Geertsma Home Build Update

We’re all familiar with Dream Home lotteries, but no one has ever heard of even one builder, let alone two, going to the lengths Quinte Home Builders Association members, Geertsma Homes and Staikos Homes have to support their local hospital.

The Home Build for Health Care is raising funds to address the need for state of the art, life-saving medical equipment at Quinte Health Care. The government doesn’t pay for this equipment so we have to. Every year the hospital’s Foundations work with volunteers and donors to raise the ever increasing amount of money needed to keep the hospital equipped.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that members of the Quinte Home Builders Association have responded to this need, but it’s fair to say that people here, and around the province, are amazed at how they’re responding.

The family owned and operated Staikos Homes and Geertsma Homes are taking the extraordinary step of each building a home in their current developments to be sold and the net proceeds donated to the Trenton Memorial Hospital and Belleville General Hospital Foundations so all our families can receive better care.
And, like an extended family, tradespeople and suppliers who work with Staikos and Geertsma have rallied to make the build a success and maximize the donation to Quinte Health Care. The vast majority of labour and materials is being donated.

When speaking to contributors to the Home Build the one reason you hear from virtually all of them for their participation is that they want to give back to the community and they think equipping the hospital is the best way to help the most people.

This week we profile contributors to the Geertsma build.

A & E Ceramic Tile & Marble Ltd.

In 1985, Armando Leonarduzzi decided the time was right to start his own business selling and installing tile. It would be a family business, with his son working with him as a labourer and learning the trade. He wanted to acknowledge his son’s role in the business, both at that time and later, when he knew Elvis would play a much larger role in the running of their company. Instead of Leonarduzzi & Son, he decided on A & E; Armando and Elvis.

So, like many of the contributors to the Home Build for Health Care, A&E Ceramic Tile and Marble is a business started by the father and eventually passed to a son, although in this case the son would have happily waited a few more years to become the boss. It was only four years after the business was started that Elvis and his wife, Tina, took over A & E following his father’s untimely death at an early age.

In 1994, Elvis would move the business from a small shop on Wallbridge Crescent to a new and larger outlet at its present location on College Street West. A & E is a full service specialty shop with professional staff who enjoy working with clients from project conception to the meticulous details of installation.
When asked what motivated him to participate in the Home Build for Health Care, Elvis doesn’t hesitate for a second before saying there are two very good reasons, “Geertsma and my father.”

“Andy Geertsma, and everyone at Geertsma Homes, are great. They’re great to work for, they have a very good name and they’re known for quality workmanship. They’re the type of people you want to be associated with.” Elvis said. “Just partnering with them would be enough to get me involved.”

But there’s that other reason Elvis wanted to be part of the project. “When my father was sick the hospital looked after him 110 percent.” Elvis said. “Now that I can give back, I’m more than happy to. And we’re local, we make our living here and it’s important to give back to the community. You can’t just take; you’ve got to give back.”

With a bit of a chuckle Elvis added, “And, we’re all getting older and at some time we’re going to need a little support from the hospital. Our parents need it, we will need it, eventually everyone needs it, and it’s good to make sure QHC has got what it needs.

A & E is contributing about $5,000 in tile and installation costs for the kitchen, laundry, bathrooms and entrances. “We’re going with the new up and coming style of 18”x18” tile in the large areas.” Elvis said, “It’s state of the art. It’s going to be beautiful, just like the rest of the house.”

The Door Company

Many of the businesses involved in the Home Build for Health Care started small, you might say they had humble beginnings but grew because of the hard work and perseverance of their founders. Perhaps the very best example of this is The Door Company. Their story could serve as an inspiration to all budding entrepreneurs.

In 1979, Peter Wickers started The Door Company with a truckload of gumption, and a truck. In the years since, the company has grown to the point of having offices in Sterling and Metcalfe and selling over 7,000 garage doors a year from Ottawa to Oshawa and Peterborough and beyond. They offer a complete range of garage doors and openers to residential, commercial and industrial clients.

Peter passed away three years ago, having grown his business from the back of that truck to the thriving enterprise it is today. Since then his wife, Betty Ann, has carried on the business, continuing Peter’s commitment to deliver high quality product and excellent customer service at a fair price. It was Betty Ann who committed The Door Company to the Home Build.

According to Operations Manager, Donna Nicholson, the door being installed in the Home Build home is the best of old and new. “The door Geertsmas have chosen is our Carriage House door. It looks like the old fashioned doors with large hinges and handles that would open out into the driveway. It will be beautiful with the style of the house.” Donna said, “But looks are deceiving, it’s really a state of the art, fully insulated metal door that opens overhead with one of our best automatic openers. It has old style charm and the benefits of modern, energy conscious construction and ease of use.”

Speaking to why The Door Company is participating in the Home Build, Donna echoes the sentiments of many other contributors, “We want to give back to the community, we all use the hospital and we want to know we’ll be able to use it in the future,” she said, “And we’ve worked with Geertsma Homes for about 10 years now and wanted to partner with them on the project.”

Recently, Betty Ann Wickers decided it was time for a change and last month sold the company to Ottawa businessman, Greg Bell. Named to the Ottawa Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, Greg has already earned a reputation for supporting community building projects like the Home Build.
“I’m very excited about taking up the reins at The Door Company,” he said. “I want to build on the Wicker’s legacy of integrity and honourable dealings in business, and their support of community building through projects like the Home Build for Health Care. I am deeply committed to these ideals and look forward to being actively involved in Quinte region communities.”

Cataraque Cabinets

Most people would agree the kitchen is the heart of a house. It’s much more than just the place where meals are prepared; it’s the one room that if you sit in long enough you’ll see every member of the household. It’s the room we sit in with family and best friends and often it’s the showplace of the house. It’s the room realtors say sells a house.

The kitchen in the Geertsma home looks like it came from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. It’s an amazing combination of luxury and functionality, colours and textures. Over 100 hours of design and construction show themselves in its old world style craftsmanship.

In 2002, Sean Flynn was working in the trucking business when his brother in law, Hans, asked him to take over Cataraque Cabinets. Hans was going through a difficult time trying to adjust to life without his wife, who was killed in an accident the year before. They had started the company together in 1979 and now Hans needed to get away. So it was that Sean and his wife, Doris Splinter-Flynn, took over the business in 2002 and bought it the next year.

In the years since, Cataraque Cabinets has grown from nine employees to 35 and from one building to three. About 30 percent of their output is for new homes, 35 for renovations and the remaining 35 percent is wholesale business.Sean has been working with Geertsma Homes for the past five years and describes their relationship as a good fit.“Andy is easy to approach and work with, and all his staff are very positive.” Sean says, “We really enjoy working with them.”

According to Sean, Cataraque Cabinets is very involved in supporting a number of community projects in Kingston. He says they believe strongly in giving back to the community and welcomed the Home Build for Health Care as their first opportunity to step forward for Quinte area communities.

“When Tony called from Geertsma and mentioned the project I immediately said, ‘We’re in.’” Sean says. “It’s something we wanted to do and I never gave it a second thought. And, my wife is a nurse, so I know about funding issues for hospital equipment and know it’s a very good cause.”

Nothing was spared in making the kitchen the stuff of a family chef’s dream. Designed by Tweed resident Clint Brushie – one of four Cataraque employees from Tweed – Sean describes it as “dressed to the nines.”

“We wanted this to be our best work.” Sean says, “We wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the project. We want people to be impressed, but we’re not in it for glory; we want to help make it a success and raise as much as possible for Quinte Health Care.”