Victor Teo

Victor Teo, 67 years old, is the Founder of E-TECH Building Services which he started as a sole proprietor in 1990 with a small capital and only two workers. He was only 14 when he first arrived in Singapore in 1966 with his parents and younger sister from Muar, Malaysia, armed with virtually nothing but a bagful of hopes. He decided that learning a trade was the only way to make it in life, so he joined an electrical subcontracting firm Lim Hua Electrical Construction in 1967. Over the ensuing years, he sharpened his skills in the trade and became an Assistant Section Head at Meritus Mandarin Hotel in Orchard Road. In 1987 he joined Furama City View Hotel as Duty Engineer, a quantum leap in his career since crossing the Causeway two decades earlier. Subsequently he made his mark at Oriental Hotel, also as a Duty Engineer, but now much more confident and assertive.

Whilst working at Oriental Hotel, Victor set up M&E firm, E-TECH Building Services in 1990. A cautious man, he held on to his job at Oriental Hotel for another four years before taking the plunge by leaving his stable job and running E-TECH full-time. That was the start of the E-TECH story. With his hard work, the business took off and he was able to rope in his children to help run the business when they were ready.

Making Singapore his home, Victor today has gone into the back seat but still reports for work every day. He is still involved in some aspects of the business but his primary role is now largely one of a mentorship – when his advice is necessary for the company. A grandfather of 5 grandchildren, Victor can now sit back and smell the roses, having built E-TECH Building Services from scratch.