David Hall

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell

Published in the Financial Post

March 3, 2008

David Hall is CEO of Mammoth Erection (www.mammotherection.com), a company that rigs scaffolding in and around buildings during construction and renovation. Mammoth Erection is headquartered in Aurora, Ontario. David Hall tells Burke Campbell what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

BORN FIGHTER: “My father was a boxer. He played hockey, too. He was a tough little guy and I guess I take after him.”

HIGHER AND HIGHER: “I started out doing general construction work. Then one day, a friend asked, ‘You afraid of heights?’ He’d heard about a scaffolding job. The next thing I knew, I was standing on a platform so high up, birds were flying under me. I loved it!”

SAD MOMENT: “I freelanced, eventually set up my own company, working with a crew. Scaffolding is my passion, but I couldn’t get steady work. I knew I’d have to give it up for good.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: “My company had two registered names, a serious one and one just for laughs. For our last scaffolding job, I played the joke. I had signs and banners printed. But the minute the name ‘Mammoth Erection’ went up, the phone in my office went crazy. Business poured in and we’ve been doing scaffolding ever since.”

THE REWARD: “It’s the greatest feeling to stand with other guys, looking up at a structure you’ve built with your own hands.”

 
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