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 highlighted a variety of builders, developers, and other key contributors to the building industry across the country. Firstly, we took a look at Randy Blain Construction, an industryleading company with a more local bent. They specialize in delivering full service turn-key luxury homes and cottages in Muskoka, Ontario. To tell their story, we caught up with the company’s titular founder and owner, Randy Blain himself. We discussed what he believe sets him apart as a builder, we highlighted some recent projects, and we talked about his company’s diversification into the supply of lumber materials and luxury stone. Then there’s Starna Building Group, another Ontario builder of luxury homes, but with a focus on the Greater Toronto Area. For their story, we spoke to founder and partner Natasha Jurakhan. She comes from a deep background in architectural technology, while her partner Peter Sitarz has extensive experience in construction. Together, they have “reimagined the construction process,” Natasha says, offering clients a complete service backed by unrivalled technical expertise, as well as unrivalled transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, this edition also features a look at Collaborative Structures Limited – an industry-leading provider of construction management, general construction, and design-build services for the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors of Ontario. Since forming in 2003, they have grown significantly in terms of both company size and capabilities, and they have been responsible for the successful delivery of over 250 major industrial, commercial, and institutional projects. We spoke to Conor Downe, pre-construction manager, about that growth, and about their current activity in the education and food and beverage sectors. To read those stories – and more like them, about other industry leaders across the country and across the globe – just keep flipping the pages.
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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 Jacqueline Van Belois Derrick Pelley Director of Business Development & Marketing Tamara Breen Business Development Managers Mary Ann Taylor Douglas Thomson Marnie McGhie Production Manager Brennan Midghall Digital Strategist Pranim Thapa Administration Manager Belyn Quijance-Dorero
OCTOBER 2024 RANDY BLAIN CONSTRUCTION Good Work for Good People STARNA BUILDING GROUP Integrity, transparency, accountability COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURES LIMITED Project execution excellence MP CUSTOM HOMES Carefully constructing dreams CONVERGE CONSTRUCTION Bringing it all together BREAKWATER CONSULTING From inception through construction to occupancy BENCHMARK BUILDING AND RENOVATIONS Excellence on-site and off CAMCO ELECTRIC Relationships are everything ADMIRAL DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS Developing Homes for a Higher Canadian Quality of Life INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS INCINERATING TOILETS IN THIS ISSUENOVEMBER 2024 CAMCO ELECTRIC CONVERGE CONSTRUCTION
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OCTOBER 2024 Industry INNOVATIONS MODERN & ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TOILET SOLUTIONS
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA Water connection not required Requires little space No odour Easy installation No frost protection needed Secure for children ash to be emptied No waste handling, only and more Bunkies, For Home, Cottages, Shops, 3 - 4 visits per hour High capacity Propane&Electric models ABOUT CINDERELLA ECO GROUP Cinderella Eco Group is a family-owned company located in the north-western coastal community of Midsund in Romsdal, with deep roots in the beautiful Norwegian fjord-landscape. We have more than 20 years’ experience with the Cinderella Incineration Toilet, a water-free, ecological solution for the management of toilet waste. Cinderella, the natural first choice for those who place high demands on quality and functionality. HIGHLIGHTS OF INCINERATION TOILETS:
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Building Your Dream Home in Muskoka
Randy Blain Construction is a luxury home and cottage custom building company based in Muskoka. The company specializes in full service, turn-key home and cottage construction. The Randy Blain Construction team is comprised of talented and dedicated tradespeople and contractors, many of them with roots in the area – including Randy Blain himself, the company’s titular founder and owner. He’s personally been working in the region for over 20 years, earning the support of some of the best local subcontractors and suppliers. Randy’s expert team has the ability to successfully manage projects of any size and complexity, and to deliver them all with a high standard of quality. Randy first started working in the trades in Muskoka at just 16 years of age. Recognized for his honesty, hard work and dedication, he started site supervising for the first builder he worked for at the young age of 19. By the time he was 21 years old, Randy was a fully licensed carpenter. Randy continued working for other builders honing his skills as a tradesman and gaining a keen business sense before branching out on his own. A little over 20 years ago, he started Randy Blain Construction, and the company quickly became known for its quality workmanship. One of the company’s early undertakings took place on the JW Marriott Resort & Spa build on Lake Rosseau. Due to the magnitude of this project and the resort’s exposure, this was a major turning point in Randy Blain Construction’s recognition for quality work. Randy and his team were there for 14 months completing all the millwork. Shortly after the completion of the Mariott project, Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan, hosts of ‘Cabin NOVEMBER 2024
