2023 Trade Breakfast Recap

The Return of the Trade Breakfast Awards

It was a cheery, chatty, celebratory morning when many of the Lagois trade, supplier and consultant partners gathered for breakfast recently.

It’s an event that happens every year, our way of showing our partners how much we appreciate them. We really do have the best in the business.

(We have some fine breakfast sponsors, too. This year they were Perkins Home Building Centre and Fransyl.)

Each year we give awards for outstanding service and skill. This time we were happy to honour nearly two dozen superb partners.

“I was really stoked to get the awards,” said Mike Leach of Kiwi Mike’s Renos. His company won not one, but two: the Safety Award and Trade Company of the Year.

“Really I had no idea I was even being considered for them,” he said.

He added Lagois has been well-organized and pleasant, an “excellent team” and great to work for.

“It’s super nice to be recognized,” he said. “Nothing like a bit of positive reinforcement. I guess we must be doing something right!”

Jason Grulke of O’Reilly Brothers, winner of the Best On-Time Performance award, said the trade breakfast is “a great opportunity to interface and see what Lagois is all about, and what you can accomplish”.

He explained that his company prides itself on “our ability to schedule appropriately and meet deadlines for our clients.”

O’Reilly Brothers has years of experience in the industry, with a solid management team being built over the years. “I believe that the reliability that O’Reilly Brothers brings to each project instills confidence in our partners,” Jason said, “and is important in building and maintaining our business relationships”.

He thanked Lagois for the good partnership.

“We enjoy working with Lagois because of their commitment to the level of detail in specifications, allowing us to have a better idea of clients’ needs, to ask better questions, to more accurately price and plan, and to make fewer oversights and errors.”

He added: “It makes everything smoother for our clients when expectations can actually be met between our companies.”

Brandyn and Chloe Hewett of Wireman Electrical, winners of the Best On-Site Cleanliness award, are new trade partners to the Lagois team.

“We are excited for what the future holds,” said Chloe. “There is a true sense of TEAM and Family in this group. Lagois goes the extra mile to show appreciation for trades partners, the community and their own team, which is pretty special to see.”

Chloe went on to say that Wireman Electrical is selective about the partnerships they make in the industry because “we want to align ourselves with those who have similar outlooks on project quality and customer satisfaction”. And Lagois is “a good fit for us!”

The Best On-Site Cleanliness award was a matter of great pride to Wireman Electrical. “We do take pride in our workmanship,” explained Chloe. “And we do our utmost to remember these aren’t ‘job sites’ but rather people’s homes. We treat them the way we’d want ours to be treated during any renovation. A clean work site reflects positively on the project, and of course it becomes less of a safety concern when it is kept clean.”

Catherine Leibe, winner of the Consultant of the Year award, was also pleased to be so honoured.

“I have been working with Lagois for over 15 years,” she said, “so it's nice to have my work with them recognized.”

She said she enjoys working with Lagois “especially because of their defined process. It was developed to seamlessly guide clients through the design and build of their home or renovation. But it also benefits the trades who work for Lagois. The scopes of work are well defined, and timelines and budgets are respected.” She added she believes clients benefit from the teamwork “and the expertise we bring to any project”.

Here is a list of the award winners:

Best New Trade: Citywide Demolition Inc.

Best Team Player: GW Roofing

Best Dedication: MXM Contracting

Safety Award & Trade Company of the Year: Kiwi Mike Homes Renos

Most Innovative Trade: Airtight Home Technologies

Tradesperson of the Year: Scott Armstrong with Armstrong Plumbing

Special Thanks: Algonquin Landscaping Ltd.

Most Innovative Product: Fransyl

Best Customer Service: Logs End Inc.

Best New Supplier: Euro Star Windows Ottawa

Team Player: Kollard Associate Inc.