All the best, The Editorial Team We will keep adding business units that enhance our offering and separate us from our competition. “ ” Editor From The Dear Reader, Welcome to the latest issue of Construction Source Canada, the magazine that highlights the best in building and building products across the country. In this edition, we’ve taken a look at a wide variety of companies and organizations from across the construction spectrum. Not only have we highlighted some of the nation’s leading designers and builders of custom homes, but also some of the nation’s leading material suppliers and subcontracting experts. Apchin Design + Build, not surprisingly, is an example of a designer and builder of custom homes – since forming in 1985, they have actually delivered some of the most exceptional luxury homes in Western Canada, particularly the Okanagan Valley. These days, they exclusively provide clients with a design-build service, often taking care of everything from finding the perfect property to furnishing the finished product. We spoke with company founder and owner Denis Apchin about that process, and about some of the high-profile projects that have resulted from it. For example, we talked about a luxury ski chalet Denis once designed and built on a triangular lot with a very steep slope. He explained why challenges like that excite him, and in that case how he overcame those challenges to deliver one of the firm’s most highly-acclaimed and luxurious projects. Archi-Tech, meanwhile, is a creative construction, architecture, and interior design firm based in Laval, Quebec. Led by owner and director Roland Dick, they are a firm that works exclusively with private players, particularly in the medical sector. They similarly provide a complete design-build service, orchestrating all stages of the project from start to finish. We talked with Roland, too, about the advantages of that process. We also talked about Roland’s medical background and his affinity for medical projects, and we discussed why clients with those projects also tend to have an affinity for him. Then there’s Parsi Developments – they are family-owned-andoperated development firm based in Victoria, British Columbia. Over the past 20 years, they have built a reputation as a dynamic and forward-thinking company, and they have developed an impressive track record of exceptionally crafted and uniquely-designed residential and commercial spaces. Moving forward, their record is poised to be even more impressive, as they have a series of exciting projects in development not just in the Greater Victoria Area, but also in the flourishing Saint John market in New Brunswick. We spoke with Faaris Kathrada, the company’s CFO and development manager, about their projects in both provinces, and about their overriding goal to make a “positive impact” with all their activities, no matter where they are working. For more on those stories – and more stories like them, from across the construction spectrum – just keep reading.
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THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA With a readership exceeding 145,000 senior executives, The Construction Source takes immense pride in providing an enticing platform to amplify your message to the most pivotal audience – your valued customers. Whether your aim is to promote an exciting new condo development, attract crucial financial investments for upcoming projects, or establish a commanding brand presence, we’re here to assist you every step of the way. To explore opportunities for featuring your company or showcasing your latest project in The Construction Source, please reach out to our Group Publisher. Jermaine Poulsen e: info@theconstructionsource.ca The Costruction Source Canada 202 - 1200 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5R 2A5 E: info@theconstructionsource.ca Executive Publisher Jermaine Poulsen COO Alexandra Box Editor in Chief Zach Janes Director of Operations Cathy Ditchburn Jacqueline Van Belois Director of Business Development & Marketing Tamara Breen Business Development Managers Mary Ann Taylor Mike Turenne Scott Carter Production Manager Brennan Midghall Digital Strategist Pranim Thapa Administration Manager Belyn Quijance-Dorero
MARCH 2024 APCHIN DESIGN CORP Exceeding Expectations ARCHI-TECH Ideal spaces on time and on budget PARSI DEVELOPMENT Communities for the future today AEC CONTRACTING & RENOVATIONS Building trust SHANNON MAZZEI DESIGN Meet the designer PARK DEROCHIE ‘Best in class’ services HANAVA HOMES Time and effort DENNIS DIRTWORX Great people, great service FONDATIONS HG A solid foundation FORESHEW DESIGN ASSOCIATES Creating something amazing D&L CONCRETE & FIBERGLASS PRODUCTS A legacy of innovation HOME FASHIONS A complete home renovation solution COLIN GRIFFINSON INC Tradition meets innovation QUALITY MILLWRIGHT & MACHINE SERVICES All about relationships INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS INCINERATING TOILETS IN THIS ISSUEAPRIL 2024 PARK DEROCHIE COLIN GRIFFINSON INC
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA HANAVA HOMES HOME FASHIONS FONDATIONS HG
MARCH 2024 Industry INNOVATIONS MODERN & ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TOILET SOLUTIONS
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Exceeding expectations