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Pressure’ on Cottage Life Television interviewed Randy for the position of their main contractor for the show. Randy and his team were featured on 26 episodes which was filmed from 2014 to 2016. The time with Colin and Justin, in turn, helped the company gain further exposure to the luxury home and cottage sector on the Muskoka Lakes. Randy’s office is centrally located in Huntsville to effectively service the entire Muskoka, Lake of Bays, Algonquin, Haliburton Highlands and Muskoka Lakes areas. Randy’s goal has always been, and remains to this day, “to create a quality experience.” He and his team understand that building a custom home or cottage can be a stressful experience, but they do everything they can to mitigate that stress. They want clients to not only enjoy the final product but enjoy the process of getting there. “From planning to completion, we ensure that our projects run as smoothly as possible and turn out exactly as the client envisioned,” he says. Randy says, “At Randy Blain Construction, we take pride in providing top-tier design and build services. Our design and construction team is ready to guide you through the process of building your dream home or cottage. Through the collaborative process, you’ll find that we truly care about quality and providing great customer service. From the initial consultation and building permits to the final punch-list, we will make sure you are kept informed and confident in our abilities.” Within Randy Blain Construction, those values are not just held by Randy himself, they are shared by his whole team, which includes 25 direct employees, as well as a number of subcontractors NOVEMBER 2024
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who work with the business. One partner Randy Blain Construction works with is Ultra Electrical Solutions, a premier electrical services provider founded in 2016 by Tanner Boyle. They are a locally based company, with a service area including Huntsville, Lake of Bays, Bracebridge, Burk’s Falls, Dwight, Baysville, Magnetawan, Parry Sound, Rosseau and Port Carling. Tanner created the company after recognizing deficiencies and opportunities in the local market, and ever since he has been providing exceptional electrical solutions based on honesty and integrity to satisfied homeowners, business owners, and builders in the region – including Randy Blain Construction. Genesis Electric is another close-knit partner of Randy Blain Construction working in the same field. They are a Muskoka-based fullservice electrical company known for their great response times, transparent communication, and their commitment to ensuring every project is completed correctly. With their experience, and with their training in the latest industry tools and techniques, they can tackle projects of all sizes and complexities. Their offering includes underground and overhead services, installation and upgrades for smart homes, and electrical services for EV chargers and audio-visual needs. Liquid Glass Custom Finishes is one more frequent partner of Randy Blain Construction. They are also based in Muskoka. They do both pre-finishes and on-site finishes, and with their help Randy and his team have delivered a long list of gorgeous projects. NOVEMBER 2024
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Beautiful Results In collaboration with their partners, Randy Blain Construction has delivered some extremely high-end projects for some very satisfied clients. One example Randy points to is a project they call ‘Fairy Lake.’ That one stands out to him not just for the quality of the build but for the speed of the delivery. That project was a 6,000-square-foot renovation and addition and involved a lot of detailed landscaping work. The caveat was the customer needed the job to be done in just four months. Randy and his team completed the whole project, without compromising quality or safety, in the four month time frame from start-to-finish. Randy is also personally proud of that project because of the freedom he and his team had during the design process. A lot of what they delivered was their own concept. “The client just said ‘You guys have free reign to do what you want THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 200 FALCON ROAD HUNTSVILLE, ON MONDAY - SUNDAY 10:00AM - 6:00PM DESIGN CONSULTATION DESIGN@LANDENANDCO.COM (705)-388-8803 SHOP AT HOME WWW.LANDENANDCO.COM FOLLOW ON SOCIAL LANDENANDCO At Landen, we believe that your home should be a reflection of your unique style and personality. Nestled in Muskoka, our showroom offers a curated selection of high-quality furniture and decor pieces to elevate your home THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
NOVEMBER 2024
on our property,’” he explains. “They gave us a few things that they would like to have, and then they set us loose.” Fortunately, the clients were as pleased with the end-result as Randy was. As a testament to that satisfaction, they have since hired Randy Blain Construction again to build other projects for them. Another, more recent, project that stands out to Randy is one they only recently completed on Lake of Bays. It started as a small addition, then evolved into a complete teardown and rebuilding of the whole house. The project expanded to include the construction of a garage, bunkhouse and finally a boathouse. The owners then asked Randy to complete the project by landscaping the entire property. “The result is beautiful,” Randy says. “Even though we used high quality, maintenance free materials, it is still very much in keeping with the rustic feel of the property. It’s a modern house that just dovetails into the existing topography and landscaping.” Randy Blain Construction is also a wholesale supplier of lumber materials to other contractors. As well, Randy’s newest venture, Muskoka Luxury Stone, is the Ontario distributor for La Croix Stone, a quarry based out of Quebec. Muskoka Luxury Stone is a full-scale landscape and design company. They now have THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
several salespeople working for both companies. Looking forward, Randy’s vision is to continue growing all facets of his business while always staying true to the values that have made him successful. “I will always remain committed to providing honest and reliable service, great communication, and top-quality craftsmanship,” Randy says. No matter how big Randy Blain Construction grows, he is adamant his values will never be compromised. NOVEMBER 2024
For more on Randy Blain Construction, their services and capabilities, their past projects, and to hear from their past clients – and to contact Randy and his team – visit their website at https://randyblainconstruction.com THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Integrity, Transparency, Accountability.
