By Natasha Rombough, Director of Marketing and Communications, CHBA
There is a new president at the helm of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association this fall. Curtis Mercer is President and CEO of K&P Contracting, a home construction and renovation company. Based in St. John’s, Nfld., the company has undertaken several types of construction in its 50-year history, and is currently focused on building single-family detached homes for first-time buyers.
Those who have the good fortune of meeting Mercer when he travels across the country to local and provincial HBAs in the coming year will find him down to earth, easy to talk to, and keenly interested in learning more about members’ experiences and concerns. He has spent years volunteering at the provincial and national levels of the association, and even filled in at CHBA Newfoundland & Labrador (CHBA-NL) for 1.5 years during the pandemic, giving him a very well-rounded experience.
“I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting people and trying to better understand housing right across the country,” Mercer says about the coming year. “I think it can help guide where we go and what we do as an association, and it’s really maybe a little bit selfish, but I think I can learn a lot that I can put back into my own business.”
The journey of an entrepreneur
“It was always my goal to work for myself,” Mercer says. “I did not like the idea of working for somebody else. It’s driven every part of my career.”
In school, he would take the lunch money his parents had given him and loan it out and collect interest from his friends. Although he didn’t know what industry he would end up in, Curtis knew he didn’t want to be chained to a desk.
He strategically enrolled in a Bachelor of Commerce program with a specialization in small business and entrepreneurship. In addition to learning the ins and outs of business operations, the degree program included developing confidence with public speaking and presentations – skills that he learned well, and that will come in handy during his time as CHBA president.
During his studies, Mercer did co-op work term placements with a department of the federal government that gives out business funding, giving him an inside look at what strong business plans look like. He started a few side hustles while still in school, including helping companies write business plans, and buying and running a picture framing company with a friend.
Before he’d graduated from university, he started working as the town manager of a municipality – the youngest in Newfoundland history. “Everyone looked at me as the young guy, so that was an uphill battle to face,” Mercer reflects. “But looking back, running a municipalty gives a different insight into the building industry and knowing how municipalities are supposed to work. I spent a fair bit of time educating others about permitting and helped a bunch of the towns amend their town plans. When I was working there, I didn’t think the job would ever be related to my long-term career, but that was definitely a pivotal role.”
Taking up the family business
During one of those university co-op jobs, Mercer met his wife, Jennifer, who is the daughter of a homebuilder. Her father, Jack Parsons, founded K&P Contracting in 1976 with his brother-in-law, Francis Keating. Originally a masonry company, they expanded to renovations and new home construction, and occasionally some commercial work as they adapted to the ebbs and flows of the industry.
When K&P Contracting built Curtis and Jennifer’s home, he got personal experience with the homebuilding process. “It seemed like it was interesting,” Mercer says. “Jennifer had grown up in it, and there were always dinner chats with the in-laws about how every day was always different, every client is different, every house is different. It piqued my interest.”
When Parsons started looking towards retirement, he asked Jennifer and Curtis if either of them were interested in taking on the business. Together, they decided that it made sense for Jennifer to keep her steady job in oil and gas to provide stability for their family, while Curtis explored the opportunity. He took a leave of absence from his government job, jumped in as general manager of K&P in 2013 and took over co-ownership of K&P in 2015. Today, he runs the business side of things, while Francis Keeting’s son, Wayne, is their on-site operations manager.
“My father-in-law taught me everything about the industry, who to get to know, who to get involved with,” Mercer says. That included getting involved in CHBA-NL, where K&P Contracting had been a member for almost as long as the association has been around, and which Parsons had previously served as president.
Mercer began attending association events right away, and within a few years was on the provincial board and representing the province at national meetings. “Once I jumped in, to me it was an easy decision with the amount of stuff that you learn. Everybody I’ve met is now a friend. We joke around a whole lot here that other CHBA members are not our competitors. I don’t mind losing a job to another member. We all hate losing jobs to people who undermine the industry and build subpar homes.”
About K&P Contracting
The original owners of K&P Contracting kept their homes on the leading edge of high-performance housing, and became known as the energy efficiency builder in Newfoundland. They built the province’s first EnerGuide-rated house, first Super E house, first R-2000 house and first CHBA Net Zero Ready Home.
Superior home construction is a topic that Mercer is particularly passionate about. When he attends CHBA’s national committee and council meetings, the differences among the provinces are startlingly clear. “A lot of people are talking about regulation and how much time it takes, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. In Newfoundland, we basically come from an area that has no regulations. Be careful what you wish for, because it creates a different set of problems and issues, and it does not give anybody in the industry a level playing field.”
Mercer continues to build energy efficient homes, and additionally describes himself as a conscious builder. He makes sure the business is meeting the needed margins for success, but otherwise keeps prices as low as he can for buyers – not always an easy feat on an island where importing materials adds to costs.
For the past few years, the company has been focused on building small and practical homes, largely for first-time buyers. Their clientele is also downsizers, often Newfoundlanders who have been living in other provinces and are coming home during their retirement.
Future goals
Mercer and his wife Jennifer have three young boys, and he prioritizes being a good parent, including getting involved in the kids’ sports by coaching both hockey and baseball. In his spare time, he enjoys taking out his ATV and motorcycle.
“My goal is to grow the business to a point where I don’t need to be here on a day-to-day basis, and I want to grow it to at least double our capacity per year,” Mercer says.
The business is doing well, but growth during a labour shortage comes with its challenges. To counteract the shortfall, the company has implemented panelization, which means they don’t need as many framers and they can be more effective with their time on-site.
Until he can spend more time on his motorcycle, Mercer is happy with the variety that building and renovating brings to his days. “Every day is a little different. There’s no monotony. I’m dealing with different clients, different builds, different houses. So, every day brings its own little spice of life. You don’t really know what’s going to come, so it’s an interesting thing.”
Fast facts
Company Name: K&P Contracting Ltd.
Head Office: St. John’s, Nfld.
Full Time Employees: 4
Approx. Gross Revenue: $4 M
Projects per year: 7-10
Coming CHBA Events
Fall 2025
Call for Entries for the 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence
May 4-8, 2026
CHBA Home Building Week
Quebec City