Apchin Design + Build is a company that specializes in creating exceptional luxury homes for homeowners throughout the Okanagan Valley and Western Canada. Since forming in 1985, they have made it their mission to provide their clients with innovative, site-specific design solutions and the highest quality of workmanship. Today, they work with clients throughout every aspect of their home construction, from finding the perfect property, to designing their home, to building it in “exacting detail,” including interior design and furnishing according to Denis Apchin, the company’s founder and owner. “We offer a turnkey, white-glove approach to luxury home construction,” Denis says. “We work with clients every step of the way, answering their questions and listening to their needs so that they get a home that exceeds their expectations.” “Many of our homeowners have become repeat clients over the years, enlisting our help in the design and construction of multiple luxury homes,” he adds. “This is a testament to our dedication to our relationships, the quality of work our team produces, and the design-build process that allows our clients to stay involved in the construction of their homes.” Denis has personally been passionate about home design almost all his life – though he hasn’t been in construction all his life, as he started his professional career as an industrial education teacher at a middle school and taught for five years. In 1985, however, he left teaching to follow his passion and started designing and building homes, tenant improvements, town homes or anything he could gain experience at. Over the years, demand for his luxury homes steadily grew, and his company decided to focus solely on this niche market. While the majority of their projects are now in the Okanagan Valley and Shuswap areas, they have also worked in Vancouver, APRIL 2024
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Edmonton and Halifax. These days, Apchin Design + Build exclusively provides clients with a design-build service – they never do just design or just construction, they are always involved with their jobs from the beginning to the end. Many of their projects are lakeshore homes valued from $4 million to $10 million. On every project they do, they tend to invest a lot of time and effort into the details – they usually produce up to 100 pages of detail drawings per project. Because they spend so much time on each job, they gravitate towards homes where they get to be creative, and they purposely limit themselves to working on two or three homes at any one time. “If we wanted to, we could grow this company by a lot,” Denis says. “There are a lot of highend homes being built here. We only do a small fraction of them. We could do more – but I don’t see the point in doing that if it means I can’t give the level of detail I want to give.” “Our clients expect the best finished product,” he adds. “To get to the best finished product, you have to spend a lot of time on it. That’s what we do. We spend a lot of time on our projects in order to achieve the best possible result.” Since they only take on a limited number of projects, Apchin Design + Build is in the fortunate position to be selective about the projects they take on and the clients they work with. Denis says one of the things they look for is a challenging lot: “The more challenging the lot, the more creative the solution has to be,” he says. “For example, we once did a luxury ski chalet at Big White. That was THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
on a triangular lot that literally came to a sharp point, so we designed the architecture to come to that sharp point.” That chalet – which was ultimately called ‘The Crescendo’ – was also located on a steep slope, with the narrowest point of the property at the higher elevation fanning outwards. That added to the challenge and made a conventional design “all but impossible,” Denis recalls. His solution was a contemporary design, embedded into the mountain and turning the contours of the slope into “a feature rather than a flaw.” The design involved five floors fanning out from a circular staircase in a split-level fashion that embraced the elevation change. In addition, The Crescendo also boasted features including a ski-in breezeway and ski locker, custom wall-beds for guests, and breathtaking views from every room. There are also extravagant luxuries such as a 12-by-16-foot indoor-outdoor hot tub that is half-inside and half-outside. There is a window above the surface that divides that pool in two, allowing someone to swim under the glass. It featured nine jets inside, a resistance pump outside, and an exterior surround that was heated to snow-melt temperatures. The finished product is offered as a vacation rental. The owner has gifted Denis and his family vacations there several times, and Denis says “it’s always fun to read the guest book.” “People come and stay there from Europe and all over the world, and almost all of them have very nice things to say about the home we created,” he reports. “That’s always very gratifying to read.” One guest, in their review of The Crescendo, APRIL 2024
wrote: “Have sent the architectural plans to St Peter, so when I get to heaven, he will already have a start on my dream chalet.” So that’s the kind of project Apchin Design + Build likes working on. According to Denis, clients with projects like those – clients with challenging lots, who want to design and build something highend, creative, and site-specific. “We get almost all our work from word of mouth,” he explains. “However, many clients find us on the internet. On one occasion, we had a virtual client from Northern BC who found us on the internet, signed the contract, made payments, and participated throughout the design solely on the internet. We even obtained the building permit, hired trades, and started construction and I did not meet the client in person until the foundations were well underway! This was kind of a cool story but it’s rare, it doesn’t happen very often. Most of our work comes from referrals.” Denis credits that customer loyalty to several factors – including the obvious quality of their work, their penchant for communication, and their transparency when it comes to pricing. “Our clients are often spending up to $10 million,” Denis says, “and they didn’t earn that kind of money by being careless with their money. They want to be able to account for every dollar they spend. They want to know where their money is going. They want to know they’re getting value for their money. We’re very transparent about that and I think they really like that.” In addition, Apchin Design + Build has a reputation for “doing what we say we’re going to do,” which Denis believes clients also highly appreciate. He says the company has been able to build that reputation because, as mentioned previously, “we’re not getting side-tracked by doing 10 jobs at once.” “I think a lot of companies around here fall into that trap,” Denis explains. “The Okanagan is going through a building boom. It’s easy to take on a lot of work. It can be very tempting. I know because I did it – about 15 or 20 years ago, I was running a bigger company, and I never want to be that big again. It puts a lot of stress on you, it puts a lot of stress on your employees, and it puts a lot of stress on your clients. It’s not fun for anyone.” “I’d rather do fewer jobs, and really focus a lot of time and effort into one,” he reiterates. “I want to form a really close relationship with the client and deliver them a home that we can all be very proud of.