Starna Building Group is a boutique provider of full-service construction management firm across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). They specialize in building and renovating custom luxury homes, and they have developed a unique and proven process for delivering those homes – a process rooted in “integrity, transparency, and accountability,” according to founder and partner Natasha Jurakhan. “We’ve re-imagined the construction process and developed a unique approach that centers on the client experience and that delivers an exceptional finished product,” Natasha says. “And we are committed to staying small enough so that we can always offer the time, care, and personal attention necessary on each and every single project we manage.” Natasha and her partner Peter Sitarz originally formed Starna Building Group late in 2018. Leading up to that, Natasha came from a deep background in architectural technology and construction management, while Peter had extensive experience working in the construction industry throughout the GTA. They first met while working for another custom homebuilding company, where Natasha was the director of operations and Peter was a site supervisor. They quickly became friends and realized they shared a lot of the same values, and they came to find they had the same outlook when it came to building custom homes. “It’s a very personal thing, building a custom home,” Natasha says. “You’re dealing with customers that have to live in the house after you’re done. You’re making a serious impact on their day-to-day lives. You have to take that seriously. And taking it seriously requires an extra level of care, attention, and management. That’s what we started up Starna to provide.” NOVEMBER 2024
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NOVEMBER 2024 Again, Natasha reiterates, the vision for Starna has always been to “remain boutique, so that Peter and I can actively manage each job that we take on.” “Our clients appreciate that,” she says. “They appreciate that they have direct owner involvement. Of course, we have a team that helps and supports us, but every project that we take on we are directly managing. We know the ins and outs and details. We deal with the clients directly. That’s always been really important to us. I think the projects that we take on demand that type of attention.” Over the past six years, Starna Building Group’s projects have progressed steadily in terms of size and scope. Though Natasha and Peter started the company with a lot of contacts from their past companies, they still needed to build a portfolio and prove their capabilities. That meant starting with kitchen renovations, progressing into main floor renovations, then full house renovations, then additions and extensions, before finally breaking into the new home market. Today, Starna Building Group takes on a 50-50 mix of high-end new builds and complex renovations and additions of existing homes. In both markets, Natasha believes Starna Building Group is set apart by their technical expertise. In the renovation market, specifically, she says that expertise is vital, but not a lot of builders have it. That Starna does is fortunate, Natasha says, because that market is currently booming. “In Toronto, we have so many existing houses, and clients don’t always want to demolish the
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THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA whole thing and rebuild from the ground up,” she says. “That may not be possible due to zoning requirements, or it might not be possible because of budgetary reasons. So there is a huge market for these complex renovations and additions – and I think a lot of builders shy away from those projects, because they involve an extra layer of problem solving and it can be extremely challenging troubleshooting around existing conditions.” “It’s always easy build new,” she elaborates, “but it’s not easy to build in existing older homes that maybe have questionable structures, where maybe you find some interesting things when you open up the walls. Luckily, we have the expertise to tackle those challenges. I think that distinguishes us from a lot of our competitors.” That expertise is also valuable in the new home sector, Natasha adds, because it enables the company to execute complex ideas that other builders might write off as impractical or even impossible. “I’m proud to say that we are very creative in working with architects and designers on how to troubleshoot complicated details,” Natasha says. “We’re able to collaborate with the design team, when they have a complicated idea, and if they propose something that might not practically work as designed, we’re not saying ‘no,’ we’re saying ‘yes, but maybe we could do it this way.’ I think they appreciate that, because we’re not saying something can’t be done. We’re saying it can be done, but let’s figure out the best way to do it.”
