Getting to know: Frank Melo, Director, Summit Steel Buildings

As part of a closer look at the people behind your next construction project, we interview Summit Steel Buildings’ leadership team…

Engineer, father, adventurer, gastronome. Frank Melo loves to experience as much of what the world has to offer. From the work ethic he learned from his father to cooking in the kitchen with his family, his Portuguese background has influenced how he views the world, the value of strong relationships and the passion to enjoy the bounty of his hard work.

Frank fondly remembers the soul-warming aroma of freshly baked breads and stewing meats. Growing up, he spent his early childhood on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, an archipelago made up of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,400 km (870 mi) west of Lisbon.

Although Frank was only two when his family immigrated to Canada, memories are not the only thing that remain of those early days. Frank still speaks Portuguese and chooses to order fresh fish whenever he can. He will tell you he is an introvert, yet his love of athletics (cycling, squash and lifting weights) will draw out his adventurous side. Frank admits he is always the first to volunteer to go rock climbing or explore other adrenalin-pumping activities.

As a business owner and contractor, Frank brings over 25 years of experience from his construction, civil engineering technology and business background. A key partner of the Summit Steel Buildings leadership team, Frank is both the visionary and strategist. From leading the engineers though the initial drawings to managing the team of technicians and construction crews, Frank can be replied upon to execute the project to perfection. 

“I’m involved in many aspects of the company right now and definitely wear many different hats,” he says. “I like to work at a fast pace, get things done and definitely would not change anything about my life right now.”

His favorite part of work is negotiating deals and building relationships with clients, using his genuineness, humour and people skills to manage his various work teams throughout the country. Getting to know people, Frank claims, is one of his strengths and the part of his job he enjoys best.

Raised in London, Ontario, Frank worked closely with his father, his favourite mentor and hero. Early mornings were the norm growing up in a hard-working family, where, even as a child, he dreamed of being entrepreneur. Used to working with his hands in the grueling summer heat alongside friends and family in construction, Frank’s first official job was picking tobacco in West Lorne, Ontario. After studying architecture, Frank graduated from Fanshawe College’s civil engineering technology program.

Family has always been his inspiration and something of which he’s most proud. Frank’s favorite memories are the births of his two daughters, Kierstin and Maddy. Now that they’ve both graduated from university and have lives of their own, he has more time to explore the world recreationally. Travel is a big aspect of his life. He particularly enjoyed visiting Hawaii and going back to the Azores and Algarve in Portugal to rediscover his family heritage. Frank’s love of travel is included in his role at Summit Steel Buildings where he divides his time between projects primarily in Ontario and British Columbia. Sometimes the business travel takes him to extreme places. 

“Building an arena in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut was quite the experience. It’s pretty isolated so you had to bring everything you could need for months at a time. You can’t run down to the local corner store if you run out of something in the pantry…” [Watch his videos from Nunavut to see what the conditions were like, even during April while the rest of the country was warming up to springtime conditions.]

The small town was welcoming and quaint but quite different from London and Vancouver. “The sense of community is amazing. I led a small team of guys and aside from foundation work and steel framing, we didn’t do much other than Zoom with family and friends back home. Once the workday is over, it’s too dark and way to cold to go out and see the sights…”

Currently living in Vancouver, what does a self-proclaimed “night owl” do for fun in the big city on the weekends? “I spend a lot of time revisiting my mother’s recipes and making Portuguese and Italian cuisines, usually with a nice glass of Cognac neat,” he says with a smile and a mischievous glint in his eye that his friends know all too well. “In a city like Vancouver, there’s also no shortage of restaurant to venture out to and explore when I don’t feel like cooking.”

Seven questions with Frank Melo:

1. What was your favorite subject in school?

Math

2. If you could play an instrument, what would it be?

Piano

3. Have you ever met anyone famous?

UFC fighter, Nick Diaz, was the last famous person I’ve met.

4. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?

John D. Rockefeller

5. What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?

My Swiss Army knife, a magnifying glass and a solar-powered light (and a bottle of Courvoisier if I could sneak it past).

6. What’s your idea of a perfect day? 

Working out in the morning, at the beach for a few hours, followed up with a spa appointment and massage before a night out on the town. Vancouver lets you do it all. Snowboard in the morning and surf in the afternoon.

7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Doing the same work with Summit Steel Buildings but at a much larger scale.

Frank Melo has a construction civil engineering technology and business background with over 25 years of experience as a business owner and contractor. He can be contacted at Summit Steel Buildings at (778) 951-4766, by email at frank.melo@summitsteelbuildings.com or through LinkedIn.