Successful People from Our Neighborhood - Yevgen Aleksyeyenko
Yevgen Aleksyeyenko, owner-operator, Polaris Transportation - www.polaristransport.com, runs tractor-trailer on the route Mississauga, ON - Buffalo, NY, 5 days a week, married, father of 6 month old beauty, lives in Toronto, responsible hard-worker and rain-maker
Yevgen, how long have you been in Canada and where are you originally from?
I remember this day very clearly, it was June 22, 2004, I took a flight from Lugansk, Ukraine. My brother Max and my Mom met me at the airport. They came to Canada in March same year and I had to come later as I was graduating from the University.
What was your dream as a child?
I wanted to become a sailor, a captain of a big ocean liner. When I was little I saw it on TV, captain on board, wearing white suite - I wanted to be like him.
Well, from what I can see - your dream almost came true - you are a captain of a road liner! But what was your first job in Canada?
My first job was in a car repair shop. My next job was in residential construction - to be honest it wasn't even about the money, I was learning something new every day and trying to improve the process, make it more effective. It was a very hard work, exhausting; we were installing aluminum and siding for the newly built houses.
Could you recall a funny story for us?
I was around 18 and a lucky owner of a little inflatable boat. 2 of my buddies came over and invited myself (and my boat) to a cottage. I sure agreed. When we arrived, there was a field of weeds up to my waist and a tiny firewood shed in the back corner of the lot, which was proudly called “cottage”. My friends noticed a look on my face and one of them quickly suggested that we shall go to the village where he knew some girls. At 18 village and girls as opposed to a firewood shed sounded like a great plan. Apparently it was about 2.5-3 hours by boat to get there. So, we got in a boat…. It was about 11 pm. Around 6 am I started wondering where was the village…. We got out of the boat and my friend said we were just a short walk away. 8 hours!!! later we got to the village - all this time walking and carrying a 50 kg boat. So, 3 hours turned into 15-hour adventure. I don't remember whether we met any girls there, but I know I slept for about 24 hours straight!
Do you like to travel and where would you like to go?
I would really like to see Grand Canyon, and Halifax, and Florida, and France!
What do you like to do when you have some spare time?
I like doing things around the house - it is always pleasure, fixing, improving something. I just finished working on my new front porch - did everything from scratch - concrete, patio stones. It was new for me, so getting it right gave me great satisfaction.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
I really hate working with lazy and immature people, people who don't want to be responsible for the work they do and sit at work all day waiting for 5 pm to come by.
What is the best part of the job?
Freedom and independence! I mean financial independence. I work hard and I get paid well. I am also treated with respect.
This is extremely important to feel valued, to know your hard work is appreciated. You are quite lucky to have all this. And what is success for you?
Success is when you like what you do, you set goals and achieve them. You have your goals and you are thinking every day, trying to find ways of getting there.
What would you still like to achieve?
I would like to build a house, all on my own.
Is there anything you are afraid of?
Yes, illness.
And as a part of our project “Happy Houses for Happy Families”, what is HOME for you?
My home is my fortress, a large part of me. Not every house is a home. Sometimes you walk into a house and everything looks ok, but something just does not feel right. You have to invest a big part of your heart to turn the house into a home. Home is a place where my family is waiting for me.
Compliments of Marina Gavrylyuk
Real Estate Agent with Sutton Group Summit Realty
MarinaG.ca
Yevgen, how long have you been in Canada and where are you originally from?
I remember this day very clearly, it was June 22, 2004, I took a flight from Lugansk, Ukraine. My brother Max and my Mom met me at the airport. They came to Canada in March same year and I had to come later as I was graduating from the University.
What was your dream as a child?
I wanted to become a sailor, a captain of a big ocean liner. When I was little I saw it on TV, captain on board, wearing white suite - I wanted to be like him.
Well, from what I can see - your dream almost came true - you are a captain of a road liner! But what was your first job in Canada?
My first job was in a car repair shop. My next job was in residential construction - to be honest it wasn't even about the money, I was learning something new every day and trying to improve the process, make it more effective. It was a very hard work, exhausting; we were installing aluminum and siding for the newly built houses.
Could you recall a funny story for us?
I was around 18 and a lucky owner of a little inflatable boat. 2 of my buddies came over and invited myself (and my boat) to a cottage. I sure agreed. When we arrived, there was a field of weeds up to my waist and a tiny firewood shed in the back corner of the lot, which was proudly called “cottage”. My friends noticed a look on my face and one of them quickly suggested that we shall go to the village where he knew some girls. At 18 village and girls as opposed to a firewood shed sounded like a great plan. Apparently it was about 2.5-3 hours by boat to get there. So, we got in a boat…. It was about 11 pm. Around 6 am I started wondering where was the village…. We got out of the boat and my friend said we were just a short walk away. 8 hours!!! later we got to the village - all this time walking and carrying a 50 kg boat. So, 3 hours turned into 15-hour adventure. I don't remember whether we met any girls there, but I know I slept for about 24 hours straight!
Do you like to travel and where would you like to go?
I would really like to see Grand Canyon, and Halifax, and Florida, and France!
What do you like to do when you have some spare time?
I like doing things around the house - it is always pleasure, fixing, improving something. I just finished working on my new front porch - did everything from scratch - concrete, patio stones. It was new for me, so getting it right gave me great satisfaction.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
I really hate working with lazy and immature people, people who don't want to be responsible for the work they do and sit at work all day waiting for 5 pm to come by.
What is the best part of the job?
Freedom and independence! I mean financial independence. I work hard and I get paid well. I am also treated with respect.
This is extremely important to feel valued, to know your hard work is appreciated. You are quite lucky to have all this. And what is success for you?
Success is when you like what you do, you set goals and achieve them. You have your goals and you are thinking every day, trying to find ways of getting there.
What would you still like to achieve?
I would like to build a house, all on my own.
Is there anything you are afraid of?
Yes, illness.
And as a part of our project “Happy Houses for Happy Families”, what is HOME for you?
My home is my fortress, a large part of me. Not every house is a home. Sometimes you walk into a house and everything looks ok, but something just does not feel right. You have to invest a big part of your heart to turn the house into a home. Home is a place where my family is waiting for me.
Compliments of Marina Gavrylyuk
Real Estate Agent with Sutton Group Summit Realty
MarinaG.ca