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The Kettle River Beam Team

The team at Kettle River Timberworks comes from a varied educational background in engineering, biology, mathematics and wood science. Together they share a common passion for building incredible timber homes, amazing craftsmanship and exceeding all clients’ expectations.

Dave Petrina

Company Founder & Owner

Dave wears several hats at Kettle River – CAD geek, project manager, sales guy and just about everything else, though he most enjoys time spent in the field putting up frames. Dave graduated with Honours in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University and moved on to a career in the sawmill industry in British Columbia.  From there, Dave moved into the high technology industry developing fuel cell vehicles. Dave got hooked on timber framing after building a timber frame cabin for his family near Manning Park in 1998.  Shortly after, he quit his high tech engineering job and started Kettle River Timberworks to pursue the dream.

When Dave isn’t on some remote island putting up a timber frame, he enjoys skiing with his wife and two children, going on mountain biking trips and hiking.

Michael O’Shaughnessy

Project Manager

Michael grew up on the west coast of Ireland and moved to Canada in 2012. Coming from a family of seasoned builders, he was surrounded with reclaimed timber and architectural salvage from a young age. Owing to this he developed a keen appreciation for quality craftsmanship and naturally fell in love with the art of timber framing. Michael studied Structural Engineering in University College Cork and graduated with an Honours degree in 2010. Since moving to Canada he has been working in the field of heavy timber construction as a carpenter and project coordinator and couldn’t be happier. He is combining two of his passions: timber work and creating beautiful structures.

Michael spends as much time as he can in the outdoors – in the mountains or on the water.  Any given weekend you can find him and his fiancée Danielle working in their garden or on a west coast adventure, usually camping or canoeing along one of B.C.’s many lakes in his hand built canoe.

Rebecca McCleery

Timber Frame Designer

Eleven-year-old Rebecca was quoted in her hometown newspaper saying “when I grow up, I want to be an architect.”  Years later while attending the University of Toronto, she truly felt the power of a carefully crafted built environment and focused her studies on architecture where she graduated with an Honours degree in architectural design with Distinction.

It wasn’t until Rebecca’s passion for adventure brought her to the logging town of Squamish in 2012, where the warmth and magnificence of timber frame homes truly inspired her.  Using natural timbers that are both a structural requisite and architectural feature continues to motivate Rebecca, especially when paired with contemporary design.

When not working behind her computer or connecting with clients to help weave their dreams into reality, Rebecca can be found on a sailboat crossing the pacific, cruising the Mediterranean, or at anchor waiting out a storm before continuing her race to Alaska.

Matt Conard

Install Crew

Matt was born and raised on Vancouver Island. He is a Red Seal Journeyman with over 10 years of timber frame and fine woodworking experience. He truly enjoys creating timber frames that showcase west coast timber so well.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys many outdoor activities such as mountain biking, snowboarding and especially fishing. Matt currently resides in Victoria with his wife and young son.

Curtis Cammaert

Install Crew

Curtis is a long time member of the Beam Team who joined our crew years ago from the East coast.  Born in Ontario and a graduate from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Curtis is a jack of all trades and a man with many passions.  He was also a Forest Fire Fighter and our certified First Aid crew member for many years.  With strong construction and roofing background, Curtis is an asset and overall great guy to have on our crew.  We can always count on him to keep morale high with his humour and positive outlook on life.

A free-spirit by nature, when Curtis isn’t working, you will most likely find him on a surfing adventure with his wife Jenny and adorable daughter Tesha.

Angela Veel

Office Manager, Administration and Marketing

Moving from Toronto, Angela has found a home with Kettle River.  With a degree from The University of Western Ontario in Business Administration, she maintains the office operations and marketing side of the business.  She also handles logistics and assists clients with decisions required throughout the design process.  Since her start with Kettle River over 10 years ago, she has taken on more and more responsibility within the company and has proven to be an invaluable asset to the team.

When not working, you can find Angela spending time with her family in their vegetable garden, at the beach enjoying the west coast scenery or improving her mountain biking skills as she loves it, but admits she isn’t very good…yet!