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Large and challenging projects In addition to forming close relationships with clients, Apchin Design + Build also forms close relationships with subcontractors and suppliers. Denis describes those partnerships as “essential” to the company’s quality. “We’ve established relationships with some of the best tradespeople in our region,” he says. “A lot of those relationships go back many, many years. Some of those relationships go back decades.” Some of those relationships are even multi-generational, Denis adds. For example, he now works with a mason whose father he worked with 35 years ago. The son, who now runs the business, started working with his dad in grade 9. When he took over the family business, he took over the relationship with Apchin Design + Build, and according to Denis he provides the same “unbelievable” and “meticulous” quality that his father provided. APRIL 2024
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The company has built a similar relationship with a drywall provider – they are a family business that has gone through three generations, and “they’re the only people I trust with my drywall.” Another example of a longstanding partner would be Rock Hard Excavating – they are an award-winning excavation company that has been serving the Okanagan for more than 15 years. They provide excavating services, trucking and hauling services, and they build commercial and residential retaining walls. Their goal is to provide their clients with a one-stop-shop for all their excavating needs. Just like Apchin Design + Build, they strive to make their clients’ experience as seamless and stress-free as possible – and just like Apchin Design + Build, their track record of repeat business and referrals serves as a testament to their success. “The quality comes down to our partners,” Denis reiterates. “I like to think I do a good job on the design and the management, but it’s really their skillsets that make the project happen.” Moving forward, Apchin Design + Build’s goal is to continue building relationships with industry partners who share their values and their commitment to quality. Together with those partners, Denis says they want to keep doing what they have been doing: “We want to keep taking on large and challenging projects,” he says. “And there are definitely some big projects happening here. Here in the Okanagan, I think there are at least three or four houses that have been built for over $30 million. I’d love to do one of those.” “But we don’t want to limit ourselves,” he clarifies. “The size or value is not what’s truly important to us. We’re not in this business just for the money. We’re in this business to be creative. We want to provide clients with site-specific design solutions and with homes that exceed their expectations. It’s just usually the case that the more allowance you have the more creative you get to be.” APRIL 2024
For more on Apchin Design + Build, their design-build process, examples of their past projects, and their latest news – and to get in touch with Denis and his team – visit https://apchin.com/ THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Ideal spaces on time and on budget
Archi-Tech is a creative construction, architecture, and interior design firm based in Laval, Quebec. Led by owner and director Roland Dick, they are a firm that works exclusively with private players, particularly in the medical sector. On the vast majority of their projects, they provide a complete design-build service. They orchestrate all stages of the project from start-to-finish, they innovate every step of the way, and they deliver the finished product on time and on budget. “We have built and designed commercial and residential projects with great success and are always focused on providing our clients with an efficient and professional service and a creative design,” says Roland. “Our team of experienced architects, designers, and construction workers uphold the highest standards of project planning and execution. We are committed to building the ideal space for our clients’ business, with respect to their vision, budget, and deadline.” Roland moved to Quebec in 1990, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Montreal. Prior to earning that degree, however, he was accepted into medical school, which he attended for a few months before deciding to move into architecture. Though brief, that experience has since proven to be very useful, as Archi-Tech has become known for their work on medical and dental facilities. “Medicine has always been in my heart,” he explains. “Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a doctor. The research, the science – I’ve always been very interested in it, it’s always been a passion of mine. Over my career, I’ve been fortunate to be able to marry that passion with my passion for design and construction.” After finishing his degree in architecture, Roland decided to earn some experience abroad, and he ended up doing some work in Australia and the APRIL 2024
