THE TEAM
Owned and operated by husband and wife team, Ralph and Hélène Belisle, TQ consists of a core team of 14 members, including Ralph and Hélène, along with engineers, administrators, designers, carpenters and project managers who combine their exceptional talents at TQ’s Burnaby-based head office. An additional dozen staff routinely join the TQ crew during the busy summer months.
Ralph Belisle,
President
Born and raised in Vancouver, Ralph Belisle has a straightforward philosophy about home building. "I would fix almost anything before throwing it away," he says, "Not only is it more ethical, I find it a lot more fun and interesting as well."
Since 1985, Ralph has shared his philosophy with homeowners and shown them that renovating the house they currently live in is an attractive, viable alternative to the disruption of moving. "People’s needs change, but often they really don’t want to move. We can show them how to hold on to what they truly love about their house, and build on it," says Ralph, "We work with them to meet their needs. For example, a client may think they require another 1,000 square feet of living space, when all they really need is and additional 500 square feet, plus a solution to better utilize an existing area of 200 square feet."
From 1997 through 2000, he served as Chair of the Renovation Council of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association and was a key player in developing new regulations and standards for renovators. He recently served as President of the Canadian Home Builders Association of British Columbia and is a past President of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Better Business Bureau.
In spite of his many professional commitments, Ralph still makes time to remain active in his local community. He worked with the Vancouver Rape Relief Centre and has been a key contributor to upgrading the South Fraser Child Development Centre for children with challenges. He contributes to Dusk to Dawn, a street youth facility, and volunteers with the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association. "I live and do business in Burnaby," he explains. "I believe it's important to be part of the Greater Vancouver neighborhood you work in.” When he can, Ralph indulges in his self-confessed obsession for antique motorcycles and is building a stone house in the Chilliwack Valley as a family vacation retreat.
Helene Belisle,
Vice-President
Hélène is as passionate about design and its ability to create an exceptional living environment as her husband Ralph is zealous about quality craftsmanship and customizing homes to create something unique. Together, they form an unbeatable pair, as both partners in life and leaders of a dynamic business.
Hélène joined the TQ crew full-time in 1997 as Vice-President. With a background as an Office Manager and Early Childhood Educator, Hélène’s current role involves overseeing TQ’s marketing, accounting and administration. “I’m also mom, driver, spare labour ...” she adds, “I step in wherever needed.” For Hélène, it’s all about getting the job done and making clients happy.
“I believe that what we do here at TQ improves not only our customers’ homes, but the quality of their lives,” Hélène says. “They bring us their problems — whether they concern additional space requirements, flow, livability, outdated décor, poor energy efficiency or a need for improved sustainability — and we offer design and build solutions. At the end of the process,” she adds, “We usually end up at the homeowner’s celebration party, among new friends.”
Jim Wigglesworth,
Design Coordinator
Jim got his start in the industry during his high school years while working part-time for an architect. He went on to train in the architectural, industrial design and construction fields. Jim joined the TQ team in 2003 where his role allows him to fulfill his passion by contributing to the creation of TQ’s leading edge design and build service.
He skillfully guides every TQ project through the critically important design development stage, and is dedicated to delivering the benefits of TQ’s unique service to each of his clients’ projects. Jim achieves this by working very closely with homeowners, and by assembling a team for each individual project with just the right skills to bring great design to every renovation.
Kim Boer,
Office Manager
Kim began working at TQ part-time in 2000, while the youngest of her four children was still in preschool. With a background in bookkeeping and office administration, she began assisting Hélène with her staggering workload, quickly learning TQ’s accounting procedures and software. With her characteristic initiative and versatility, she assumed responsibility for customer invoicing, allowing Hélène to take a much needed holiday from which she returned, pleasantly surprised, to find all the invoicing neatly lined up on her desk.
Kim then took charge of office administration, freeing up Hélène’s time so she could concentrate on marketing. Then Kim turned her astute attention to all the accounting duties. Now working nearly full-time (30 hours per week), Kim runs the accounting department and manages all invoicing, accounts receivable/payable and payroll, among the countless other duties that make her indispensable to the TQ team. Needless to say, whenever Ralph and Hélène are away on business or vacation, Kim is in command. She pretty much does it all, and in Hélène’s own words, “She is the best you can get!”
