From maintenance to consulting services, Trevor Fus has covered all the bases regarding working at heights in his career. As an Ascend Rope Access Inc. business owner, Trevor leads the way in the newest form of safe practices. Technicians and apprentices have collectively spent over ten thousand hours working at heights and knowledge-based evaluations ensuring they can conduct their work safely.
The company even has adorable merch to choose from if you’re a fan; the branding is minimal and modern. I had the chance to connect with Trevor and understand more about the Ascend Rope Access company and its direction.
Where did your passion for working at heights come from?
“My passion for heights came early in my Fire service career. I was resuming buildings to obtain a full-time career as a firefighter. I took a Rope Rescue course [in 2007] that taught me how to perform rescues at height. From the first time I crawled over the edge, I was hooked. Since then, I have pursued various avenues that have allowed me to operate my business today. I love the challenges of completing a project that may require a high degree of technical rigging. We provide a safer, efficient, and economical method of working at heights.”
What made you want to start your own business?
“I have worked in many industries that utilize the skills I have developed over the years. I found a lot of companies focusing on the bottom line while safety is being pushed aside for production. Knowing how revolutionary Rope Access is, I decided to start my own company to ensure I could do things the right way.
We operate within the standards an international governing body sets constantly changing. The Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) is constantly updating and improving the way we work at heights.”
What defining feature makes your business stand out from your competitors?
“The biggest thing that allows us to stand out from our competitors is that we are a 100% certified Rope Access company. There are companies still utilizing outdated techniques that take the focus from safety. SPRAT operates like any apprenticeship.
Technicians must complete a rigorous weeklong course with an independent assessment to begin their journey. Hours are carefully logged and signed off during their apprenticeship, allowing them to progress. It takes hundreds of on-rope hours to reach the next level.”
“I believe that using certified technicians, who have proven what it takes to excel at our craft, makes us safer and more reliable than our competitors. We take great pride in offering the highest quality of work, matched with great teamwork and crews that are easy to work with.”
What future growth prospects does your company hold?
“The future of Ascend will see us offering a variety of services we are providing currently, on a much bigger scale. We are already looking at expansion across Ontario and Canada. We are expanding our services to include a full line of Residential cleaning options – both exterior and interior services. Furthermore, a training shop space that offers a variety of courses which will cover safety courses such as a CPO-approved Working at Heights and First Aid is also in the works.”
“Our biggest goal is to bring Rope Access to the forefront of working at heights here in Ontario. As our cities grow and engineers push the envelope with their constructions, we want to be a leader in maintaining buildings that are yet to be built. We are currently working on projects that are as tall as 800 feet and are in the planning process of the tallest condo building to be built in the GTA.”
Who are your ideal clients, and why?
“We are starting 2022 with two divisions. Our residential services will offer our services to anyone who requires a helping hand around their homes. We offer services ranging from exterior window cleaning, pressure washing, siding/brick cleaning, and a full line of interior cleaning options. We take the same pride in our residential and commercial work. As for our high-rise maintenance division, we offer an array of services aside from standard window cleaning.”
“We offer full-service pressure washing, from ground to the top floor, window caulking, inspection consulting and many more! We find property managers love working with us because we communicate well and are a one-stop-shop.”
What is the favourite part of your job working as a heights business owner?
“The greatest part of being on this business adventure is our crew. The most important thing to me is a company that has happy employees. We have accumulated great crew members that bring a lot of experience, knowledge, and energy to the table.
I am very fortunate to have employees who offer excellent insights, pay attention to details, and continually impress our properties and clients. With the amount of competition out there, our crew must show up and be of the highest quality while building and maintaining relationships.”
“Whether a homeowner or a manager of multiple high-rises, we strive to be the best. Running a business behind the scenes is stressful and requires hard work. Having our employees enjoy working here makes it worth it.
It makes me want to work harder to improve their quality of life at work. We communicate well and often share ideas amongst everyone to ensure we are doing things most safely and efficiently.”
Author: Kayla Stephens, Content Writer, Toronto, Canada. If you have any stories or comments, kindly email: – kstephens755@gmail.com