Natasha credits that unique problem-solving ability to hers and Peter’s backgrounds. She personally has a lot of experience with design – she went to school for architecture – and Peter has a lot of experience with hands-on building – he’s been building homes with his father from a young age. “I think the reason why Peter and I work so well together is that we both speak the same language,” Natasha says. “I’m on more on the theoretical side; he is more on the practical side. Together, I think we make a really strong team.” They also have a strong team under them, Natasha is quick to add. That team isn’t large – and there are advantages to keeping it small, as previously mentioned – but Natasha says every team member is highly knowledgeable about design and construction. “We know what we’re looking for in our team members,” she says. “They have to be creative, they have to be able to troubleshoot problems, and they have to pay really close attention to the details. That describes everyone who works for us.” Once again, however, Natasha emphasizes that they have kept their team lean on purpose. They like being boutique. They like it partly because it helps them be competitive with their fees – having a small team means there are not that many mouths to feed – but mostly Natasha and Peter like dealing with clients directly. They like forming close relationships with clients – the kind of relationships that typically endure even after the home is fully delivered. Relatedly, one more point of difference is Starna’s truly complete range of construction management services. The company is capable of taking on everything from planning and development, to preconstruction, procurement, construction management, to post construction, and they even offer provide ongoing maintenance and home services – that’s where they ensure that the homes systems and components are cared for as intended, so that their home lasts a lifetime. “We are always happy to help even after the project is complete,” Natasha says. “I definitely think that’s another distinguishing factor.” NOVEMBER 2024
Being boutique Over the past six years, Starna Building Group has grown primarily as a result of referrals and word of mouth. In particular, they are recommended often by architects and designers who have worked with them before. Natasha credits that loyalty to two main factors – the transparency of their systems and processes, and the quality of their workmanship. She believes those factors are linked. “I think our construction management processes are very strong because of my commercial background,” Natasha explains. “Commercial building is very process driven. There are systems for processing change orders and site instructions and RFIs. There are ways to handle all that information and make sure that everyone is on the same page, that everyone understands the cost implications and the options and everyone knows how to move forward. Everything is documented properly and everyone is aware.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Residential building, however, can be more “cowboy,” as Natasha describes it. She says there are a lot of players in the residential sector that don’t do a lot of paperwork and documentation, which can often lead to confusion and arguments down the line. Starna avoids that strife by adhering to systems and process that ensure full transparency every step of the way. “I’ve applied a commercial process to residential construction,” Natasha says. “It’s not exactly commercial, but it is a modified. When it comes to the construction administration side of the business, I think our quality is there because everything is documented.” Starna’s quality is also partly a credit to Peter, Natasha adds, as he is very hands-on and he has very high personal standards. “Peter is the director of construction, so he is literally in his truck every day looking at our sites. We have site supervisors for each of our projects, but he’s there to just double check, make sure everything is in place. Things are seen. Not that our supers are not capable, but it’s always nice to have a second set of eyes on our projects.” “We have site processes as well. We make sure that we conduct site meetings at different milestones of the project to ensure that quality is in place and everything looks in order. We make sure that the clients always understands what’s being done, and if there are any challenges we make sure those are properly communicated. Transparency is the key.” NOVEMBER 2024
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Then there’s the company’s roster of subcontractors and trades. According to Natasha, they are “a really big part of our team,” and the company’s quality is also a credit to them. “As a construction manager, you’re really only as good as your trades, because if you don’t have good trades, what exactly are you managing?” she says. “Fortunately, we have some really great trades. I would say 90 per cent of them we had pre-existing relationships with prior to forming Starna. We’ve known them for the 15-to-20 years we’ve been in business and we have great relationships.” Moving forward, with the support of those trusted trades, the vision for Starna Group is to essentially keep doing what they are doing now. They like the projects they are building, they like balance between new builds and complex renovation they have already achieved, and they like the current size of the business. Even though they have room to grow and get bigger, Natasha says they don’t necessarily want to. “As far as the number of projects we do, I really think we’re at our sweet spot now,” she says. “Being boutique has been a core theme of our business and we do not want to change that.” What they do want, however, is to form relationships with more interior designers and architects. Natasha says there are some designers out there “that are doing incredible things,” and Starna Building Group would love the chance to be a part of that. “It would be wonderful to be introduced to and work with more interior designers and architects,” she concludes. “I think we excel at any architectural style, whether it’s traditional, transitional or modern. So just being able to work with a more diverse set of architects out there and designers would be great.” We are your reliable partner for all your electrical needs in the GTA. 416-543-9168 www.costantinoelectric.ca COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL CE_adfinal.qxp_Layout 1 2024-10-16 9:40 AM Page 1 NOVEMBER 2024
