In the Sharp family, they start them young. Which makes sense, because according to Kevin Sharp, you don’t find a love for the deep foundation business until you’re out there in the field.
Kevin is sandwiched right in the middle of three generations of Sharps who have drilled holes for decades. His father, Joey M., started as a rig swamper when he was a teenager. Both Kevin and his son, Joey D., began helping the family business at age 12, inspired by their fathers before them. “I’m the second generation, so I see myself as a bridge between how the industry was built and where it’s going,” Kevin told Piling Canada.
“My dad’s generation was about hands-on experience. My generation is about formalizing that knowledge through training and certification, trying to meet today’s expectations for safety and quality. With my son, Joey [D.], our perspectives tend to differ around methods – so experience versus formal processes. But our generations are all strongly aligned on safety, quality and pride in work – we all have that in common.”
First generation: Joey M. Sharp
The Sharp family’s drilling legacy began when Joey M., now 84, took his first industry job at 17 in 1958. “I ended up swamping on a drill rig and thought that for a farm kid, it seemed like a good thing,” he recounted. “I really enjoyed it.”
In 1983, Joey M. and his son, Kevin, established Sharp’s Construction in the Greater Edmonton Area, in Alberta. Always one to work with his hands, Joey M. enjoyed fixing construction machinery and inventing homemade solutions to on-the-job challenges.
“We were in the small end of it. We started out with small equipment like skid steers and doing tight access drilling,” he said. “That’s where we were until we bought our Watson 2100 in 1999, and it wasn’t a monster compared to what they’re running with now.”
Joey M. winters in Victoria, B.C., where he keeps a keen eye on local foundation work. “I’m like an old hound running around here – somebody’s over here drilling, and somebody’s over there drilling, and I’m looking at what they’re doing. You have a piece of property not much bigger than someone’s backyard, and they’re going to put a 10-storey building on it. They go down three storeys, so you need a wall there to hold the soil back. We would have never been able to do it with the equipment we had,” Joey M. said.
He says today’s computerized drilling technology is both a blessing and a concern. “Before, there were no computers,” he said. “If an operator said he felt a vibration in his left cheek, the mechanic went to the left side of the machine and found the problem. Today, they’re paying attention to a computer. I think if they don’t listen to some of the old lads who are still around, they’ll lose their hands-on knowledge.
“We might have different opinions on the small things, but on major things, we have the same voice, and we are very passionate about it.”
Joey D. Sharp
“I don’t think operators today have as good a feel for their equipment as they should have. You need to understand the type of material you’re sitting on. You need to know that the guy down in the mud in front of you, he’s the one who is keeping you going.” He acknowledges that the industry needs to attract young people – who don’t need a university degree to enter the industry – and is also frank about treating new recruits with respect.
“We need to show young people how they can move up, and make sure they get on-the-ground training,” Joey M. said. On the other hand, the industry veteran strongly condemns cell phones on the jobsite. “Take those away – I see way too much of that out there. I saw a guy the other day lifting steel with a big crane; he was on his phone steady,” he said.
Second generation: Kevin Sharp
Currently the Western Canadian account manager at Equipment Corporation of America Canada in Edmonton, Alta., Kevin, 62, has collected nearly 50 years of deep foundation experience. “When I was young, the industry was more experience-driven and less formalized,” he said. “As far as the workforce, a lot of guys came from the farms. Today, the major industry growth is in technology, project complexity and safety expectations.”
By the early 1990s, Kevin was running the office at Sharp’s Construction. Around 1993, he obtained his National Construction Safety Officer designation through the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA), and his career continued to evolve. Kevin believes the biggest positive shift in the deep foundations industry has been a move toward standardized training and education.
“[My dad] allowed me the time to become involved in the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC) and the ACSA,” recalled Kevin. “One of my major highlights over the years has been developing the nine-module Foundation Drill Rig Operator program with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.”
