- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

Mario Conforti began his career as a builder when he was just 14 years old鈥攚orking for his cabinet-maker dad back in Italy鈥攁nd he says he couldn鈥檛 imagine doing anything else.

鈥淲hatever we needed, we would make,鈥� the 79-year-old founder of Conforti Homes says. 鈥淲e used to make windows and doors, and we would even make furniture. You start from the beginning and when you finish, you鈥檝e done something. You鈥檙e creating something with your hands and the more you build, the more you want to do it.鈥�

After moving to Canada in 1965 and starting a homebuilding business with his wife, Vera, that building bug spread to their sons, Gino and Maurizio (Mo).

鈥淏oth my brothers have worked with my dad since they were 13 or 14 years old, keeping up the family tradition,鈥� Tania Conforti explains. 鈥淚 saw that and said, 鈥業鈥檓 not doing that!鈥� I actually worked as a paralegal for 18 years and I never thought I would go into the family business.鈥�

Tania began helping out part-time in 2006, but as the Conforti family鈥檚 custom home business grew, she realized she couldn鈥檛 keep juggling both jobs.

鈥淚 was working at a law firm and I was burnt out and this was far more enjoyable,鈥� says Tania, who came on full-time in 2019 and handles all the contracts and designs. 鈥淚 love design and I love the creativity of it. And because of my background in law, I have the ability to read and write contracts and that makes it a lot easier for us.鈥�

鈥淚t was not planned that everyone would work in the business, but it鈥檚 fun and we all get along very well,鈥� adds Mario, who鈥檚 now semi-retired. 鈥淲e respect each other and if there鈥檚 a problem, we sit down and talk.鈥�

The three siblings all have distinct roles鈥擬o is the project manager on job sites and they call Gino, a gifted interior finisher, 鈥渢he artist.鈥� Tania believes their ability to work well together and make both the business and the family work is because they grew up watching their parents do it.

鈥淲e learned that business is business and family is family,鈥� she says. 鈥淔amily is important and, at the end of the day, family is more important than our business.鈥�

For Tania, the biggest learning curve has been getting used to working for herself and finding the right work-life balance.

鈥淚 spent 18 years working for somebody else, and suddenly I went from my day being 8 o鈥檆lock to four, or eight to five, to my time not always being my own,鈥� says Tania, whose adorable dog, Lola, joined us for the interview. 鈥淲hen you work at home and your office is at home, it鈥檚 always there. You don鈥檛 get to walk away from it and it鈥檚 all about finding those boundaries and that balance.鈥�

The biggest challenges for the business right now are the same many companies are facing鈥攍abour shortages and supply-chain issues.

鈥淕etting products that we need in a timely manner has really been an issue since COVID-19,鈥� Tania says. 鈥淲e try to get our custom homes done within a year and we鈥檙e really good at that, but we鈥檝e had to give ourselves a buffer because there鈥檚 just things we can鈥檛 control.鈥�

The pandemic has also hammered up demand for renovation and building projects, which is something that initially surprised this tight-knit family in the early days of the crisis.

鈥淲hen the pandemic hit, we all had that nervousness that something might happen to our business because we weren鈥檛 sure that people would still want to build,鈥� explains Tania. 鈥淎nd the shocking part for all of us is that the construction industry boomed. People couldn鈥檛 travel so they took their travel money and said, 鈥業鈥檓 going to make my home my sanctuary.鈥欌��

With their business growing even faster than they expected, Conforti Homes has several exciting projects coming up, including smaller developments, and Tania is planning for more growth in the future.

鈥淲e鈥檝e really found a niche in the building market and we have a good reputation so we get a lot of referrals,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you鈥檇 asked me two years ago if I could foresee where we鈥檙e sitting today, I would have said no. I thought it would have taken us longer to get here.鈥�

There are lots of lessons Mario has passed down to his children over the years, but Tania says the one that resonates the most has nothing to do with construction.

鈥淭he best advice my dad has ever given me is to do what makes you happy, as long as it鈥檚 not hurting anybody else in the process. And I try to live my life like that.鈥�

After building a successful business and spending 65 years in his field, Mario also has some key advice for other entrepreneurs or people thinking of starting a business.

鈥淕o for it, but you have to be willing to work,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the main thing because you have to like to work because it takes a lot of your time.鈥�

鈥淢ake sure you love what you鈥檙e going to do because it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 going to be with you day and night for a number of years,鈥� Tania adds. 鈥淲e love what we do and it鈥檚 more than just building a house for us. We always say we鈥檙e building a home because we鈥檙e building people鈥檚 dream homes.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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