ABOUT BLUE ANVIL
Born from 17 years
of listening to builders.
Our tradespeople are full-time Blue Anvil employees. We lease them to builders across Vancouver Island, from Victoria to Nanaimo. That is what lets us put the same person on your site every day, with payroll, WCB, and HR handled by us.
What if the solution wasn’t better, but different?
After 17 years running TLC Victoria, we listened. The daily pay model worked for many, but not for everyone. Some clients needed more stability. Some workers wanted more than a job, they wanted a future.
That question sparked Blue Anvil.
Community & Industry Leadership
Young Builder Network
Abby serves on the board, and Barclay is an ex-member—both actively supporting the next generation of construction leaders.
Vancouver Island Construction Association
Barclay serves as Chair, helping shape the future of construction on Vancouver Island.
Women In Construction
Jessie (current board member) and Keri (past chair) actively support and advance opportunities for women entering the trades.
OUR MISSION & VISION
OUR MISSION
Developing Red Seal Carpenters on Vancouver Island
OUR VISION
The go-to labour leasing partner for Vancouver Island's most respected builders — known for showing up with the same face, start to finish.
OUR CORE VALUES
How We Show Up
Integrity
We believe in impeccable agreements. We honour the trust our clients place in us by keeping things honest with them and with ourselves.
Dedication
We stay curious, personalize every interaction, and respond with speed and follow-through. We own our actions and use feedback as fuel to get better every day.
DISCIPLINE
No shortcuts. We welcome challenges and lean into discomfort. We show up courageously, and grow through action. We don't quit on each other. We find humour in the tough moments and understand that mastery comes through repetition.
Humility
No egos, just good humans. We build with grit, welcome everyone at the table, and back our community like family.
MEET THE TEAM
The People Behind the Hammer
Barclay Ellis
President
Shayla Behan
Head of Accounting
Jack Wallace
Operations
Caio Redivo
Marketing
Abby Shmyrko
Quality Assurance
Jessie Gay
Dispatcher & AR
RECOGNITION & IMPACT
Awards & Honours
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Frequently Asked Questions
Although many of our tradespeople are undertaking apprenticeships, they will still do the same tasks as your team. If a hole needs to be dug for a footing or material needs to be moved, they will do it, just like your employees.
If you are looking for straight labour, our first-year apprentices are building hours and exposure to multiple parts of construction, learning how all aspects fit and how trades work together is vital to their development.
Our entire workforce is employed full-time. They work Monday-Friday (Saturday if needed). They are not paid daily, and they are not temps. They are committed to their career and building hours towards their Red Seal Certification.
Due to the nature of a daily-pay temporary agency, the commitment level to that agency is often less than with a full-time employee. Many of their workforce are there short-term (usually the best ones) while looking for employment elsewhere. Some are new to construction, and others may only be available on certain days. All of this can lead to turnover on-site and more site orientations, which can result in lost time and frustration.
Our tradespeople are offered extended health benefits, apprenticeship support, and tuition assistance, as you do with your employees.
We ask that a minimum assignment be a month or longer, and we ask that you give us at least a week's notice so we can line up their next assignment.
We respectfully ask that you don't.
Our Tradespeople are full-time employees; they are not temps. We invest in them, their schooling and their future. They are fantastic, which is why our service is in high demand. Most clients would love to have them as employees, but our relationships with our clients are built on a mutual desire to help each other succeed. We are strategic partners. We cannot be successful if our clients hire our employees.
No. Historically, 70% are doing an apprenticeship, but this fluctuates. Right now, we are proud to say that 90% of our workforce is doing an apprenticeship.
The rest are folks who have been in construction for several years and have chosen not to go to school. In this case we will assess their skill level and assign them an "equivalent" level, such as Year-2 Apprentice Equivalent.
It took us years of meetings with various partners before we launched Blue Anvil to figure out how we could do this and do it well.
It takes collaboration between our team, our clients, the tradespeople themselves, and SkilledTrades BC. We're always looking for ways to strengthen the program — from tracking apprenticeship hours and supporting SkilledTrades BC submissions to connecting workers with the tools, training, and next right site.
Our goal is to develop elite, well-rounded Red Seal Carpenters. We have a diverse range of clients, which puts us in a fortunate position. If they need framing, formwork, or finishing experience, we have clients who can provide it.
We evaluate, support, and encourage our tradespeople along their journey. We track every worker's hours, schooling milestones, and Red Seal path. We have partnerships with training providers, and we treat retention as a result — not a lucky streak.
Yes, we do. We launched TLC to provide a different opportunity for our workforce, based on what some were looking for, and an alternative for our clients who sometimes wanted something that a daily-pay agency like TLC cannot provide. Blue Anvil was born by listening to TLC's workforce and clients and recognizing a void in the marketplace.
We are constantly working with our clients to forecast when an assignment will end and identify where they should go next. Because of this, it is rare for someone to be ready to go the next day. The exception would be if something unexpectedly causes a delay on-site and we have to move someone on short notice.
Our tradespeople are in high demand. We do have a waitlist. We encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible to discuss how we can help.
Still have questions? We're here to help.
Get in Touch