See the man in the red, blue, and yellow jacket? That’s my father. The little boy below him, that’s me. I don’t often post personal stories about myself and especially about my family, but here it is.

Around this time, my father took me around everywhere he went. I was stuck by his side, but at this exact time, life wasn’t easy. At this moment, I probably didn’t understand the magnitude of what was happening to the economy, but as I grew older, I began to understand. My father is the hardest-working man I know. He wakes up early, goes to bed late, works like he has something to prove and most importantly when a day’s work comes to an end, he puts it aside and all that matters now, is his family. That is who I looked up to. That is who I wanted to be.

Let’s push it back a bit. My father is a bricklayer, a 3rd generation bricklayer, one of the best. He worked as a bricklayer in Italy and when he moved to Canada, he became a bricklayer here as well. I couldn’t have been older than 8 years old when my father would bring me to job sites on the weekends. Surprising to some, I loved it. What 8-year-old enjoys mixing mortar and lifting brick? Things continued like this for a while, and I kept with it. But one day, it stopped. I didn’t understand why my father wasn’t bringing me to work with him anymore. Was he upset? Did I do something wrong? No, not at all. Due to the economic recession, in which construction was hit hard, he lost his job, the job he loved, the job I loved doing with him. I was never told what the situation was and why I wasn’t going to work with him on weekends anymore. Maybe he didn’t want me to worry?

As time passed, my father went out every day, for months, searching for work, and eventually, he was given an opportunity. The first week of starting his new bricklaying job, his boss told him “I wish I met you years ago. I wish I had 5 of you”. This was the kind of person my father is. Determined, hungry and always thankful for his given opportunities.

As terrible as my first flyer looked, it worked. I was able to do what I loved the most. It allowed my father and I to bring back those weekends that suddenly stopped, the days where it was him and I, mixing mud, laying bricks, and having small talk. This lit a fire under me, and I went all in.

D’Agui Masonry became an established business in 2008. My Father laid brick by my side for a few years, but eventually, the trade got to him, and physically, he could no longer do this anymore. It’s a beautiful trade, but it sure wears you down. It was heartbreaking. I was alone. I didn’t stop. I had to successfully brand myself as the 4th generation mason in my family. I woke up early each day, and went to bed late. If emails or calls had to be made, they were made, and when a day’s work was over, I spent the remainder of the day with my family. I couldn’t thank my father enough. I want to thank him for his time, his support, his knowledge, and the love he had for me and his family. My father moulded me into the skilled bricklayer I am today and the man I am today.

Throughout the years, the thousands of jobs completed, growth in our company, and reputation, D’Agui Masonry Inc. is a well-known, 5-star, award-winning masonry, and bricklaying business in Ottawa. We have built thousands of close relationships with clients, contractors, and businesses both residential and commercial. Our skills, quality, and workmanship make us stand out from the rest. Our work and client testimonials reflect this.

Our business began with a vision, a passion, a hunger, and a feeling that can either make or break you. Once from father to son, now from son to father, I am the man in the red, blue, and yellow jacket. 

Written By: Gregory D’Agui, Owner of D’Agui Masonry