Automation Career in Kelowna

Pawel: Controls Systems Designer

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
A: I had no idea this trade could finally challenge me in ways I didn't know it could, and that it would allow me to further expand my career path and allow personal growth. This finally made me feel like I had accomplished something good at the end of the day.

Q: What’s a challenge you often face, and how do you solve it?
A: There are a lot of challenges and problems, but the key is in good planning and approach in making sure everything is lined up before starting a job. It really helps working with a great team when problems arise, being able to solve them together and sort out the problems that arise.

Q: Is there a recent project you’re proud of?
A: It's hard to pinpoint a single project as I tend to make them all personal, but it's very neat having worked on some of the high-profile jobs like the Airport, Wineries, Water treatment plants, and Schools. The highlight will probably be telling my daughter that I worked on both of her schools that she is/will be attending.

Austin: Journeyman Electrician

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
A: It would have to be troubleshooting and solving the issue either remotely or on-site.

Q: What’s a challenge you often face, and how do you solve it?
A: Whether or not it is a hardware issue or a programming issue that is causing the problem. To solve this, over time, I have been learning how to program and understand what it is we are trying to do, which helps me diagnose issues more precisely.

Q: Is there a recent project you’re proud of?
A: No specific projects that come to mind, as I don’t necessarily work on large projects. It's more of a compilation of many service calls where I was able to correct the issue and leave the customer with a properly working building.

Considering a Career in HVAC Automation Controls? Apply to Join our Tight-Knit Team

Kimco is hiring for a wide range of permanent, full-time, competitively paying jobs in Kelowna, BC. This includes Graphic Design jobs, Construction Electrician Apprenticeships, and Automation Service Technician Positions — follow the links to view the job postings:

• Journeyman Construction Electrician - Lead Hand
• Automation Designer BMS Systems
• Graphics Designer BMS Systems
• Programmer BMS Systems
• Automation Service Technician
• Building Automation Estimator

“I had no idea this trade could finally challenge me in ways I didn't know it could, and that it allowed me to further expand my career path and allow personal growth. This finally made me feel like I had accomplished something good at the end of the day.”

— Pawel Gora, Controls Systems Designer at Kimco

Grow your career as part of a team that integrates building automation, HVAC, and electrical in the Okanagan and Kootenays. At Kimco Controls, you’ll work on projects from many industries, collaborate with coworkers, and support future generations with opportunities to support climate-friendly EV charging infrastructure and geothermal systems.

Kimco proudly offers mentorship, community, proper tools, and meaningful work. At the core, we are a technology company that puts people first.

View job openings today.

Kimco Controls integrates HVAC, Building Automation Systems, and Electrical to design, install, and service safer, more efficient buildings across BC’s Interior and Kootenays. With offices in Kelowna, Penticton, and Cranbrook, we put people first and back our work with practical maintenance programs that keep critical systems running.