Meet The Blue Water Team

Mike Van Capelle

Passive House Certified Designer and Tradesperson, Owner and Founder

Mike was born into the world of construction and renovation, working with his father in the family business as soon as he was able. To continue his education, Mike attended the three year Construction Engineering and Architecture program at Niagara College of Arts and Technology in Welland, Ontario. He went on to work as a timber framer, a draftsman for a timber framing company and then spent time wearing both designer and general contractor hats while running his own business. In 2016, Mike completed his Passive House Designer/Consultant Certification, one of the most stringent building certifications to date for overall energy efficiency in order to bring what Mike sees as the future of residential building to his clients projects. When Mike is not at the drafting table or running the show, he is most often found outdoors, skiing, biking, camping, fishing, canoeing and enjoying all that living in the Sea to Sky Corridor has to offer.

Brianna

Bri is currently in her second year of her carpentry apprenticeship with Blue Water Concepts and was at the top of her class. She takes the time to analyze situations or problems on site and is always looking for the most efficient way to get things done. She came to us looking for a bit of a career change and the Blue Water Concepts team and Bri are so happy she took the leap into Carpentry. When she isn’t on site she can often be found hiking on the trails around Squamish or out on the water.

We also love that Bri is paving the way for other women in the construction industry and those wanting to get into the industry

Jarod

Jarod came to Blue Water almost 4 years ago now. Mike (the owner of BWC) gave a presentation to the Carpentry Foundations students at Howe Sound Secondary School and Jarod was one of the only students at the end of the presentation that didn’t go for doughnuts at the back of the room but instead came up with a resume in hand and asking questions about the industry. Jarod has gone from a very green first-year apprentice to someone that is trusted to manage other team members and is often working independently on site. He’s definitely a team favourite and we’re hoping he retires with Blue Water Concepts one day way into the future. When he isn’t on site, he can be found off-roading on an FSR somewhere or out fishing and hunting with his dad. Jarod is the epitome of a hard worker and we are lucky to have him on the team.

Felix

Felix came on board after working for a few other companies locally. ⠀

He was looking to start taking construction seriously as a permanent career path, which led him to us. He just finished up his first-year apprenticeship with BWC and is certainly plowing through the hours quickly for his second and third years. ⠀

We have been told that Felix is one heck of a snowboarder and has actually won some pretty serious competitions. When he isn’t on-site, he is on his snowboard somewhere in the Sea to Sky backcountry.

Cathy

Cathy is our Team Mom and a woman of many talents. She wears several hats on the BWC team, a few essential jobs being; site organization and heading off the professional site cleanups as projects come to completion.⠀

Trista Lsbister

Office Manager

Trista is our office manager and the team member that keeps the rest of us organized and on point. She has worked with a few companies in the Sea to Sky in similar roles and has helped a number of them grow to scale nationally. If you have called the office in the past year or so odds are you heard a warm welcome from Trista. Ensuring cheques go out and come in on time is part of Trista’s many responsibilities, but she is also always looking for ways to make the office and company run more efficiently. Her depth of knowledge when it comes to bookkeeping, HR and managing a very busy office makes her an incredibly important part of our team. When Trista isn’t in the office keeping us all on track she is spending time at home with her boys or out on the paddle board exploring Howe Sound.

Paul Lozansky

Estimator

Paul joined the Blue Water team in early 2019 having worked with a number of other construction companies in both BC and Alberta in estimating and project management positions. Paul brings an incredible wealth of knowledge related to all things estimating and construction costs. Paul has completely revamped the way BWC puts together our detailed budgets and cost tracking and is definitely a perfectionist. Spreadsheets, CoConstruct and working with Kayla to ensure our projects are designed in a way that will meet our clients budgets are what keeps Paul busy. When not in the office with Sadie (one of our office dogs) Paul can be found climbing or riding his bike somewhere in the mountains around the Sea to Sky.

Kevin Koscher

Lead Carpenter

Every construction company needs a Kevin on the team! Kevin came to Blue Water after working for another building company in the Sea to Sky for many years. Kevin is a Red Seal Carpenter that has experience in every aspect of construction you can imagine. He has worked in both BC and Alberta in the industry and has been a project manager as well as lead carpenter on projects ranging from Hospital renovations to luxury homes. His specialty is definitely high-end finishing and staying incredibly organized no matter what the weather or clients throw at him. Many of our younger team members working on their apprenticeships have mentioned how much they love learning from Kevin. When Kevin isn’t leading our team on one of our sites you will find him and his wife on some epic missions in the mountains. Ski touring, rock climbing, mountaineering and mountain biking are all activities that are a huge part of Kevin’s life outside of work.

Ryan Gaultier

Operations Coordinator

Ryan joined Blue Water back in 2017 when it was quite a bit smaller than it is now. Ryan came from Alberta where he was a ticketed fire proofer working on some massive oil and gas projects. He came to the Sea to Sky and Blue Water looking for a different pace of life and a chance to live in work in the mountains rather then driving to them every weekend. Ryan’s skill set has transferred quite well to our industry as he has an amazing amount of health and safety knowledge and experience keeping crews of up to 50 workers organized, safe and working towards some tight deadlines. Ryan started off with us as a Carpenters Apprentice and is now in charge of scheduling our team, setting up projects and sites before our team gets there and ensuring the project managers and field staff have what they need to get things done as efficiently as possible. When Ryan isn’t in the shop or on site he is usually riding his motorcycle on one of the many forest service roads in the area or on his snowboard or stand up paddle board.

Gary Vancapelle

Lead Carpenter / Construction Manager

With Garry on the team comes years of valuable experience and of course the family connection and that passion for building. Garry is Mike’s father, and although he originally hails from Ontario, he now calls the west coast home. For 40 years Garry ran a successful home building and renovation company in the Muskokas, and now in semi-retirement, helps his son and mentors the crew, spreading his knowledge and expertise down to the next generation. When Garry isn’t slinging his hammer or captain of a crew, he is travelling in his RV with his wife and their dog Aussie.

Dane Perras

Senior Project Manager

Dane joined the Blue Water Concepts in 2018 when the team grew to more than one crew, with more than a few projects on the go at once. Dane has years of experience as a Project Manager backed by his experience as Site Supervisor and Carpenter. He has worked on large scale renovation projects as well as new home builds over $1.6million in North and West Vancouver. His past experience as a rowing coach, as well as his organizational and communication skills make him a natural at project management. His years in the trade from foundation to finish make him the perfect addition to the Blue Water Team. When Dane is not running around for BWC he is working on his bike or in his woodshop.

Jason Bartley

Lead Carpenter

Jason has called Squamish home for the last 25 years and he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. As a red seal carpenter, he has built everything from 10,000 sqft homes in West Vancouver all the way to a Passive House in Pemberton. He has worked on everything from small renos to luxury homes. He is outgoing and a natural leader, a great addition to the Blue Water Concepts team. When he is not working for Blue Water Concepts he is part of the local Squamish Volunteer Fire Fighting Department and is working on his own home where he lives with his wife and their pooch, Ernie.

Kayla Hildebrand

Designer

Kayla joined the BWC team in 2018 to help us keep up with the increased demand for custom design and she has been helping our clients put their ideas on paper ever since. Kayla has past experience designing for a Sea to Sky timber framer as well as another Passive House builder. Although originally from Saskatchewan, she has called Vancouver home since she moved out to attend the Vancouver College of Art and Design. What Kayla enjoys most about working for Blue Water Concepts is the work ethic, mutual respect, honesty