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Middle East before returning to Quebec in 2004 and forming Archi-Tech. From the start, his goal was to provide a complete design-build service and he wanted to focus on medical projects. He admits that wasn’t an easy market to get into it, but “I persisted,” Roland says, and eventually the company’s value started being recognized. “Over the course of 20 years, we proved ourselves in the market,” Roland says. “We’ve always had the same name, and under that name we’ve done hundreds of clinics and medical facilities. We’ve shown what we can do. We’ve proved our value.” At the core of that value, Roland explains, is the completeness of Archi-Tech’s service offering. They can assist clients with their project every step of the way, right from the very early stages of the design all the way through to construction and handover: “The clients come to us, we do their planning, we do all their research for them, we choose all the materials, and then we do the construction – and every step of the way, we love to innovate and make sure the client gets the best value for their money.” Archi-Tech also makes sure that their clients get a completely individual project every time. According to Roland, “we never copy ourselves.” “Every client gets the project that they dreamed about,” he explains. “We make their unique vision a reality. And we understand their vision, because we study our clients, we spend a lot of time with them, we talk to them and we listen carefully to what they say. Then we come up with a plan that reflects all their dreams.” As previously mentioned, Archi-Tech has also become well known for delivering on their clients’ dreams on time and on budget. That’s another key motivator of the company’s success. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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“We respect the client’s budget and we respect their timelines,” Roland says. “That’s something we’re known for. That’s something we’ve proven we can do.” Archi-Tech has been able to build that reputation, Roland explains, partly because their estimates at the beginning of a project are so accurate. That accuracy, in turn, is partly a credit to their dual role as designers and builders – “it’s always easier to build your own plans than someone else’s plans,” Roland says – but also partly a credit to the stability of their subcontractors and suppliers. “We use the same subcontractors from job to job. We don’t often go to tenders; we don’t get a million prices for every project and then choose the cheapest one – because if you do that, you never know what you’re going to get. You can’t be consistent that way.” “For the last 10-to-20 years, we’ve been working with the same subcontractors over and over,” he adds. “We’ve been working with a lot of them since day one. We know what to expect from them and they know what to expect from us. We have amazing relationships. We can trust them to deliver on time and on budget.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Not going anywhere These days, Archi-Tech’s projects can range widely in terms of size and value. When it comes to medical projects, especially, Roland says that “we don’t say no.” “If the client wants to install a new radiography machine, we can help them with that,” he explains. “We can also help them design and build a new building.” At the same time, Archi-Tech doesn’t limit themselves to only medical projects, even if those comprise the majority of their work at any given time. They will also do some commercial and institutional projects. For example, they just did one big project with a church and another big project with a food wholesaler. In all sectors, the vast majority of the company’s work comes from repeat clients and referrals. That track record is a testament to the customer satisfaction Archi-Tech tends to achieve. APRIL 2024
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That satisfaction, in turn, is a testament to aforementioned factors including the company’s complete service, their in-depth understanding of their clients, and their ability to deliver projects on time and on budget in a consistent matter. Of course, the company’s customer satisfaction is also a credit to the quality of their work. In recent years, that quality has also been affirmed and rewarded by industry bodies. For example, at the 2022 Prix Domus awards, Archi-Tech won an award in the ‘Commercial and Institutional’ category. That award-winning project was completed on time and budget, even amidst the uncertainty and instability of the pandemic. Since then, Archi-Tech has also completed several other projects that they believe to be of similar high quality. They have submitted those projects for the upcoming Prix Domus awards and they are hoping to take home at least one more trophy later this year. Moving forward, in addition to winning more awards, Roland says the vision for Archi-Tech is also to grow and get bigger. He feels like “now is the time to expand – to cover all of Quebec and start getting into Ontario.” Roland’s vision for Archi-Tech is also includes developing some of their own projects. Their idea is to partner with some medical professionals and together develop some state-of-the-art medical facilities around the province, which Archi-Tech will design, build, promote, and ultimately own and property manage. Lastly, Roland is also excited about Archi-Tech becoming a multi-generational firm: “We have a lot of young people in the company,” he concludes. “Plus, I’m so proud to have my two kids involved – both of them have been here almost three year. No matter what happens, I’m happy that we’ll have some continuity. We know we’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Our plan is to be around for a very long time.” APRIL 2024
For more on Archi-Tech, their values, their services, and their past projects – and to get in touch with Roland and his team – visit https://archi-tech.ca/?lang=en THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Communities for the future today
