Mark Pavkovic of National Homes

Hero name: Manager of Land Acquisition and Development

Allegiance: National Homes

Secret Identity: Mark Pavkovic

Age: 33

Time Active: 11 years

Origin Story:

Mark attended the University of Western Ontario with hopes of getting into investment banking. School doesn’t come cheap though, so a family friend got Mark a job working onsite with National Homes. After a few months of working as a labourer, he was hooked. Mark found it tremendously rewarding to watch homes completed by his own hand. It was only a year and a half before Mark moved into the National Homes office as the successor of the existing Planning & Development Manager. Mark has Rocky Pantalone, Pino Trentadue, and the entire Pantalone family to thank for giving him the opportunity to “party or pack,” as Rocky put it about a decade ago.

Special Powers:

• Socializer - Making connections with new clients and suppliers is a must in the planning game.

• Cool Hand Luke  - Can’t be scared, nervous, or intimidated by anything in the development industry.

• Challenger - it’s not about avoiding challenges, it’s about embracing them.

Current Developments:

• Churchill Collection in Forest Hill in Toronto

• Stonehaven in Newmarket

• The Forest in Bradford

• Many more across the GTA in Mississauga, Toronto, Markham, Brampton, Newmarket, Bradford, Georgetown, East Gwillimbury, and Innisfil.

Vision:

“I see the future of this industry as a clash between hi-rise and low-rise - the winner of this battle will only be affordability.  At the end of the day, everyone always wants what they can’t have so I definitely think that low-rise development will always be at the top of the demand chain, but as an industry we need to find the affordable solution. In terms of our firm, we are really looking to expand our company and grow our market and our brand.  We are already a fully integrated land development and homebuilding company so we can seamlessly fit any type of development into our existing machine. Our entire team is absolutely amazing and I believe that this strong base truly provides us with ingredients required to really create a landmark in the industry through our historical success, forward thinking mentality and the strong partnerships that have been developed over the last 25 years.

“The one thing the younger generation needs to understand is that working is not all about money (especially at the beginning). If you really think about it, you spend 60% of your waking hours working, so if you don’t truly love your job and are not completely satisfied and passionate with your work then it really is not worth whatever financial incentive is being offered because you will only excel and take it to the next level if your heart is in it.”

Interesting Fact:

Mark started his first business when he was only 16 years old! But that’s another story.