Manpower Demolition founder Fernando Morales reflects on his passion for his job and his drive to help others.
As Oprah Winfrey once remarked, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” This quote is an apt description of the energy that has powered the incredible journey of Fernando Morales, founder of Manpower Demolition.
As a child, Morales spent many hours on construction sites with his father, a builder. At that time, he didn’t fully understand what it all meant, but seeing the whole process of building, deconstruction and rebuilding fascinated him.
Eighteen years after establishing his company, Manpower Demolition Inc. is now one of the biggest names in the demolition industry in Canada. Morales’s journey has been a testament to his hard work, ethics, and, most importantly, his passion for the job he does with all his heart.
Morales started off by working with his father, and went on to work with a prominent demolition company, where he came to realize that his work ethic and commitment to a job well done set him apart in a world where most people rely on shortcuts to save time and money.
Not many successful journeys can be completed without setbacks, and Morales faced many challenges on his road to success, but with his resilience and never-give-up attitude he conquered every obstacle.
When he was new in the business, just making people believe in his potential was a task in itself, he tells City Life in a recent interview, and he had to work at many jobs to establish his reputation and a space for himself in the market.
As he developed his skills in demolition his motivation to build something fresh in the demolition industry grew. He already knew he wanted to create something new by the time he finally founded Manpower Demolition.
He explains the inspiration behind the company name: “Whenever one goes to a site, the first thing people say is that more manpower is needed to do it all,” he says. “I knew my network of hardworking people, who all had the same common problems.” And that’s how Manpower Demolition was born, where manpower stood at the centre and was the solution to the demolition industry’s biggest problem.
“He’s the kind of leader who never forgets where he came from,” says Daniel De Almeida, project coordinator for Manpower Demolition. “Manpower isn’t just a workplace; it’s a family, and that comes from Fernando’s leadership and heart.”
Morales’s team is immensely important to him. As he often does on social media, during our interview he emphasizes that “my team members are never behind me. They are always to my left or right, and I absolutely love them as my family.”
He notes that when something doesn’t excite you, you are bound to feel tired, but that he has always had a lot of energy. If you’re passionate about what you do, it doesn’t feel like work; rather, every single day feels like a new opportunity to reinvent. That’s what sets Manpower Demolition apart from other companies in the demolition industry, he says — in the end, it all boils down to a true love for what he does. You can achieve so many things with an attitude like Morales’s.
“You could have a past, but what matters is what you do after.”
Morales confesses that Manpower Demolition didn’t make any profit in its first three to four years of operation. While that was tough, he says, he took a leap of faith and continued to invest all his heart and energy in the company. He reminisces about how, initially, people would laugh at him and not take him seriously. “Some competitors would just blow me off,” he recalls. But that didn’t stop him.
The defining feature of Manpower Demolition has always been a leader who is honest and real, in the person of Fernando Morales. He leads by example and is actively involved at work. “If there’s a night shift, I am at every night shift. It is unfair to my staff to do night shifts while I sip wine at home with my family,” he says. He makes sure to work consistently alongside his team. Manpower Demolition also promotes the idea of a family culture. For example, all staff members eat together, a simple interaction that helps them know each other better and contribute as a strong team to their work. He cites the ability of everyone to communicate openly and on an equal footing with other members of the team as being very important for a successful business.
He also stresses the value of maintaining a strong work-life balance. While he dedicates himself fully to his work, he emphasizes how important his family is to him. He loves being a family man — whether it’s seeing his daughters in the morning before he leaves for work or having dinner with them, he makes sure to spend quality time with his family.
He credits his family for bringing out the best in him. He highlights how after attending his charity initiatives, his family often messages to tell him how proud they are of him for his philanthropic work. It is their love that motivates him to build an incredible future, not just for them but for the broader community as well.
“I’ve worked alongside Fernando for years, and I’ve seen firsthand how deeply he cares about the people around him,” says Dakota Lepine, project manager and estimator for Manpower Demolition. “Beyond the work, his generosity shows up in everything from helping local families to mentoring the next generation in the trades.”
Morales is increasingly well known for his kindness and his philanthropic ventures. His charitable initiatives have included assisting with the planning and delivery of hurricane relief supplies through Fresh Oil Ministries, a Christian group that provides aid to communities during difficult times, helps out where it is most needed and ensures that vital supplies get to those in need as soon as possible. He has also made a significant difference in people’s lives by contributing $50,000 to the Luso Foundation — he insists that it is an honour to contribute to a charity that gives needy people hope and change and strengthens communities.
He credits his late daughter, who passed away many years ago, as the inspiration behind his community involvement. He describes her as having been an extremely positive soul, someone he still finds strength from when he’s down. Her memory has been his source of day-to-day inspiration. In retrospect, he says, he realizes how much she has passed down to him.
The experience also taught him to acknowledge his past. He strongly believes that everyone has a past that should be accepted. “You could have a past, but what matters is what you do after,” he adds, and says that his own past has empowered him, enabling him to appreciate what he has been through.
When a prisoner completes his sentence, he often expresses gratitude for being able to see goodness and for getting a second chance to start a better life. Similarly, Morales believes that he could have been on the same path or even dead by now, but a higher power is guiding him to do much better than ever before.
Describing his personal goals, he says that his primary motto is to help others. Whenever people at events ask him about his strategies, he always has lots to suggest — that is one of the main reasons he started franchising, he says. He spent a lot of time and money on it and is always willing to guide others, including by being a partner.
The thought of Manpower franchising came when he and his public-relations person, Kevin, were discussing how they could help others. This idea took Morales to Florida, where again he had to go through many ups and downs, including struggling with how to market himself — if he became the face of the company, how was that going to help others? Then, when he got the opportunity to open 20 locations in Florida, he wondered how he would be able to help those 20 different locations. But through a series of discussions and plenty of hard work he finally succeeded.
He attributes his work ethic to his parents, who came to Canada as immigrants and worked around the clock, both day and night shifts. Seeing them work so hard fuelled his passion and motivated him to work hard, too.
“The biggest thing I do with any new venture is be 100 per cent who I am and passionate about it.”
Morales also assumes a strong voice on social media. He notes that he was recognized by someone at a Raptors basketball game, and he feels good when people come up to him and congratulate him for his work. Such gestures fuel him to work harder and give back to the community. “I try to like everyone’s posts and answer all my DMs,” he says. “I want to spread the word of positivity and switch all negatives into positive conversations.”
Morales describes himself as someone who doesn’t stop. He shares, “I walk into new rooms, spin around and leave.” But however brief the encounter, he is sure to have made a strong positive impression. In fact, he approaches everything with positivity, whether that’s in his personal or professional interactions.
He understands that everyone has their own demons, but instead of blaming himself or others when a certain thing doesn’t work, he tries to understand what happened. He tries to learn from mistakes and then come up with something productive from them. And, if lack of money is stopping anyone from building something, he is always willing to come forward and help.
He has advice for young kids who want to make it big — to truly love and be passionate and honest about what they want to build: “The biggest thing I do with any new venture is be 100 per cent who I am — and passionate about it.”
INTERVIEW BY MARC CASTALDO
