Several years ago Christian (Chris) Clark stopped taking his surfboard to work.
That doesn’t mean that the owner of Kilika Design Inc., a home contracting business based in Rehoboth Beach, doesn’t still keep a watchful eye on surf conditions.
“There is still a time and place to surf because life is too short not to,” he said. “But you have to be on the job to make a living.”
That’s what he says, but he has a fancy tide watch and he checks his computer more than any meteorologist for up-to-date weather conditions.
The lessons of work vs. play are being learned by two of his employees – his son Tyler and Tyler’s longtime friend, Sean Donovan – who are, you guessed it, avid surfers.
“But there are times I let them leave a little early and I clean up at the end of the day,” he said.
Of course, Tyler has his surfboard in the back of his pick-up truck at all times.
And Clark may be an enigma in a business not always associated with Christian principles. He is not ashamed to profess his faith as the foundation in his life and business dealings.
Kilika, which is Chris in Hawaiian, came to life in 1999 after Clark, 47, had worked in the construction business for 10 years for other contractors.
He says he’s determined to keep his business small and geared toward the customer.
“Some businesses get so large the last thing they look at is the customer and it becomes all about the bottom line,” he said.
Clark, who has lived in the Cape Region since 1987, was born in Frederick, Md., raised in Baltimore and Ocean City, and then joined the Navy. He served for six years as a technician in a plastic surgeon operating room in Portsmouth, Va.
After leaving the Navy, he faced a decision: continue in the health field or pursue the family trade – carpentry.
His grandfather and two great-uncles, who all emigrated from Denmark, were in the building business, and his two great-uncles were master carpenters and furniture makers. His grandfather built most of the developments that sprang up around Richmond, Va., during the building boom after World War II.
“I guess you could say it’s in my blood,” he said.
He said two master carpenters in the Cape Region, Dean Pusey and Bob Reed, took him under their wings and taught him the business.
Another famous carpenter he has learned from also helped to mold his being. Clark’s faith and his family’s involvement at Epworth United Methodist Church play a paramount role in his life and his work.
“Because of my connection with the community and my faith I look at what I do as an art,” he said. “It’s fun and creative, and seeing the finished product is an incredible joy.”
He said for the first 41 years of his life, the church did not play a role. “It was divine intervention and a humbling turn of events that changed me,” he said.
Once he got involved with the church, his relationships with people changed. “It changed me and how I care about people and treat people. It’s a total blessing,” he said.
Clark has become totally immersed in church life and spends most of his free time at Epworth – when he’s not surfing or sailing with his family. He is one of two certified lay speakers, a lay pastor and part of the praise team.
He wants to get more involved with the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches and help local people by sponsoring a benefit house renovation project.
He is excited about the church’s move to a new building, planned for Easter weekend.
Clark, who is also a Realtor, said his company is weathering the storm of the building slow-down, although he has seen some local builders go out of business.
“I have a lot of guys asking me for work,” he said. “And they are asking me how I’m staying busy. We do it all. We do the small jobs with the same care as the big ones.
“And it’s because we do things the old-fashioned way by not sub-contracting everything out. It’s less headaches that way.”
He thinks the slow down will start to make a turn around after the November election.
Clark has been married to Jill for the past 16 years and the couple also has a daughter, Jenna, 14, and another son also named Tyler, 21.
Contact Ron MacArthur at ronm@capegazette.com
