Beyond the bricks: Fabrizio Cortellucci
October 17, 2009
Kenyon Wallace
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
For those who didn't know about Zancor Homes' recent Brampton sales event, the dozens of people sleeping in their cars along a quiet suburban street must have seemed an odd sight.
The line of cars – and the odd tent – in front of the company's sales office on Summitgreen Cres., just south of the intersection of Airport Rd. and Countryside Dr., last month took even the Zancor's principal, Fabrizio Cortellucci, by surprise.
"I had sent one of my staff there at 9:30 the night before our sales event to clean up. He calls me at home as says, 'Fab, you're not going to believe this. There are 50 people sleeping here,'" recalled Cortellucci. "I said, 'You've got to be kidding me. Tell them to go home.' But they wouldn't leave."
The next day, all 53 homes in Phase 1 of the company's Country Trails development – featuring all brick fully detached homes on traditional 36-foot and 40-foot lots in Brampton's north end – sold out in four hours. Owners will be moving into their new homes in the spring. Homes ranged in price from $350,000 to $570,000, with sizes ranging from 1,650 to 3,600 square feet. Zancor already has 800 names registered for the second phase of the Country Trails development, which has 150 homes.
"People today know value and they look for value. The proof in the pudding is that they were there that night," said Lloyd Martin, president and CEO of Trimart Corp., a real estate marketing company with more than 25 years in the business.
Zancor, as it is today, was the brainchild of Cortellucci, who, while working as a supervisor on a Mississauga building site one summer eight years ago, came across a unique opportunity.
Using his knowledge of the construction industry gained from cutting his teeth on building sites during summers while a business student at Queen's University, Cortellucci pooled his resources and purchased nine lots that had come up for sale in the Mavis and Derry Rds. Area.
"I built those up and that's when I fell in love with the industry," he said. "I knew the process. And with my business background, it sort of came easy calling the right tradespeople, negotiating and contracts."
That was in August 2001. Since then, Zancor has gone on to build communities – and more than 1,000 homes – in Wasaga Beach, Barrie, Stayner, Angus and now, Brampton.
It's an impressive track record considering the 31-year-old was a student hauling lumber and cleaning up after contractors less than 10 years ago.
Cortellucci attributes his success to a combination of running a lean operation (there are only three staff at the company's head office in Concord), giving customers more than they expect, and help from family.
His father, Nick Cortellucci, is a principal of Concord-based Four Valley Construction, and a developer with Brookvalley Development, also based in Concord.
"The key to my success is being involved in every aspect of construction. That's why, more often than not, I can offer my homeowners great value without sacrificing quality or service," says Cortellucci, who creates his own floor plans with an architect.
"He's extremely hands-on," Martin says of Cortellucci.
"If there's a sale, he's there from morning until close talking to purchasers.
"People are talking to the owner and it's a whole different atmosphere. You see the passion."
Cortellucci, who lives in downtown Toronto but is currently building a home with his wife in Thornhill, says purchasers remember when you go out of your way to make sure they're satisfied.
He likens his approach to that of a mechanic whose customers bring in their car for servicing, only to find that the warranty has expired.
"But the mechanic says, 'Don't worry about it.' I try to do that. To give people that little bit extra," he said.
It's a formula that seems to be working.
Many buyers have stayed with Zancor as it has grown, purchasing first in Mississauga and upgrading to the company's new development in Brampton, or getting into the market in Barrie and moving up to Angus.
And while the Canadian economy is supposed to start its slow recovery over the next several months, Zancor's business continues to expand at a rapid pace.
Cortellucci has already committed to two new sites, including 160 lots in King City, a development he says will become his flagship community. Almost all the homes will be in the midst of green space backing on to a ravine, yet only 15 minutes away from amenities, he says. That sales office will open in the spring.
Meanwhile the company has also committed to another 200 lots in Brooklin, a community 40 minutes east of Toronto, just north of Whitby.
"His company is growing at a faster pace, more successful and more hands-on than anything I've experienced," said Martin.
But building homes is more than just a job for Cortellucci.
He takes a genuine interest in the communities he builds, often returning to host meet-and-greet barbecues for residents and donating money to local charities.
In April 2008, Wellspring Chinguacousy, a 6,000-square-foot home at 5 Inspiration Way in Brampton, opened offering psychological, emotional and social support for women suffering from breast cancer. Cortellucci donated the million-dollar facility.
"The biggest part of this business is creating something tangible," he said.
Toronto Star