'PETERBOROUGH HAS BEEN IN MY BLOOD,' SAYS CRAIG MORTLOCK

MORTLOCK IS 1 OF 9 INDUCTEES INTO THE JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT BUSINESS HALL OF FAME IN 2023

Three generations of Mortlocks have owned the family business, though it wasn't always predestined it would end up in Craig Mortlock's hands.

But growing up in a construction family, it's hard to stay away from the trade. By 16, he was already working at the business.

"My father owned the business with my uncle, but they bought the business from my grandfather and he bought the business from his brother," said Mortlock, owner of Mortlock Construction.

This reflection comes as he is being inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of

Fame. He is also a director at large of the Peterborough Construction Association.

Mortlock's history with the business began the moment he turned 16, as he worked for his family's company through high school and college.

There was an attraction to the physical, hands-on nature of the job. He wasn't expected to be a part of the business; neither of his siblings were interested in it, he says. But he loved it.

He says he appreciated "the pride of what you could accomplish in a day."

In post-secondary school, he took a technical engineering program at Algonquin College. After school, he went to work in Ottawa as a structural steel detailer.

During this period he met his wife, Ashley. The two would move to London, where he took another engineering job.

In 2006, he returned to Peterborough to get back into the family business.

"It was not a flashy role," said Mortlock, noting he "cut (his)

teeth" on small projects and running sites as a project co-ordinator.

From there, he would take on more responsibilities. In 2016, he formally bought out his uncle and took over Mortlock Construction.

"It felt great, we had been talking about finally doing that for a long time," he said.

In some ways it felt like little had changed, he says. But there was also the added burden of managing all of the company's employees and knowing their livelihoods rested on his decisions.

"That can be a challenge; it can feel like a lot sometimes," he said.

But it helps knowing he has the support, especially of his father Tom and his wife.

"I wouldn't be here today in my life without my wife," he said.

For any young people looking to take up leadership roles, Mortlock has some advice.

"Make sure you choose your career path based on where your passion lies and what is going to make you happy and fulfilled professionally," he said. "Try to hold onto that fire that fuels you and try not to lose that, and you're always going to be learning and always going to be going further."