For more on Starna Building Group, their founding mission, their full range of services, and examples of their past projects – and to contact Natasha, Peter, & their expert team visit: STARNA.CA THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Project execution excellence
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Collaborative Structures Limited (CSL) is an industry leading provider of construction management, general contracting, and designbuild services across Ontario’s industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors. Since its founding in 2003, CSL has expanded significantly in size and capabilities, delivering over 250 major projects. They attribute their success to their commitment to building relationships, prioritizing health and safety, and upholding honesty and ethical practices in collaboration with stakeholders. This approach most often results in high-quality quality projects that exceed client expectations. “At CSL, we’re focused on understanding the needs of all our stakeholders,” says Conor Downe, Pre-Construction Manager. “Our goal is to build long-term relationships based on collaboration, trust, and open communication, delivering results every time.” “Our commitment can be summed up in three words: Project. Execution. Excellence. That excellence is achievable only with trust and respect among our partners and team.” Conor explains that CSL’s stakeholders include owners, design professionals, government entities, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants and safety authorities. With each, CSL strives to be open, fair, ethical, and professional. Through open communication and team empowerment, we deliver on our promise of excellence,” he notes. CSL’s leadership team consists of Bill Zister, Josh Blackler, Justin Bender and Nate Toews. Josh, a long-standing member since 2006, started as a junior estimator and now oversees the company’s Preconstruction department. Nate and Justin joined as recent graduates in 2005 and 2008, respectively, and now oversee the company’s NOVEMBER 2024
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NOVEMBER 2024 operations department. Bill joined CSL as CEO and Principal in 2018, after nearly 20 years with a major Canadian contractor bringing with him experience on significant projects. Under their leadership, CSL has evolved embracing a “clientfirst approach” emphasizes transparency and open communication: “We are highly responsive and keep clients involved at every stage of the project,” Conor says. “They receive full clarity on all aspects of the project, leading to long-term relationships and repeat business.” Safety is another cornerstone of CSL’s reputation. As an early adopter of the COR Certification process, CSL demonstrates a commitment to the safety of both employees and subcontractors. “Our people and trades are our most valuable resources and we are dedicated to providing a safe, healthy environment for everyone on site,” Conor says. Quality is equally crucial to CSL’s client relationships. Conor credits their strong reputation to the knowledge and versatility of their team. “We’ve delivered many high-quality projects across various sectors, which means clients know they can rely on our expertise, no matter the complexity,” he explains. When challenges arise, CSL has the experience to adapt. “We help clients make informed decisions, not just financially, but from a longterm operational perspective,” says Conor. This adaptability has led to long-term relationships with many clients, some dating back to CSL’s founding.
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NOVEMBER 2024 When challenges arise, CSL has the experience to adapt. “We help clients make informed decisions, not just financially, but from a longterm operational perspective,” says Conor. This adaptability has led to long-term relationships with many clients, some dating back to CSL’s founding. CSL also values their team, which now includes around 100 employees. “Our strength is our people,” Conor emphasizes, adding that open communication, and respect are key to maintaining loyalty. “We ensure everyone feels valued and heard, creating a strong sense of community within the company.” Additionally, CSL prioritizes work-life balance, offering flexibility and support to employees. “We understand everyone has personal commitments, and our team appreciates that balance,” Conor adds. CSL’s relationships with subcontractors and suppliers are equally valued. Having established longstanding relationships in the region, CSL selects partners who share their commitment to quality and safety. “These partnerships are essential to our success, and we view them as an extension of our team,” says Conor. An example of one of CSL’s trusted partners is JMJ Rock Forming, a leader in the concrete forming across Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. Like CSL, JMJ has gown through a foundation of repeat business and customer satisfaction. In recent years, CSL has focused on niche sectors, including education and food and beverage. For instance, they are currently working on the Conestoga College Skilled Trades Campus, a significant project that will address the province’s skilled trades shortage and positively impact the construction industry. CSL’s vision is to continue growing through strategic, high-impact projects. “Our aim is to expand while maintaining the core values that drive our success,” Conor says. “We want to grow responsibly, ensuring our clients continue to receive the same quality and commitment on every project.” Ultimately, CSL envisions itself as a leader shaping the construction industry’s future fostering innovation, and building long lasting relationships. “Our goal is to make a positive impact in every community we work in,” Conor concludes.
