MARCH 2025 some of the best designers in town.” The sales centre Woodbecker most recently completed was built in collaboration with II BY IV DESIGN, a creative studio whose work has been extensively published and industry awarded. With a history of partnerships, James believes each project they’ve worked on together has turned out exceptionally well. Woodbecker hopes to keep working with high calibre project partners in Toronto, on projects that are interesting in both quality and design. As the construction industry changes, James hopes for Woodbecker to get involved in multistorey heavy timber builds, as “those projects are becoming more prevalent in Toronto, but there still aren’t enough of them – and we’d love to push and build more.” Woodbecker is preparing for the future. James’ son, Cole, started in the business as a project controller, working alongside other team members who have stepped up and taken more responsibility to push for the company’s success. James believes with a good dynamic team, they are ready to grow and expand further into the market. Woodbecker has fluctuated sizes in the past, but James believes having a well-rounded team of between 30 and 40 people is the sweet spot: “At that size, we can maintain our company culture and maintain control of the projects,” he concludes. “If we grow too much, we will risk losing control, and that’s the last thing we want. We want to make sure we’re providing every client with the same high level of professionalism and reliability. That’s always going to be what drives us.”
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