Parade of Homes featuring the best of new homes in Manitoba, Canada
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/378148
>> When Kevin van, vice-president for Qualico, brings his youngest daughter to the office, she's been known to park herself at the desk of the president and ceO. there, she crosses out the name on business cards and prints her own over the prestigious title. the young girl's daydreams may not be too far off future reality. Qualico was started over 60 years ago by her great grandpar- ents, Dr. David Friesen and his wife Katherine Friesen, and those ceO business cards belong to her grandmother, ruth Hastings. Van represents the third generation in the family business. He was welcomed into the fold when he married his university sweet- heart, Lisa Hastings, daughter to ruth and brian Hastings. While they were dating, he began his career with Qualico as a general labourer, cleaning up building sites. Inspired by his early work with the company, he left his criminology studies and started down a new path by switching his focus to com- merce. It didn't take long for his aptitude and his fit within the family to become apparent, and a plan was developed to teach him the business from the ground up. early on, he was assigned to the broadview Homes division of Qualico. For a month at a time, he was placed with different trades on dif- ferent stages of the home-building cycle. there, he gained technical knowledge, proved himself as a hard worker, and worked alongside trades and suppliers from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. With the benefit of hindsight, Van credits that diverse and practical learning experience for his broad understanding of the business. He also looks back on those opportunities with fond- ness, and is pleased that the friendships he built with colleagues and mentors on those jobs sites have endured. His emerging role at Qualico also led to several years of service on the manitoba Home build- ers' Association board of directors. there, he enjoyed collaborating and learning from indus- A STRONg FOUNdATiON these homes are built for style and comfort by carolyn Kosheluk – photos by darcy finley 'Van represents the third generation in the family business' New Kids oN The BloCK 32 Parade of Homes Fall 2014