Kevin also worked alongside the ADSC to help build a drill rig operator certification program through the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators – the only program of its kind in North America to earn American National Standards Institute accreditation. “In Alberta, there are five approved pathways for designation and training,” he explained. “My son, Joey [D.], and I are working together in Alberta for drill rig operators to become certified [tradespeople]. That certification will mark a big generational change.”
As weather patterns intensify and construction becomes ever more complex, Kevin says his son’s generation will be challenged with “bridging the gap between what’s engineered on paper and what can realistically be put in the ground.”
“When I do get to talk about that connection, I feel a lot of pride. When I get to say, ‘I’m Kevin Sharp’s kid,’ or ‘Joe Sharp’s my grandpa,’ there’s a pretty big smile on my face.”
Joey D. Sharp
He says this requires a better alignment with the quality assurance (QA) community. “QA is essential, but it needs to reflect the realities of foundation drilling and equipment capabilities that are driven by site conditions,” he said. As for new recruits, Kevin says they must have a combination of hands-on experience, technical knowledge and a strong safety awareness.
“They don’t just need to know how to operate the equipment. They need to understand the methods that are used and how decisions in the field affect the overall project. I don’t think you’ll get that without mentorship and structured training programs. Bottom line, though: There’s a career waiting for you here – that’s the message.”
Third generation: Joey D. Sharp
Joey D., now 38, remembers pushing a broom at Sharp’s Construction when he was 12. “I helped my dad and grandpa out around the shop as much as I could,” he recalled. “My jungle gym used to be the rigs. I thought it was fun to climb on them and pretend to be the operator.”
Joey D. has been in the industry full time since age 17. Today, he works for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in Sherwood Park, Alta., in the Curriculum Development and Instruction department. “I’ve done everything from ground guy in front of a Bobcat to ground guy in front of the biggest rigs in Western Canada,” he said. “I’ve drilled with anything from a Bobcat with a homemade attachment that my grandfather made, to a Bauer BG40, which is the biggest rig I’ve run.”
When he reflects on working with the two generations before him, Joey D. is candid. “As a teenager, I didn’t realize the wealth of knowledge I had in front of me with the two men [who] came before me. Truth be told, me and my father butted heads because I never really looked at him as my boss. Live and learn!” he said.
While Joey M. liked building and fixing machinery, Joey D. preferred to operate his grandfather’s inventions. “I once drilled a hole about 42 feet deep and 30 inches across, using a Bobcat with collapsible extensions that my grandfather built. He built these extensions with latches. They had to be put in a certain way. With that Bobcat attachment my grandfather made, I ended up in all sorts of weird places doing holes you wouldn’t think you could do with a Bobcat,” he said. He also remembers his grandfather building an excavator on a rubber track, with a drill in front. “I learned a lot from drilling with the smaller machines.”
Since his career began, Joey D. says the holes have only been getting bigger. “The machines are getting bigger, and the piles are getting deeper,” he said. “The way engineering is going, we’re beefing things up a lot more – and the higher you go up, the lower you have to go with your foundations.”
Like his father, Kevin, Joey D. sees the benefit of formal industry certifications. Today, he is chair and his father is vice-chair of the Foundation Drill Rig Certification Initiative – a sector-led effort to build a mandatory industry certification framework. “I’m union, and my dad works for the non-union – he’s the voice of the industry from the ADSC,” said Joey D. “I feel we’ve come together a lot better and built this initiative with 14 other companies. We might have different opinions on the small things, but on major things, we have the same voice, and we are very passionate about it. We want this to be a standalone trade.”
Joey D. is proud to be the third generation of a Western Canadian drilling family. “When I do get to talk about that connection, I feel a lot of pride,” he concluded. “When I get to say, ‘I’m Kevin Sharp’s kid,’ or ‘Joe Sharp’s my grandpa,’ there’s a pretty big smile on my face.”
Reflecting on his years in the business, Kevin shared with Piling Canada in July 2025 that his biggest career “win” was simply working with his family. “It wasn’t easy, it was a challenge – but that is my biggest win,” Kevin said.