episode 037: Craig Pearce

There is a deep kindness that emanates from Craig Pearce that you feel the moment you meet him. The founder of beloved custom furniture company Union Wood Co. also recently launched a new product brand Goodland, which are objects for a slow, considered life. His family moved from Toronto to Vancouver when he was five-years-old - his father was in banking and was relocated. As a kid, Craig grew up in West Vancouver skateboarding and snowboarding - and he was creative even back then, a trait he inherited from his mom. Craig began his road to becoming a firefighter after a pivotal moment on a trip to New Zealand in his early 20s - something he still does full-time. Founding Union Wood Co. in 2009 came by organically, after a stint living in Big White, Kelowna, as a volunteer firefighter, while doing carpentry on the side. In this conversation, we discuss how he expressed his creativity through drawing as a kid; his journey to becoming a firefighter for the past 16-plus years and his love for his second family at the firehall; why he loves building things with his hands and how he’s entirely self-taught; the ins and outs of scaling his businesses; the immersive design & production process of his team at Union Wood Co.; how the slow down of the pandemic sparked the idea for Goodland and the product launching soon (a wood fired hot tub); what he loves about his wife Kendra; why moving half as fast means you notice twice as much; and more.