Chris Barmby’s journey into the concrete finishing trade wasn’t exactly planned — in fact, he more or less stumbled into it back in 2007. After uprooting from Cranbrook and moving to the big city of Edmonton with his family, he took a concrete job to hold him over for a couple of weeks… or so he thought. What was supposed to be a temporary gig quickly turned into a full-blown passion.

That two-week job snowballed into over 12 years of hands-on experience across Alberta and Southern BC. In Edmonton, Chris honed his skills in the commercial world — finishing massive floors for big box stores, parkades, high-rises, and shop floors. Most days saw him pouring and finishing 10,000 to 30,000 square feet, often working 60 to 100 hours a week. Grueling? Absolutely. But he loved it.

There was just one problem: Chris wasn’t built for the city grind. The hectic pace and endless noise of Edmonton wore on him and his wife, and it wasn’t long before they knew they had to head back home to Cranbrook.

With a solid trade under his belt, Chris figured he could move back and continue supporting his family. But reality hit hard — the finishing scene in Cranbrook was nothing like Edmonton. The only job available was with a two-man crew, and consistent hours were nearly impossible to come by. Supporting a family on a finisher’s wage quickly became unsustainable.

After two tough years, a new opportunity called — this time in Cold Lake, Alberta. Chris packed up again and spent the next four years finishing concrete across Northern Alberta, gaining experience on everything from small residential jobs to large commercial and oilfield projects. He eventually led the finishing crew and even served as foreman for the entire place-and-finish division.

Then came the oil crash.

With the company built around the oil industry, the writing was on the wall. Chris returned once again to Cranbrook, where he worked for a company based out of Creston. The wage was fair, but it came at the cost of long days and constant travel to the West Kootenays — Trail, Castlegar, Nelson, Kaslo, Revelstoke. After two years of that grind, Chris knew it was time for a change if he wanted to stay local.

He spent the next few years working at the mines, driving an explosives truck — but the itch never went away. Concrete was in his blood. On days off, he’d still help friends and family pour, just to stay close to it.

Eventually, Chris took a job driving mixer truck for Salvador Ready Mix. It was during this time that the seeds for Bulldog Concrete were planted. From the driver’s seat, he got a front-row view of what was really happening in the East Kootenay concrete scene — and it didn’t sit right.

He noticed three big problems:

1. A number of so-called “concrete contractors” were doing subpar work.

2. There was a major shortage of experienced finishers in the region.

3. Some contractors were taking advantage of the shortage, charging sky-high prices for mediocre results.

Chris had seen enough. He decided it was time to step up and do things differently — to provide East Kootenay residents with high-quality concrete finishing, fair pricing, and honest work.

He saw the gaps, felt the frustration, and built something better. Bulldog Concrete isn’t just a business — it’s a promise to do it right.