In 1987 Ned Johnson was attending university in Ontario and building decks to make money during the summer. At the time, he had no idea what he was doing except that he loved working with wood and being outside.

After graduation and on his way to an interview, he dropped his butter-covered bagel on his suit pants and splashed coffee all over his white dress shirt and tie. Ned recalls, “I don’t like shaving, getting dressed up or commuting. That was when I thought, if I was still building decks, none of this would have mattered.”

He soon applied to work with a custom home builder as a labourer as he had no formal construction training. With an appetite to learn, he went to the local college and continued to learn each day in the field. Ned recalls, “Soon I was given the chance to do more and I never looked back.”

Ned decided to move to west, and after a few years, he was running job sites building beautiful homes all over Whistler. In 2000, Ned and his employer decided to start a partnership, creating Innovation Building Group as they were always looking for more advanced ways to build.

In 2002 Ned and his wife Rachelle started to think about making a move. They travelled to many British Columbia towns on weekends and holidays, looking for the perfect place to settle down, when their company got the opportunity to manage the construction of a hotel at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

The Johnsons now live on the outskirts of Golden, surrounded by an expanse of wilderness with endless options for exploration and no traffic except for the deer and elk crossing through their property. “In many towns we did not feel as welcome or as encouraged to call that particular place home. In Whistler I found that it took many years to feel a part of the local fabric, whereas Golden was a much quicker transition” Ned says on the experience of moving to Golden. “We are continually amazed by the variety of cultural events offered here, and most importantly, the warm and friendly people”.

Innovation Building Group continues to thrive and grow with new projects always on the horizon. “The Town of Golden is open to business development and always supportive of business initiatives. There are plenty of opportunities in a town that is transitioning to a first-rate tourist destination.”