VICTORIA, B.C – Island-based, family-owned and multi-generational, Gordon ‘N’ Gordon Interiors has been helping build British Columbia for 40 years. Brothers Stew and Brad Gordon founded the company in 1986 and grew that fledgling drywall venture into one of British Columbia’s largest interior construction contractors, serving both residential and commercial clients.
Today, with a workforce approaching 400 people and offices in Victoria, Duncan and Kelowna, Gordon ‘N’ Gordon routinely works on projects ranging from multi-family residential developments to commercial, institutional, and government facilities. Its services include steel stud framing, drywall, acoustic and specialty ceilings, insulation, painting, and more.
It’s the early 1990s and Stew Gordon (on the ladder) works on an addition to his family home – in the background is Gordon ‘N’ Gordon’s first employee Dave Brown holding his son – Dave continues to work with the company to this day as its manager in Duncan.
“My Uncle Brad kept pulling my dad out of high school when he was a kid to bring him to work. Eventually there was so much work that the principal said, ‘This isn’t working for you, so I think you should make a change.’ My dad went to work, starting out cleaning floors and scraping houses with his brother. That’s where it all began,” explained Gordon ‘N’ Gordon CEO Jim Gordon.
“My dad had also been running bigger jobs for another company and eventually decided that he and Brad might as well build something of their own.”
Stew Gordon was the 2nd youngest of seven children—four brothers and three sisters—and he and Brad built Gordon ‘N’ Gordon together from the ground up. While the company initially focused on drywall as a subcontractor on residential and commercial projects, it has since expanded its capabilities well beyond traditional drywall. Today, Gordon ‘N’ Gordon works across high-rise and multi-family residential construction, custom homes, commercial buildings, institutional projects, and government facilities.
“My dad was involved in some of the early condominium development in Langford back in the early ‘90s, so we’ve been involved in larger projects for a long time,” Gordon said.
Thanks to its Kelowna office, Gordon ‘N’ Gordon has also become a major player in the Okanagan construction sector, in addition to its significant presence on Vancouver Island. Both regions are important to the company’s overall business.
“If you want to get down to it, it’s mostly half and half when it comes to the business, but it ebbs and flows depending on the economy. Each market flexes at different times. We certainly do a ton of work in the Okanagan, but we also do a ton of work on the Island. It depends on the time of year and the health of the local economy,” he explained.
The company’s work is similarly balanced between residential and commercial construction. “It depends on what’s out there for work, but I’d say we’re typically split about 50/50 between the two. The rental market appears to be slowing right now, but we’re busier than ever when it comes to government work. Riding those waves and adjusting to what the marketplace dictates has helped us not just survive, but grow and adapt,” Gordon said.
The company is also now firmly into its second generation of leadership, with Jim Gordon serving as CEO while the family continues to build on the foundation established by Stew and Brad. Gordon is Métis, and the broader Gordon ‘N’ Gordon group has been expanding its involvement in Indigenous business, procurement, and workforce development opportunities.
“For me, that has become increasingly important as we’ve grown,” Gordon said. “There are real opportunities for Indigenous businesses in construction, but there is also an opportunity to create employment, training, and long-term careers. We want to continue building that side of our business in a meaningful way.”
When thinking about the future and the next 40 years, Gordon says almost anything is on the table. “When it started, I think it was all about just trying to put food on the table. I doubt they ever expected it to last this long or to grow to where we are today. We have some employees who’ve been with us right from the beginning all the way back to ’86. That kind of loyalty shows it’s been a good place to work,” he said.
Will there be a third generation to continue guiding Gordon ‘N’ Gordon through the 21st century? That is a question only time can answer. “I don’t really know about that. They’re still quite young, but that’s the hope, but you just never know. The company isn’t as simple as it was at the beginning; there are lots of moving parts and lots of different business interests,” Gordon explained.
Gordon ‘N’ Gordon has evolved and expanded dramatically over the past 40 years and today works in a wide variety of construction sectors, from major commercial / institutional projects to high-end single-family residences.
“We’re definitely not finished growing,” Gordon said. “We’ve launched new companies, we’re pursuing more Indigenous business and procurement opportunities, and we continue to look at new sectors and new markets. At the same time, we don’t want to lose what got us here—good people, quality work, and relationships that last. Forty years is a big milestone, but we’re much more focused on what the next 40 years can look like.”