Parsi Development is a family-owned-andoperated development firm based in Victoria, British Columbia. Since forming in 2005, they have built a reputation as a dynamic and forwardthinking company, and they have developed an impressive track record of exceptionally crafted and uniquely designed residential and commercial spaces. Moving forward, their record is poised to be even more impressive, as they have a series of exciting projects in development not just in the Greater Victoria Area, but also in the flourishing Saint John market in New Brunswick. The visionary leaders of Parsi Development are the husband-and-wife team of Moji Shahab and Noushin Ashtiani – an experienced developer and a trained intern architect respectively. According to Faaris Kathrada, the company’s CFO and development manager, Moji and Noushin’s “combined commitment to visionary design and innovative building techniques has been evident in every project they undertake.” “Parsi Development’s endeavours are not only guided by a strong moral compass but are also deeply rooted in enduring family values,” Faaris says. “Those values serve as the driving force behind our impactful contributions to the industry.” In 2000, Moji immigrated to Canada from Iran, where he ran manufacturing and industrial tool and die making companies and built commercial buildings. Noushin, meanwhile, has over 20 years of design experience and has worked at several architectural and design firms throughout Canada. Together, they formed Parsi Development in 2003 with the vision of “building communities” in their new country. “They wanted to somehow give back and better the place they had moved to,” Faaris recalls. “To APRIL 2024
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them, the best avenue for that seemed to be homebuilding.” Parsi Development’s first venture was called ‘Casa Bela’ – it was a mixed-density development in Langford featuring 12 townhouse units, 18 walkup units, and a four-storey 68-unit apartment building. Construction began in 2005 and was completed in 2009. It was the first residential development of that scope in the city and was received extremely well. “Even though it went up during the recession, it still sold out at record prices,” Faaris recalls. “It was the only project of its kind that actually increased its prices during the recession and still sold out.” The company’s second project, ‘The Piano,’ was also located in Langford. It featured 10 singlefamily homes and 76 townhouses delivered across three phases. In 2015, that project won two CARE Awards from the Victoria Residential Builders Association, specifically ‘Best Single Family Detached Custom Home over 3,000 sq. ft.’ and ‘Best Website.’ The company’s current project is called ‘Bona Vita.’ It’s a rental development comprised of 138 residential units across eight storeys, located at 594 Latoria Road in the fast-growing City of Colwood. In addition to the residential units, Bona Vita also comprises 1,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space, as well as a long list of development features, including: 3,700 square feet of gym and amenity area (including a gym and day care); 306 underground parking stalls; 75 surface parking stalls; water retention ponds; and a great many thoughtful landscape features. Geographically, the development is located in an appealing “park-like setting” within Colwood, in THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
an area with a “village-like atmosphere.” The site is also conveniently located close to nature trails, transit and local community bus routes, and the highly-rated Olympic View Golf Club. According to Faaris, Bona Vita is a project long in the making. He says they have been working on it since 2011 and late last year they were excited to finally start servicing the site. “At the moment, we’re completing a lot of environmental work in tandem with the City of Colwood to enhance the habitat around 594 Latoria,” he explains. “We’re particularly supporting Latoria Creek, which is a sensitive environmental ecological area that has been in disrepair for many years. We’ve been supportive and have been partaking in enhancing and restoring that creek.” Those rehabilitation efforts reflect the founding vision of Parsi Developments – which was to give back to the communities in which they work, and to create a positive impact in those communities that would be felt long into the future. Bona Vita will definitely have that lasting impact, Faaris says, because the project will be delivered with a “pretty unique building methodology.” He explains they will be building it as a light gauge steel structure, making it one of the first noncombustible high-end market-rental buildings in the Greater Victoria area. One of the main benefits of light gauge steel is its durability – light gauge steel can withstand adverse climatic scenarios, and design life predictions of light gauge steel buildings are often far in excess of 200 years. On the topic of building for the future, Bona Vita APRIL 2024
will actually be the first of three projects that Parsi Developments has planned on the street. The company also has a neighbouring parcel they are actively rezoning for a 122-unit five-storey building with six storeys, and the parcel next to that project they are rezoning in order to build another 90-unit building. “When we look at these upcoming projects, what we like to say is we’re ‘building communities for the future today,’” Faaris says. “We’re trying to incorporate green building materials. We’re trying to use innovative building methods to build faster and more efficiently. And we’re trying to build longer-lasting products that are going to be around to support communities and families for the next 30, 40, or 50 years – and beyond.” “We want to really enhance communities and create places where families can be proud of where they live,” he adds. In addition to developing three projects in British Columbia, Parsi Development has also become active on the other side of the country, in Saint John, New Brunswick. There, they have partnered with a local group in the city and have become part of quite a few projects. To date they have already completed two projects in the city – one was a 12-unit apartment building, which was a renovation/retrofit of an old apartment building, and the other was a Bluebird Self Storage facility, which comprised about 35,000 square feet of interior self-storage units and another 10,000 square feet of exterior self-storage units. Looking forward, Parsi Development has also rezoned a few properties on the East Coast for future development. Upcoming projects in Saint John include a 10-storey, 185-unit project at 300 Sydney Street, two buildings with 100 combined units on 258 Hampton Road, and 100 units on 730 Wilson Street. Parsi Development has become so active on the East Coast, Faaris explains, because they looked at the region few years ago and what they saw reminded them of what they saw in Victoria 15 years ago. The population was steadily growing, the demand for housing was rising, and they saw an opportunity to step in and help meet that future need. “So we have quite a bit of work underway,” Faaris understates. “It’s a very exciting time.