For more on Collaborative Structures Limited, their mission and values, their range of construction services, and more examples of past projects – and to get in touch with their expert team, including Conor – visit https://collaborativestructures.com/ THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Carefully constructing dreams
MP Custom Homes is a longstanding awardwinning builder that has been delivering custom homes throughout southwestern Ontario since 1985. Throughout their almost-40-year history, they have dedicated themselves to the art of home design and construction, and they have continuously upheld a tradition of providing excellence and value. Even as the industry has evolved – and as ownership of the company has changed hands – they have held firm to their vision of constructing their clients’ dreams and bringing them to life. Originally, that vision was established by founders and brothers John and Peter Groeneweg. When current owners Jamie Knibbe and Jesse Neiman took over the business about three years ago, they adopted that vision wholeheartedly. Their focus has changed slightly, and their understanding of building science and efficiency has evolved considerably, but their mission remains the same. “At MP, our joy is to carefully construct our customers’ dreams,” Jesse says. “Everyone at MP is dedicated to this unified goal, to create. We, along with our carefully selected sub trades, will put all our time-tested skills to work for our clients.” These days, MP Custom Homes focuses mainly on new single-family homes, which can range widely in size and value – their smaller projects tend to be around 1,500-to-1,700 square feet, some of their higher end homes land between 2,500 and 3,500 square feet, and they only recently finished up a 5,000-square-foot house in Talbotville. Each home MP delivers is unique. When working in subdivisions, they do typically start with a preengineered plan, of which they have a wide range, but even in those cases the buyer is free to make amendments and make the plan their own. “We’ll move walls, change layouts, add features, NOVEMBER 2024
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NOVEMBER 2024 we’ll do whatever they like,” explains Ashley Bale, who does sales with the company. She also used to be the interior and exterior decorator for the company, so she knows a lot of the ins and outs of what goes into the builds as well as what works best. “The client might see a plan they like, but they don’t like where a closet is or the way the ensuite is laid out or how the basement is laid out, therefore we make some changes. They can customize the plan and make it their own. We’re very adaptable to people’s wishes. We’ve never built two houses the same.” Because they are so adaptable, Ashley adds, they tend to generate a lot of referrals and word of mouth, and they even get a lot of repeat work. In the nine-and-a-half years she has been there, she has personally worked with “a handful of clients” on their second and third houses. “St. Thomas, where we’re based, is a small town,” she explains. “If you do a good job, you’re going to get a lot of referrals. We definitely don’t do a lot of advertising, that’s not how we get our work. I think we just do a great job on our builds and that’s how our name gets out.” The quality of MP’s work is not only recognized by customers, however – it has also been repeatedly recognized by their peers in the industry, in the form of awards and accolades. For example, the company is a long-time member of the St. Thomas and Elgin Home Builders Association (STEBHA), which gives out the Golden Hammer Awards every year. “Even though we’re one of the smaller builders in the area, we typically walk away with more than our fair share of hardware,” Jesse says. Jesse emphasizes, however, that they are not
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NOVEMBER 2024 motivated by that recognition. Nor are they motivated by the prospect of growth. What matters to them above all is the satisfaction of their customers and everything else is a far lower priority. “We try as best we can to take care of our customers, and to us that’s enough,” he says. “We don’t spend a tonne on advertising. We’re not trying to become a 300-house-per-year builder. We’re very happy building our 25-or-so houses per year. Last year we did 17, the year before we did 33. We try to stick around that range, and honestly, we try to fly under the radar as much as we can when it comes to the rest of it.” “If we’re out and about and we see a previous customer, we want them to be happy to talk to us,” he adds. “That’s what matters to us. If the customer is happy, that means we’ve done a good job. That’s how we measure our success.” At the same time, MP Custom Homes also strives to take care of their other stakeholders, including their employees, subcontractors, and suppliers. According to Jesse, the success of those partners is also important. “For the most part, we’ve been very blessed and fortunate to work with people that we like,” he says. “We try to take good care of them, just like we do our customers.” Many of the company’s subcontractors, he adds, have been working with MP Custom Homes for a “very, very long time.” Some have even been with the company since the beginning, and most have been working with the company at least as long as Jesse. “I would say one of our good qualities is our loyalty,” Jesse says. “If we don’t have a reason to change from a sub-trade, we try to be very loyal and work with them over and over. As a result, I think we’ve fostered some really strong relationships. Not only do they deliver quality, but if something goes wrong, I think we have a good enough rapport that they respond quickly and get things fixed promptly.”
