Solico Construction

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“Our mission is to fulfil the property needs of our clients by providing personalized, attentive service, and building quality, unique properties exceeding the highest standards,” says Jonathan Goulet, founder and president of the company.

“‘Solico’ is derived from the combination of ‘solid + corporation,’” adds Marc Lupien, the company’s general sales and marketing director. “Our name reflects the fundamental philosophy of a company built on a solid foundation. With our experienced team, we build excellent relations with our clients, business partners, suppliers, municipalities, banking institutions and others. These relations are the foundation of successful projects.

Jonathan first founded Solico in July 2012, when he was “a young man with a deep-rooted passion for entrepreneurship.” Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, he was exposed to the world of business from an early age. Inspired by his upbringing and armed with a strong desire to make a mark in the construction domain, he decided to strike out on his own and start his own building company. 

In the early years, Solico Construction focused on building semi-detached homes, aiming to provide comfortable and affordable housing options for families. Jonathan’s attention to detail, dedication, and commitment to delivering high-quality projects helped the company gain recognition and attract more clients.

With each successful project and satisfied customer, the reputation of Solico Construction grew, allowing for increased opportunities and the ability to take on more complex ventures. As a result, the company expanded its scope beyond single-family homes and started venturing into the construction of multi-level dwellings.

Driven by the vision of providing diverse housing options to meet the varying needs of individuals and families, Solico Construction took on the challenge of creating multi-level dwellings. These structures offered a different lifestyle experience, catering to individuals who sought a more urban and convenient living environment. 

Over the years, most of Solico’s work has been concentrated in the Outaouais, Quebec region – though in the near future, they intend to explore some Ontario areas such as Casselman and Kanata. These days, their projects can vary greatly in size and scope, with most current projects containing at least 32 units and some upcoming projects containing a lot more – for example, they have a 10-storey building in development as well as 15-storey building in development, and the latter project is expected to comprise up to 264 units.

“We’re definitely increasing the number of units per building,” Jonathan says. “We’re getting bigger. We’re building higher and adding square footage to our projects.”

“We’ve gotten there step by step,” Marc adds. “We began with semi-detached townhomes, then we started six-unit multi-family projects, eight-unit multi-family projects, then we did 12 units, then 16 units, we’re doing some 32-unit projects now, and now we’re working on plans for projects with a lot higher density.” 

To date, Solico Construction has sold all their finished projects to owner-investors – but before closing a sale, they typically provide the unique service of renting all the units first, which makes things easy on their clients, as their obligations to lenders are already pre-fulfilled. Later, when their properties have vacancies, owners can also return to Solico for help renting them again – Solico’s expert team continues to be available to clients if they ever need them.

“We try to make things as easy for clients as we possibly can,” Jonathan says. “We want to provide them with the full package.”

That full-service offering is a big part of what sets Solico Construction apart, Jonathan explains. He says another big part is the relationships they form with their clients. Naturally, he describes those relationships as “solid,” and he credits that solidity partly to the company’s flexibility:

“We do a large volume of business but we still have a small team,” he says. “So we’re close to our clients, close to their needs. We’re easily reachable. We’re always available to them. We build special relationships and we believe those relationships are what set us apart from the competition.” 

“I don’t think there are a lot of businesses that sell the number of units we do each year that have leaders as accessible as we are,” he adds. “Our clients can directly reach me as the owner and Marc as the general manager almost 24/7. I think that’s pretty rare. I think that gives clients a better service experience.”

Jonathan also credits the strength of their client relationships to their “long-term thinking.” For example, during the height of COVID, when there was an increase in prices for materials due to instability in the supply chain, Solico Construction minimized the impact of those increases on clients. 

“We didn’t want our clients to be too impacted by the pandemic,” Jonathan explains, “so we made a choice. We sacrificed some of our profits in order to help our clients out and ensure our relationships stayed strong. A lot of companies didn’t make that choice, but we did, and I think our clients really appreciated it.” 

Solico Construction also forms “solid” relationships with their other key stakeholders, such as their suppliers, subcontractors, and tradespeople. According to Marc, Solico “highly values” those relationships and he believes that value is reflected in the way they treat them:

“As a company, we respect financial deadlines, we prioritize long-term partnerships, and we understand the importance of strong business relationships,” Marc explains. “By honoring financial obligations, we foster trust and reliability.”

“We pay our subtrades well and we pay them on time,” Jonathan elaborates. “That’s not always the reality in construction, and I think that make subtrades want to work with us and want to do a good job.”

Marc adds that they tend to work with the same subcontractors and suppliers for a long time, which creates “a deep understanding and seamless coordination.” A lot of those relationships, he says, go back to the early days of Solico Construction. 

“In a lot of cases, we’ve grown alongside our subcontractors,” Jonathan adds. “We’ve taken steps forward together. We’ve gone on this adventure together.” 

“We actively nurture these partnerships, cultivating a supportive and collaborative work environment,” Marc says. “As a company, we seek feedback and input from our partners, and we value their expertise and perspectives. When selecting suppliers, subcontractors, and tradespeople, we prioritize those who share a commitment to excellence. By maintaining these strong business relationships, Solico Construction ensures efficient project execution and exceptional results.”

The next step

As previously mentioned, Solico Construction is looking forward to further expansion into the Ontario market. As a company based in Gatineau, Jonathan says “it’s only natural for us to look at the other side of the river.”

“We’re working on acquiring some land to start a new division in Ontario,” he says. “We’re looking to do that in the next few months.”

“Our intentions for Ontario would be to basically replicate the way we began in Quebec,” Marc adds. “Most likely, we’ll begin with smaller projects and start working our way up. We’re not going to do that too fast. We’re going to grow slowly and organically, just like we did in Quebec.”

“Since it’s a new market for us, we don’t really know subtrades yet, so we want to go step by step and build those relationships,” Jonathan says. “We want to make sure we build the right team. We want to have the right group. That’s what we’re doing now, we’re building relationships. That’s a big part of what’s next for us.”

On the Quebec side of the river, meanwhile, ‘what’s next’ for Solico Construction is getting into larger and taller buildings. Again, as previously mentioned, they have buildings in development as tall as 10 and 15 storeys. To date, their tallest building has been four storeys, so those projects represent a significant step for the company, which is a step they are excited to take. 

Looking even further ahead, Solico Construction plans to continue expanding their reach and continue making a positive impact in the construction industry. With Jonathan at the helm, leading the way with his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence, the company embraces new challenges and opportunities, always striving to bring innovative and sustainable construction solutions to the market.

In conclusion, Solico Construction’s evolution from building semi-detached homes to venturing into multi-level dwellings is a testament to the company’s growth, adaptability, and their dedication to meeting the evolving needs of clients. With a strong foundation and a visionary leadership team, Solico Construction is poised to continue shaping the construction industry and delivering exceptional projects for years to come.

For more on Solico Construction, their range of development services, their past projects and properties, and their current projects and properties – and to get in touch Marc, Jonathan, and their expert team – visit https://solico.ca/en/