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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Planning for success Over the years, Parsi Development has formed some close-knit relationships with some key industry partners in the various markets in which they work. Moving forward, as they grow, they are looking to build more partnerships, but according to Faaris they are very selective about whom they work with: “All of the partners that we work with need to be trusted in the areas that they work,” he explains. “They need to have good work before; they need to be well-reputed.” “They also have to have a knack for thinking uniquely, for thinking outside the cookie cutter box,” he adds. “They have to be familiar and comfortable with unique projects and projects that need more TLC.” On Bona Vita, Faaris says they have formed some particularly successful relationships with partners who tick those boxes. Some of those partners include Finlayson Bonet Architecture, THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Westbrook Consulting, Aqua-Tex Scientific Consulting, MDI Landscape Architects, and Dinning Hunter Jackson Law. “These are parties that are constantly working on challenging and innovative developments and projects. They are constantly solving problems rather than stepping away from them. That’s why we like working with them. On Bona Vita, we were really faced with some fairly unique challenges and fairly unique problems to solve, and we’ve been lucky to have these professionals around us to propose some really great solutions.” “It can very easily become quite expensive to do projects that include offsite landscaping work and environmental restoration and habitat compensation, but by working with the consultants we’re working with we’ve made it very feasible. That’s what sets them apart, that’s why we’ve been happy to work with them for many years.” One type of partner that Parsi Development doesn’t have, however, is a property manager. And even though Bona Vita’s units will be rentals, they don’t expect to need one soon, as they plan to perform their property management in-house. “I think we have the capacity and capability to do that,” Faaris explains. “We are set up internally. We have our systems in place. And because of the quality of building, because it will be light gauge steel, it’s not going to need a lot of repair and maintenance, at least not initially.” “We’re planning for success,” he adds. “We’re planning to build and finish the project to a really high standard of quality. We’re going to use APRIL 2024
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materials and techniques and methodologies that will eliminate the need for excessive repair and maintenance, or at least make it easy for us to maintain and repair on our own.” “It’s a project we intend to keep for the long run,” he continues. “We’re excited to be there and build a rapport with the residents, and we’re excited to learn from them. We don’t expect to be perfect, but we’re going to learn from the experiences of people living there and we’re going to figure out what we can do better and what lessons we can apply to future projects.” Once again, speaking of future projects, Faaris emphasizes that Parsi Development has a good amount of units in the pipeline, and they are excited to add even more. Their current objective is to grow to the point where they are delivering between 250 and 300 units per year, and they want some of those units to be affordable housing units. Once they reach that milestone, Faaris says they will evaluate growing even more – but he says their ultimate vision has always been clear, and that vision has never involved growing for the sake of growing. “At the end of the day, what we want to do is make a positive impact,” he says. “We want to better the communities we work in. We want to leave a mark on the world, and we want it to be a good mark. We want to give back as much as we receive. That’s what Parsi Development has always been about.” APRIL 2024
For more on Parsi Development, their values, their past development projects, and their current development projects, including Bona Vita – and to contact their team with inquiries or feedback – visit https://parsidevelopment.com THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Building trust
AEC Contracting & Renovations is a general contracting and construction management company based in Kelowna, BC. Since forming almost 15 years as an estimating and consulting company, they have continuously grown and evolved in terms of both size and service offering. Today, they provide a wide range of construction services and take on a variety of projects – but no matter what they are building, they take the same relationship-centred approach. “We’re a company based on building relationships,” says Brandon Knorr, owner and operator. “Creating a bond and long lasting confidence with our client is key. We choose a personal approach. Getting to know our clients’ values is important, and it’s equally important that our client know our values.” AEC’s values include integrity, trust, and community. According to Brandon, that means the company is committed to upholding “the highest level of personal morals and professional ethics,” to building relationships “through honesty and respect,” and to helping build their communities – both by physically contributing to structures, and by giving back through sports sponsorships and charitable donations. Brandon says that these values have been motivating the company from the start. Actually, he says they predate AEC Contracting & Renovations – he’s actually a third generation contractor in the Okanagan, and these are the values that were passed down from his grandfather and father. “I come from a family of builders,” he says. “When our family decided to settle here in Kelowna, many of them got into residential construction, and the majority of their sons entered the industry.” Brandon, for his part, was “born and raised in construction,” and has been working on homes APRIL 2024
