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Meet Our HVAC, Automation and Electrical Team: Mark D.

Published on: January 12, 2022

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We’re kicking off this year with a series celebrating the people who help give you the best building automation services in the Okanagan.

Mark hails from the UK and started his HVAC career with his family when he was sixteen.

Mark hails from the UK and started his HVAC career with his family when he was sixteen.

We want to showcase the people who help give you the best building automation services in the Okanagan. Kimco leads the way in HVAC, automation, and electrical in Kelowna and beyond, and the key to our success is our incredible team. They are experts in their fields and passionate about what they do.

First in our series: Meet HVAC Service Manager, Mark D. Mark has been with Kimco for eight-and-a-half years; but started in the trades when he was only 16-years-old. Read on and get to know Mark!

How did you get into the HVAC trade?

Through family, my brother-in-law. I started in the trades at 16 years old, and it became a family thing back in 1990. I went straight into refrigeration, air conditioning. It is a diverse trade; it is crazy interesting that an electrician technician, plumbing, HVAC — it’s all rolled into one. It’s forever changing and far from mundane. 

Most of it the average person doesn’t see. You see an air conditioner or furnace and only know what it does; but, these huge systems on commercial buildings and industrial stuff — it’s pretty crazy. And, the technicians in the trade, and certainly the top ones, their skill sets across electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration work … it’s certainly not something to get into if you're scared to be challenged every day. That's what I would say because no matter how long you've been in this trade, you will never even begin to know everything. That’s part of what makes it so fun.

Is there anything that has surprised you about the industry?

Good question. One of the big things that surprised me is the huge difference in trades from country to country. Moving from the UK to here — in Canada — the type of trade it is and the equipment that's used — is so different. I also have family in Australia in the same trade and, it's more like the UK. Here in Canada, because we see such low temperatures in the winter, there's a lot more gas and different low temperature equipment. In the UK, gas is actually a separate trade. Alternatively, in Canada, gas is actually part of the HVAC control systems trade. 

What brought you to Canada?

My brother-in-law was doing work in the UK and, he asked: “Do you fancy moving to Canada?” We were like, “Why not?” We decided to have an adventure. He eventually moved to New Zealand and then Australia, but we carried on here. A family adventure. Now, I’m older and look back and think how crazy it was. You give everything up, and for something that you have no idea how it will turn out. It scares me now, but it’s all good!

What do you love about working with Kimco?

It’s like a family-run business. Everyone gets so well looked after. The sharing of knowledge — in other companies, people keep to themselves to keep their worth and don’t share what they know as much. We’re the opposite; we don’t just promote it. Everyone has to help each other and share their knowledge. It’s quite rare. We have a great social side as well. There’s always something going on throughout the year. 

What can we find you getting up to outside of work? 

Hiking, we do a lot of walking. I’m part of the badminton club and depending on the time of year we play every week. As a family, we always had family passes to Big White, so of course, skiing and snowboarding. We’re going to be picking that back up this year!


Work with local specialists in automation, HVAC, and electrical in Penticton, Kelowna, and beyond that celebrate their staff and are passionate about what they do. Curious to learn more? Contact us to get started. 


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