Careers Under Construction

Mike Fata went from dropping out of high school and struggling with his health to building and selling multiple 9-figure companies. He’s the best-selling author of GROW and now dedicates his time to building world-class businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs behind brands like Mid-Day Squares, SmartSweets, Nuts For Cheese, Sol Cuisine and Blume. In this episode, he shares how shifting his mindset...

From working on his dad’s crew at 12 to running one of Manitoba’s top cost consulting firms, Ben Postma’s story is about risk, family and finding your own path. After getting a finance degree, Ben spent years in estimating and project management for major contractors — helping deliver projects wort up to $400 million. Then in 2020, he left a secure six-figure job to take over his father’s two-pers...

Jeremy Read went from political advisor to downtown developer. As CEO of the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0, he’s helping grow a nonprofit into one of Manitoba’s most active developers — leading projects that are reshaping Winnipeg including Canada’s first net-zero carbon residential high-rise. In this episode, Jeremy opens up about turning down contracts for the right re...

From defending Métis harvesting rights in court after shooting a duck without a license to leading housing solutions for families, Will Goodon’s journey is rooted in resilience. As Minister of Housing & Property Management with the Manitoba Métis Federation, he shares how broken promises still affect Indigenous communities, the importance of culturally grounded housing and why reconciliation m...

From pharmacist to landlord, Kris Thorkelson, Owner of Thorwin Properties, has built one of Winnipeg’s largest rental empires. In this episode, Kris talks about his career shift from pharmacist to property management, the challenges of building in Winnipeg’s unique rental market and what it takes to create homes people want to live in.

What does the future of construction in Manitoba look like? As Executive Director of Workforce and Learning Pathways at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, Marnie Bickerton is helping shape the answer. In this episode, Marnie talks about growing up in a small town, the setbacks that made her tougher, and what it takes to earn respect in a male-dominated field. She gets real about ment...

Tom Sparrow is making history as the first-ever Chief Construction Officer for the City of Winnipeg — and in Canada. After decades of leading multi-billion-dollar projects across the country, Tom came to Winnipeg to oversee some of the city’s most critical infrastructure projects, including the North End Sewage Treatment Plant, as well as future schools, hospitals and roads. In this episode, Tom s...

Before starting his own business, Jaret Horbatiuk got his start in structural steel shop drawings. But when drawing plans wasn’t enough, he built a company to bring them to life — a gamble that paid off and grew into Tractus Projects, now a 20-year success story. In this episode, Jaret shares how he overcame imposter syndrome, what running a small roofing company taught him about cash flow, why he...

David Peters went from building houses to building software. After more than a decade running his own construction company, he sold his tools, his truck — even the business itself — to solve a problem every contractor knows too well: bad timesheets. In this episode, David shares how selling his construction business allowed him to tackle that problem head-on and how the idea evolved into Construct...

Shreeraj (Raj) Patel’s path was anything but straightforward. After failing out of university, he took a year off working retail before finding his footing, returning to school and eventually becoming Vice President at one of Canada’s largest banks. In this episode, Raj shares how mentorship and second chances changed the course of his life, what he learned leading multi-million-dollar portfolios...

From engineering student to COO, Janet Gauthier’s career has taken her from northern project sites to leading one of Canada’s largest real estate developers! She shares how teaching 6 a.m. spin classes shaped her leadership style, why aligning with the right company culture is a game-changer and what it’s really like to climb the ranks in a male-dominated industry. Plus, hear Janet’s take on how A...

With over 30 years in construction, Dom Costantini has seen it all—from finishing concrete at 8 years old to leading major operations across Canada. In our first episode, Dom shares what it really takes to build strong teams, why culture beats strategy every time and how he’s helping the industry evolve through his new consulting work. Plus, hear the story behind his famous “sock collection” and h...

🎙️ Local voices, real stories. Careers Under Construction isn’t just a podcast—it’s a blueprint for resilience and a playbook for building a stronger career. Each week, Justis Pederson sits down with the builders, the leaders and the risk-takers—the ones who’ve faced the chaos and come out stronger. Powered by The Pederson Group , we’re spotlighting the people shaping businesses and the truths beh...