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Keeping people happy As an example of what MP Custom Homes is capable of, Jesse cites a custom home they recently completed on Cedervale Lane in Talbotville. That home was fairly large, comprising eight bedrooms and six bathrooms, and included his and her walk-in closets, a theatre room, a bar, and a kitchenette in the basement as well as a full kitchen upstairs with built-in appliances. It also included some impressive and complicated features, like a mono rail steel open riser staircase with glass paneling, glass wall office and – “all sorts of complicated stuff,” Jesse says. Moving forward, Jesse says the company would love to do more projects of that size and caliber. As previously mentioned, however, they aren’t all that interested in doing much more work than they already are. As a company, they like the size they are at now and don’t intend to get much bigger. “We’re super content and satisfied in general with where we are,” Jesse explains. “Our goal is just to keep going. We don’t have any grand goals of trying to become the biggest builder in the area or anything like that. We want to do our 25 houses per year, give or take, and hopefully three or four of them are nice custom homes in the country.” “We want to keep doing what we’re doing and doing it well,” he concludes. “We want to keep providing a really high level of customer experience and care. If we can keep our customers happy, then we’ll be happy.” NOVEMBER 2024
For more on MP Custom Homes, their homebuilding process, their range of plans, and the communities in which they work – and to get in touch with their expert team today, including Jesse and Ashley – visit https://mpcustomhomes.ca/ THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Converge Construction is a Fraser Valley based construction company that has over 26 years of experience providing premium construction services to clients throughout Western Canada. Over those years, they have developed a track record of success and have consistently proven their ability to provide high-quality products, on time, and on budget. In recent years, they have focused their talents on larger projects with higher values. With the expert team they have, they believe they have the ability to deliver those projects to the highest quality standards possible, and to provide those clients with outcomes that exceed their highest expectations. “Our vision is to bring exceptional people together to positively impact communities,” says Jacob Vanderveen, who represents the second generation of the company. “Through working with only the best, we are able to create outstanding finished products for our clients, time and time again.” Converge Construction was first formed in 2008 by Dwayne Vanderveen and William Vroom, who both came from deep backgrounds in the local construction industry. While the country was in economic hardship, both partners sought to bring together their unique construction expertise and build a company that could service any client and any project. That ‘coming together’ and combining of knowledge is what inspired the company name – as well as the slogan, which is ‘Bringing it all together.’ Jacob, for his part, describes himself as “born and bred into construction.” He grew up working with his dad on job sites on evenings, weekends, summers, and holidays. After graduating school he followed into the family trade and began working as a framer on custom homes with no intention at the time of working with his father. NOVEMBER 2024
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NOVEMBER 2024 In 2016, however, Dwayne called him and offered him a job as a site foreman on a townhouse. “He said, ‘I know that this is not something that had been on your horizon, but would you consider it?’” Jacob recalls. “At the time I was kind of just capped out with where I was at with framing, and I was looking for something new.” Looking back, Jacob expresses that he is very grateful that he ended up taking that job because the opportunity it held, and because of the growth he has been able to experience within Converge Construction. In the past six years, the scale of projects Converge Construction manages has grown considerably. From the inception of the company, they been heavily involved in numerous commercial restaurant projects , servicing over 100 Tim Horton locations, Starbucks, Wendys, McDonald’s, Triple O’s, , A&Ws, and much more. The company still takes on some of those tenant improvements, but they are no longer their sole focus. Since their first multi-family project, the company’s portfolio has become a lot more diverse. In 2019, for example, they built a mass timber youth center for the Tsuut’ina Nation. That led to various projects for the Shishalh Nation, which involved the company working out of town in Sechelt for a couple years. Over the past five years, Converge Construction has done a wide variety of work, including large multi-family townhouse subdivisions, high-end custom houses, large commercial storefront projects, and institutional projects for municipalities and First Nations communities. These days, as previously mentioned, the company’s focus is squarely on those larger jobs. According to Jacob, they “thrive” on projects ranging from $5-millon-to-$40 million in contract
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA value, and they are willing to travel to take those on. “Converge Construction certainly prioritizes searching for work within the Greater Vancouver area of BC, however, we do not view this as a limit,” Jacob says. “We have done and continue to do projects that service many locations and customers across western Canada. From the White Horse in the Yukon to Powell River, Fort Nelson, Swift Current SK, and various locations in Alberta, we are equipped to bring excellence on the road.” Most of the company’s work, no matter where it takes place, is done on behalf of repeat clients. For example, they recently completed a lowrise in Powell River for a First Nation group. One of the stakeholders on that project was Terra Developments; they helped the First Nation group acquire the funding. That was the first time Converge Construction had worked with them, and after completing that job, they assisted in having them hired to build a daycare in Mission. Jacob credits that kind of loyalty to the problemsolving ability of Converge Construction, and to the way they always put the client first. “Projects have issues, they all do,” he explains. “The Converge difference is that we don’t just find and identify the issues, but we work with the customer to solve issues in advance to save money and time on project. We collaborate to bring it all together with our trades and professional consultants on the projects, forming a cohesive team to benefit the client and the end product.” “We believe that what comes around goes
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THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA around,” he continues. “We put our heart and our soul into our projects and our clients. We make ourselves very available and incredibly transparent through the build process. As a result, a very significant amount of our projects are either for repeat clients or come from direct referrals from previous clients.” Jacob also believes that clients appreciate their “total transparency.” He believes the thoroughness of their documentation and reporting is another Converge difference. “We issue site reports every single day that are complete with photos and work logs – they are complete, transparent records of what happened that day,” he says. “We compile those into weekly reports. We compile the weekly reports into monthly reports. We are all about trying to make sure the client feels involved and informed. We want to make sure they feel comfortable at all times.”
