Heith Martin: Bringing together top skills in construction, design and food & beverage

I had a great discussion with Heith Martin, co-owner and co-founder of one of my favourite pubs in the entire city, FSH! You can listen to Episode 13 of the I Love Kelowna Podcast here. If you enjoyed this episode, an iTunes review would be SO appreciated! https://tinyurl.com/y8jax3xb SHOW NOTES Heith was born and raised in Regina. Started in the restaurant business as a dishwasher and delivery driver at Boston Pizza at the age of 16. Got into the nightclub business, first as a busser, because he was not as large as the bouncers when he was still a teenager. Went to university in the States, then came back to Regina and got a job at Checkers Nightclub as a doorman for 4/5 years. Learned all about the food and beverage business including fundraising, event promotion and so on. So 4-5 of his colleagues and he decided to open their own nightclub in 2001. In the meantime he was a volunteer football and basketball coach, always giving back to the community. In year two they bought a building and opened a second nightclub, this time in Moose Jaw. The biggest mistake was buying everything retail and for cash. Opening a pizza joint in Rutland. Getting into the construction business in Kelowna, which was something he actually first learned as a pre-teen in Regina, building his own treehouse and skateboarding half-pipe. Their renovations work on the bar was so impressive that people started to ask him to build decks, garages, and small houses. Construction crew peaks at 41 workers. We discuss some of his most impressive projects. Returns to Regina in 2011 to help some friends build a great pub. Again, people were so impressed with his work that he landed one construction contract after another, quite often for pubs and restaurants. Out of frustration for the cookie-cutter mold that franchises force you to stick to, he started a search for a Kelowna location that he could craft into his own vision. That’s how the fantastic FSH location was discovered and built out. Created an “old building” feel with all new construction. The Cask & Flankin Pub at Fenway Park in Boston was inspiration for the name Flask Social House. Hear about Heath’s favourite and least-favourite parts of the food and beverage industry. The keys to success: hire right, do lots of research, make alliances, and work very hard in a hands-on way, and always be ready to give back to the community A big shoutout to Sheldon Gardiner from Do Some Good!