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since he was a kid. He started off as a labourer for a local homebuilder, and then went into framing, siding, and cladding, all before striking out on his own and forming his own company. Initially, that company was called ‘Accurate Estimating and Consulting.’ However, they quickly earned the trust of some clients, who rewarded them with some project management opportunities, and the company evolved into the general contracting company they are today. These days, under the banner of ‘AEC Contracting & Renovations,’ Brandon and his team “do a little bit of everything.” They do everything from bathroom renovations to home additions to whole home renovations interior-and-exterior. They also do some commercial tenant improvements – for instance, they are currently building two animal hospitals for a repeat client, as well as a 4,000-square-foot showroom for Westwood Fine Cabinetry. Geographically, their work mainly takes place within the Okanagan – though they occasionally further out when they are specially requested by contractors or clients. And AEC Contracting & Renovations is often specially requested, Brandon explains: “I have a number of clients who I’ve worked with since basically the inception of the business. Whenever they have a project, big or small, they usually come to me first and I always try to help them out.” Brandon credits that customer loyalty to his focus on building relationships – not with clients, but also with subcontractors and suppliers. “I have a core group of sub trades, suppliers, and manufactures that I work with over and over again,” he says. “I tend to stay very loyal to them, and they tend to be very loyal in return. When they talk to someone who’s looking to do a renovation, APRIL 2024
they bring our name up. By the time we talk to a client, they’ve usually been directed to us from multiple channels.” When it comes to building that kind of reputation, Brandon believes the key is simply doing business in an ethical way. He admits that sounds obvious, but he’s seen how much his team members appreciate it in practice: “I treat all of my trades very respectfully. I’m very open with them. I work with them. I take their advice. We collaborate. There’s an oldschool mentality in construction where the general contractor is a dictator, but that’s not my mentality. I think a lot of our trades look forward to our projects for that reason.” Again, AEC Contracting & Renovations is also loyal to their trades in return. Brandon believes that also goes a long way: “Once I find the right person, I stick with them,” he says. “That works very well. I’ve had the same flooring contractor and cabinet people since day one. My plumber is going on 10 years. I’ve been working with my electrician nine or 10 years as well. We all work well together and we all have trust in each other.” AEC Contracting & Renovations also works hard to build trust with their clients. With those relationships, specifically, Brandon says the key is “communication and transparency.” “We’re always communicating with your clients. We keep them up-to-date on the schedule. As we go through the process, they always know where they stand. And when we need to have a hard conversation, we have it right away. Most clients appreciate that. That approach usually leads to a very positive relationship at the end.” As previously mentioned, that approach also leads THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
to repeat business and referrals. The client they are building the animal hospitals for is an example. A few years ago, they were new in town and were referred to AEC Contracting & Renovations by a local realtor, who the company had done a home renovation with years prior. After doing one animal hospital together, Brandon says “they didn’t even get a second opinion or alternative price” before hiring the company again to do the next one. “That shows the kind of relationship we were able to build,” he explains. “I’ve been to their house for dinner. When they see me on other jobs, they stop and say hello.” That particular client relationship is not unique, Brandon emphasizes. Over the years, he says he’s formed similarly close-knit relationships with a long list of others: “I take all my relationships with all my clients very personally, and I think that shows.” APRIL 2024
Not going anywhere In addition to communicating well with clients and being transparent when it comes to costs and scheduling, AEC Contracting & Renovations also strives to deliver to a consistently high standard of workmanship. The company’s sterling reputation and their history of repeat business is not only a testament to their relationship building skills – it’s also, naturally, a testament to their quality control. “If you want to be successful, you have to ensure that the client is getting what they are paying for or better,” Brandon says. In order to provide that assurance, Brandon personally conducts quality control walkthroughs on every project. That’s in addition to the walkthroughs that are conducted by his team leaders. Furthermore, if there ever is an issue, the company makes it a point to respond quickly and efficiently: “We stand behind all of our projects. We have formal warranties but we also just have our ethics. If a client has an issue and they call us THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
