is the owner of two other companies that
complement Praztek; one specializes in
real estate and development, the other
provides plumbing and heating services.
“To be honest, this success doesn’t rely
only on myself. I have a really good team
behind me as well,” Beaucage said, add-
ing that although his company consisted
of a one-man team in the beginning, it
now employs 22 people. Like many in-
spiring success stories, Praztek emerged
from humble headquarters, Beaucage’s
basement. Now the firm occupies an
8,000-square-foot facility. The expansion
has been a gradual one, Beaucage says,
and it is ongoing.
Dabbling in industrial projects from time
to time, Praztek concentrates primarily on
the residential and commercial sectors.
The power of construction lies with its abil-
ity to completely change the facade of a
street and Praztek has demonstrated that
in its home base of Timmins. A few years
ago, when the city sold some property,
Beaucage daringly bought a building that
few would have considered. It was the for-
mer site of a hotel and bar, and it sat in one
of the gloomiest parts of town. But Beau-
cage had a vision for the spot, revitalized
beyond recognition, and accordingly, Praz-
tek developed a $7-million, 34-unit senior
apartment complex.
What made this project rather special was
that Beaucage designed it as well. What
are the perks of having your construction
company involved in the design process?
Clients save tons of money. “An architect
is an architect. They’re going to design
something on paper, but they’ve never
built these buildings. They’re designing it
really nicely, but the problem that happens
is that they don’t really know how much it’s
going to cost to build it that way.” Having
a designer with a construction background
allows for efficient, cost-effective design.
Beaucage has contributed 146 apartment
units to Timmins in the last five years.
SEPTEMBER 2016
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business elite canada
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