Ellen Liu,
Design Technician
Born and raised in south China where she became an electronic engineer, Ellen came to Canada in 2003 and joined TQ in 2006. She has been an integral part of TQ for the past three years, deftly applying her skills in AutoCAD, Chief Architect and MS Project toward estimating, facilitating the design process and creating breathtaking 3D images and renderings for TQ clients. She is also invaluable in communicating with our Chinese clientele.
Tiki Patel,
Controller
Pratik Patel, fondly known as Tiki in our office, acts as TQ’s controller. This is Tiki’s first experience working in the construction industry, having worked in a variety of businesses as a financial consultant.
Tiki has been with TQ since April 2010 and in that time has been an invaluable help to Kim in the accounting department. Tiki liaises regularly with the site supervisors to help with accurate tracking of budgets, and communicates regularly with customers to keep them informed of their project’s financial progress. On the odd occasion, he has been known to head out to a job site and throw on a tool belt for a few hours! All-in-all he has shown himself to be a versatile employee!
Tiki was born in Fiji and, as a teenager, immigrated to Canada with his family about 10 years ago. He is a graduate of the BCIT Financial Management Program, and holds a degree in Business Administration from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). He is currently on track to complete his CGA by summer of 2012, through part-time studies.
Nathan Goldman,
Nelson Francisco,
Site Supervisor
From excelling in Construction 11 and 12 in High School, Nelson’s career path was clear, right from the get-go. After graduation, he enrolled in Carpentry ELTT (Entry Level Trades Training) at BCIT, and accelerated through the six-and-a-half month, self-paced program in only 4 months. Completing his apprenticeship from 1990 to 1997, he acquired high-level skills and experience in construction, framing, concrete form work and interior finishing carpentry, prior to joining TQ in February, 1998. For the past thirteen years, Nelson has earned the respect and admiration of TQ staff and customers for his reliability and commitment to striving for excellence.
Diane Scott,
Receptionist
Diane is not only part of the TQ team, she is also a former, thrilled client who hired TQ to design and build her spectacular renovation. Now, she is the front line contact at TQ. She is a talented multi-tasker, answering phones and assisting clients and staff when they have questions or need information. With the exception of five bitterly cold Ontario winters long ago, Diane has spent most of her life in the Metro Vancouver area enjoying all the west coast has to offer. She has a warm and forthright personality which puts TQ customers at ease.
Doug Peters,
Site supervisor
Doug grew up in — and around — the construction industry. His father is a Journeyman Carpenter, and Doug was destined to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Doug joined TQ eighteen years ago when he was just 18, and is well-respected among the team. A no-nonsense, roll-up-your-sleeves, ‘get the job done’ type of guy, Doug holds a Trade Qualification Certificate in Carpentry and the International/ Interprovincial (Red Seal ) ticket, which he achieved several years ago following a 4-year apprenticeship. An extraordinarily-skilled carpenter and project manager, Doug is notorious for bringing along his two dogs (a pair of pugs named Bruiser and Brooklyn) to the job site, where their antics are much enjoyed by both crew and TQ customers alike. Between his adorable pets and laid-back personality, Doug helps to make what could be a stressful time for homeowners into an easygoing process.
Brett Mortlock,
Site Supervisor
Brett follows in the footsteps of a long line of carpenters—4 generations to be exact. His on-the-job training began at the age of 6 when he received his first hammer! From that point on Brett spent many hours on job sites with his family, learning the trade from the ground up.
Brett holds a Red Seal Certificate in both residential framing, and building envelope technology, and a Project Management Certificate with the GVHBA. His favourite aspect of the trade is the finishing work.
Brett has been involved in various volunteer activities over the years, including a 2 year stint with the Boys & Girls Club of Vancouver.
After a busy day on the construction site, Brett finds time to indulge his passion for baseball, hockey, skiing, golfing & fishing.
Peter R. Kruk,
Site supervisor