up, we are very rarely unable to help them.” “We stand behind every project we have ever done,” he reiterates. “I know that’s not always the case with every builder. There are some builders that are just waiting for that one-year warranty period to be over and then they’re gone. That’s not us.” “Remember, I’m a third generation Okanagan person,” he adds. “I was born in Kelowna. I’m not going anywhere soon. That seems to foster a lot of comfort with my clients, commercial and residential. They know I’m not a fly-by-night builder. They know I’m not going to leave the province when the job is over and then they never hear from me again. My goal is to keep working in this industry, in this town, for as long as I can.” As for the kind of work they want to be doing, Brandon says that home renovations have always been the company’s “bread and butter,” and they are not looking to change that – but they are interested in doing some higher-end ones. At the CHBA Central Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence, AEC Contracting & Renovations won two Gold awards in 2022 and a Silver award in 2023, and they would love to keep up the momentum. “We’re looking to keep pushing the envelope,” Brandon says. “We want to keep finding awardworthy projects and we want to keep pushing forward with design, innovation, and creativity. We want to work on projects where we’re making people’s dreams come true.” Shannon Mazzei Kelowna, BC P: 250.878.1720 E: shannonmazzei@shaw.ca SHANNON MAZZEI DESIGN A small Architectural design company with 30 years experience using current industry software (AutoCAD & Revit) Specializing in custom residential design, addition and renovation projects providing functional,beautiful spaces that suit our clients' individual needs. • • . • • • • • . • . custom homes additions & renovations multi-family site design rendering construction drawings 3D visualization small commercial design APRIL 2024
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At the same time, Brandon says he also really enjoys doing the occasional tenant improvement, and his trades enjoy them too. He doesn’t want to make those commercial projects the company’s main focus, but he’d love to be able to do a couple per year. Recently, Brandon and his wife also started another company, called Knorr Custom Homes. Under that banner, they are looking to build some homes in the Okanagan that are “achievable for young families.” In order to start that company, Brandon became a licensed home builder – which means that if the right opportunity comes up, he has the capability of building a new home for a client with AEC Contracting & Renovations. Lastly, when it comes to the size of AEC Contracting & Renovations, Brandon says there is room to grow, as long as they are careful about it: “I would like to grow, but I don’t want to grow too large,” he says. “I like the personal aspect of what we do. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t have a dream of becoming a 500-employee company or building skyscrapers. I want to maintain a personal hands-on approach. I want to get to know all of my clients personally. I want to be there on their jobsite. I enjoy that and I think my clients appreciate that. I never want to grow to the point where I can’t provide that personal attention to detail.” APRIL 2024
For more on AEC Contracting, their values, their range of services, and to hear from their past clients – and to get in touch with Brandon and his team – visit https://aeccontracting.com THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
‘Best in class’ services
Park Derochie is one of Canada’s premier specialtytrade industrial contractors. They are experts in all forms of industrial coatings, fireproofing, mechanical insulation, as well as scaffolding, abrasive blasting, containment, and maintenance programs. They have developed their expertise over many decades, as the company’s roots go all the way back to 1956, when Merle Derochie and Jim Park started a commercial painting firm in Calgary. Almost 70 years later, that company has evolved into an industry leader in multiple disciplines, with offices across Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Ontario. In each of those markets, they have become known for pushing the limits of productivity while always emphasizing safety and quality along the way. “The company was built on the principles of strong work ethic, commitment to customer satisfaction, development of a skilled, dedicated workforce and a belief that ‘loyalty begets loyalty,’” says Ryan Granberg, the company’s general manager in BC. “This culture is reflective of our beginnings as a small contractor, it’s what sets us apart from the competition, and it has helped us become one of Canada’s premier industrial contractors.” Ryan has personally been working with Park Derochie almost all his life. His father, Jeff Granberg, is the company’s executive chairman, and Jeff actually first started working with the company at 18 years old. Ryan started with the business even earlier – at 14, he swept the shop room floor as one of his first ever jobs. At 18, he started working as a tradesman, mostly doing fireproofing. He left to attend university and then earn some experience at a couple other companies, but he returned in 2015 and has since worked for the company in several different APRIL 2024
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roles, ultimately becoming a general manager in 2019. In his time there, Ryan has seen the company grow and evolve significantly – particularly in BC, where he has been based ever since Park Derochie acquired a locally-based company coating and painting company. Over the last three years, especially, Ryan estimates the company has actually “more than quadrupled their revenue” after downsizing just a few years earlier. He credits that growth to their elimination of their shop space and their pivot to a field-only service model, and also their decision to focus on mostly major projects such as LNG Canada and the Site C Clean Energy Project. “We really changed our game plan,” he recalls. “We decided to be really nimble and flexible and to leverage the fact that we have support from other provinces in terms of expertise, labour resources, and equipment.” “In Edmonton, we have a lot of experience with large projects,” he continues. “We’ve been on Kearl Lake and Fort Hills – some really large industrial projects worth billions of dollars. They need hundreds of painters up there and they need a company who can project manage that huge scope, and we’ve been that for them. We’ve developed the technical expertise and the experience.” Ryan goes on to say that “we took our business model and we adapted it to British Columbia” – and he emphasizes the adapt part, as the company was very conscious of the fact that they couldn’t do everything the same way. “It’s a different work environment out here. It’s a bit THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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