Rebecca Scott writes monthly articles for local-news.ca. This month, she is writing about her hero, Tom Scott. Tom Scott is the owner of Burlington’s Yvon Building Supply and also happens to be Rebecca’s father.
Whether we realize it or not, we all have dreams. This is the story of a man who turned his dreams into reality. It is a story that I hope inspires you to never give up on yourself even when life gets a little sour.
Tom is a father of three, and has devoted his life to his family. When the kids were young, he worked tirelessly so that they could have presents under the tree at Christmas, popsicles from the ice cream truck, and spare change from the tooth fairy when their teeth fell out. He began his career as a labourer and showcased his hardworking nature to his superiors every day. From labourer to junior sales rep to order desk staff, Tom was determined to progress forward. Eventually his efforts were recognized and rewarded: he secured a position as vice president with the construction company he had worked at for 16 years. Throughout his time at this company, he networked so well that everyone in the industry knew his name and admired his strong work ethic. Everything that he did at work was for the sole purpose of laying the foundations of a prosperous future for his family.
In 2010, Tom was faced with a colossal challenge that sent him down a different path. At the age of 42, he was laid off and had to start searching for new ways to provide for his family. The arrival of hardship forced the family to start over again from the beginning. It was time to start writing a different story. To be able to feed his family, he sought out various side jobs, including landscaping, painting, and other miscellaneous construction jobs. The fear of the unknown taunted the family but did not break them. Tom embraced a brave attitude during the uncertainty and continued to teach his children the value of hard work and resilience.
Through the side jobs Tom attained, he discovered a small family-owned business called Yvon Insulation. They were established as an insulation contracting company that installed basement blanket insulation and attic insulation. His intuition projected a positive forecast regarding the company’s potential and so he decided to take a chance on it. At the time of the purchase, the company had one truck and five men; Tom was envisioning something bigger. After purchasing the company in 2011, Yvon Insulation started out of the Scott family’s home. Their office was in the living room next to the couch, their warehouse was in the garage, and they made deliveries with a Ford pick-up truck. The progression slowly began to unfold, they took on every job they could find and never said no to their customers. Tom made a lot of deliveries on his own, installed basement blanket insulation, and built a small team of employees.
His reputation started to resurrect and the industry was watching out for what his next move would be. A few months after the acquisition of Yvon Insulation, Tom was inspired and driven to expand. This led to the inception of Yvon Building Supply. Having these two companies working in combination with one another created an accessible and convenient dynamic for customers. Yvon Building Supply became a brand that customers could trust and his family took pride in. After just one year, Yvon Building Supply found themselves occupying a warehouse on Industrial Street. In 2012, they had 19,000 square feet of warehouse space and a few boom trucks. The boom trucks allowed for new opportunities, making bigger deliveries to high-rise buildings and into tight spaces where normal pick-up trucks can’t go. The upward trend continued and, in 2015, a new warehouse was obtained that was double the size of the first. Today, Yvon Building Supply has seven locations across the GTA, ranging all the way from Windsor to Vaughan. The company has around 130 employees, over 145,000 square feet of warehouse space, and over 70 specialized trucks and vehicles. Yvon Insulation is also maintaining a trajectory of growth with around 30 employees and ten trucks.
The reason why I wanted to share this story is because everyone can find a connection to it in some degree. It is not about the construction industry, the amount of warehouse space, or even what your idea of success is. It is about facing your fears, using failure as fuel, and knowing that the power you have within yourself is unparalleled to life’s tribulations. Success and happiness come in many different forms; however, the tools we need to get there are always the same. Chasing goals and conquering your dreams requires action, resilience, and consistency.
Recognize that the difficulty of the challenge is of a high calibre. If you tell yourself that you can’t do it, you have prescribed your journey with a negative tone. Ultimately, this produces a mediocre attitude followed by mediocre results. To contest this, redirect your mindset and convince yourself that what you are seeking, enduring, and willing to accomplish is unmatched by the power you hold. To defeat the odds, welcome your hunger to meet your goals, struggle, and sacrifice, remind yourself of how great you are and you may find just what it is you’re searching for.
This article is dedicated to my hero, my dad, Tom Scott. Thank you for teaching me to never give up.
To find out more about Yvon Building Supply & Yvon Insulation, you can find us here:
www.yvonbuildingsupply.ca
www.yvoninsulation.ca
Instagram: @ybsburlington @ybswindsor @arrlininteriorsupply @ybsvaughan @oldershawbuilders
Twitter: @ybs_news
