Reinvention – Where it all began

On a cold winter evening in 2017, A Few Good Lads was born on the back of a napkin in a taco restaurant in Vancouver, B.C. After another disappointing temp-labour experience on the job site and much debate, our Company founders Shane Breen and Matt Roberts knew there had to be a better way. With 20 years of experience in Vancouver’s construction industry between them, they agreed that the traditional temporary labour agency model was frustrating and lacked accountability and quality. It was time to reinvent temporary labour and deliver better value to employers and workers.

Work locally, think internationally

Having struggled consistently to find the workforce to deliver projects on time and within budget, Matt and Shane developed a framework to source new talent and to provide a sustainable solution to the labour shortage in Canada. From that day onwards, our newly formed business committed to a hiring experience that puts our clients and workers first. Collectively, Matt and Shane have over 45 years of construction management and recruitment experience across five continents. From running commercial and residential building projects in the UK, to creating non-profit construction projects in India and managing blue-collar recruitment agencies in small mining towns throughout Australia and New Zealand, they understand both construction and recruitment. The Company’s ethos is to work locally and think internationally. Our transatlantic, strategic partnerships, give us access to pools of international workers, and we have boots on the ground in multiple countries to source candidates for positions that are difficult to fill in the local labour market.

People and community

Whether we’re working with locally sourced staff or newly landed immigrants to Canada, community is at our core. Our belief is that for people to be at their best at work, they need the support of a good community of like-minded people. When you join the team at A Few Good Lads, you are a part of our community and all of the activities, support and opportunities that come along with that.

Our bedrock values

The bedrock of A Few Good Lads is safety, accountability, and a healthy work ethic. We understand that day labour is abundant, but quality is scarce. We operate based on quality over quantity – treating our partners and workers in an empowering and respectful manner is all of our business.