Quality people, quality work Internally, Converge Construction employs about 25 team members directly. Aside from their two new newest hires, almost all of those employees have been with the company for five-to-12 years. A few employees have even been there since the company started in 2008. “That’s not an insignificant amount of time,” Jacob understates. “I think we earn that loyalty by treating our people really, really well and taking care of them financially. Plus – and this is such a cliché answer – but we treat them like family. I know people hear that and they roll their eyes, but it’s the truth. We’re like a family here.” According to Jacob, they find a lot of employees will spend weekends and evenings together, and have generally fostered friendships that span well beyond the work day. “We’ll hear about someone needing an oil change, and then we’ll find out that he went over to another employee’s house in Chilliwack, and the two of them changed the oil of their vehicle on the weekend,” Jacob says. The company’s relationships with subcontractors are also close-knit and largely longstanding. Just like with employees, Jacob explains, they try to find and hold to good quality people – and they believe the quality of work naturally follows. “It’s so important to choose the right team of guys,” Jacob says. “We have to go into a project with the same mentality. We all have to buy in completely. A construction project is about people management as much as anything else. There are a lot of people involved on a project. And when you have good quality people, you end up with good quality work.” NOVEMBER 2024
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Making an impact As an example of the kind of quality work that comes from having quality people, Jacob points to a 24-unit low-rise apartment building the company recently built for the Tla’amin First Nation in Powell River. They completed that project in only 10 months as a rapid response to a housing crisis in the community for their Elders. “This was a complex project that was completed out of town, using conventional framing methods as opposed to pre-fabrication,” Jacob explains. “That project is an excellent demonstration of how construction methods can be made efficient and effective when the GC manages to make the project a team-oriented endeavour.” Moving forward, Converge Construction intends to continue taking on multi-family projects like that one, as they see that as a burgeoning sector. At the same time, they also want to take on a variety of other projects, as they see value in being versatile and diverse. They now operate three divisions – commercial construction, residential NOVEMBER 2024
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construction, and real estate development – and their vision is to have three-to-five commercial/ institutional projects, two-to-three multi-family projects, and two-tothree custom housing project on the go at any given time. “There’s such a need for housing in general here in BC,” Jacob says. “There are a lot of opportunities coming up to do more multi-family, and that’s something we’re really targeting. We want to be part of that. We want to have a positive impact on communities and continue to build excellent projects.” “At the same time, we don’t want to lose touch with our background, which is doing commercial and institutional projects, as well as custom houses,” he adds. “We still get those projects through word of mouth and we don’t want to turn those projects away. We have guys that are really excellent in those sectors and we don’t want their talent and experience to go to waste.” Within the commercial and institutional sectors, however, one change Converge Construction does want to make is they want to do bigger projects, with higher contract values. They believe they have more than proven their ability to take on those $10 million-plus jobs and they would love the opportunity to continue proving themselves on projects of that calibre. “There’s a little bit higher risk in those projects, but we’re ready and able to take on that risk,” Jacob concludes. “We want to take the next step and make more of an impact.” “There’s a little bit higher risk in those projects, but we’re ready and able to take on that risk,” Jacob concludes. “We want to take the next step and make more of an impact.” NOVEMBER 2024
For more on Converge Construction, their expert team, their services, and their past projects – and to get in touch with their expert team – visit https://www.convergeconstruction.ca/ THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
From inception through construction to occupancy
Breakwater Consulting is a full service consulting and design firm based in Miramichi, New Brunswick. They specialize in building, structural, and civil design, and both the services they provide and the sectors they service run the gamut – their consulting services include tender development, cost and schedule management, inspections, contract administration, and more, and they work on multiple project types, including commercial, industrial, institutional and residential. “At Breakwater Consulting, we work with our clients from project inception through construction to occupancy of the facility,” says Dave Colbourne, partner and general manager. “Our goal is the development of a strong relationship with our clients.” “If a client has a project and is unsure of the next steps or how best to move forward to a successful completion, their next move is to call Breakwater Consulting,” he adds. “We’ll work together and find a solution.” Dave co-founded Breakwater Consulting in 2013 with his friend Reid Mutch. Together, they bring over 60 years of industry experience to their roles. Dave personally has over 30 years’ experience in management and design and has worked in both the public and private sector, in roles including draftsperson, estimator, designer, project coordinator, site superintendent, and project manager. Reid, meanwhile, has worked in the construction industry for over 35 years as everything from a labourer, draftsperson, and field coordinator, to supervisor, project manager and designer. In 2018, Mohamed Hossin joined Breakwater as the third partner, bringing over 25 years’ experience to the team. Mohamed has his Masters in Structural Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and he leads the engineering and construction NOVEMBER 2024
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