take on houses, garages, and small commercial properties. Service-wise they do everything from lot grading and drainage plans, site servicing plans, septic system design, architectural drafting and design, topographic surveying, site inspections, soft landscape construction services, all the way to project management. In terms of clients, Patrick works primarily with contractors and builders. He believes the main reason those professionals like working with him is his personal service and his drive to get things done: “Contractors like working with me because I’m proactive,” he explains. “If something comes up, I deal with it. If they have a question, I get it answered for them. I like to move quickly and get stuff done in a timely manner, because time is money.” DW Land Development Services is also recognized among contractors for their quality of their drawings. Patrick credits that partly to his experience, but also to his diligence in staying on top of ever-evolving building codes and regulations. They make sure that all their plans meet the current conditions and requirements set out by the Ontario Province Standards, the City of Ottawa Guidelines and bylaws, and the local municipality’s drainage bylaws. “I understand what the clients need today, not what they needed yesterday,” Patrick explains. “Our industry is always changing. Our building codes are changing all the time. I keep up with the latest changes and I bring that knowledge to the builders and contractors I work with. I let them know what’s coming up.” At the end of the day, however, Patrick believes what clients care about the most is the readiness of their plans when they get their permits. Once the permit is in, they want to start building as soon as they can. Patrick does everything he can to make that possible. As a result, he’s been able to build some long-lasting and repeat relationships: “There’s one client I met five years ago, and I’ve done every job for them since,” Patrick says. “I did one subdivision with them that was 60 properties. The next was 178 properties. I think what they like about working with me is I’m reactive. Once they sell a lot to a member of the public, I get things done so they can get their building permits, so their house can be built on time.” JULY 2024
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