For most, a fork in the road is a conundrum; which path to take? William Lépine, though, is one of the few who have pulled off the impossible: he’s tread both simultaneously, finding himself in the thick of the property and music fields.
Currently, Lépine is the Treasury Manager for the Lépine Apartments, the construction and management company responsible for Kanata’s William’s Court. With the runaway success of that complex, Lépine Apartments began erecting and renting units at a rate the greater Ottawa area had never seen before. Inevitably, the company established a property management division, offering renters the same attention to detail that goes into its buildings.
Time-consuming as financially overseeing that kind of growth sounds, William Lépine, the third-generation stakeholder in the company, still finds time to jam with Hopper, his happenin’ band. Earlier this year, they scored their first major gig when they played Bluesfest, Ottawa’s premiere musical showcase.
According to Lépine, his two careers meld into each other with the naturalism of a seamless mash-up.
“Being in a band can be one of the best entrepreneurial crash courses you can take,” he maintains. “It’s a hustle, from booking shows and tours to managing personalities. If you’re willing to put your head down, work hard, and network with the right people, you’ll be surprised at the opportunities that pop up. It’s the same as any other industry.”
The Montreal-born Lépine is a graduate of two programs at Algonquin College: Music Industry Arts and Business Marketing. Both taught him invaluable lessons: the first about resilience, the second about growth.
“The music industry is very challenging,” he says, “especially in Ottawa”—a takeaway that prepared him for the even more volatile construction industry. In 2008, the company that bears his name was forced to sell off some of its major assets before shapeshifting into the success story it is today. And while there are still challenges, the fortitude Lépine developed is keeping the company at the forefront of Ottawa’s current development boom—not to mention his vision. “Even the best ideas can fail without strong market knowledge and foresight,” he philosophizes.
It’s the mindset responsible for the company’s strategic choice of location and equally thoughtful range of services, considerations that are both communally and environmentally minded. As Lépine explains it, “What we strive to do is create fifteen-minute communities. That allows you the ability to go out to the restaurant, get groceries, and go to the pharmacy without needing to drive. We want our tenants to have access to everything they need to live their lives without necessarily getting in their car—or at least having the amenities they need or want a short drive away. Lépine is about letting the tenants in our communities reclaim their lives.”
The company’s next milestone is Johanne’s Garden, a sister property to Carleton Place’s Johanne’s Court. It’s part of the company’s “lodge” line: three low-rise structures, each with a party room, lounge, gym, community garden, and a pool. A leader in sustainable and accessible design, the multi-residential unit will be a model of energy efficiency while being able to accommodate tenants with special needs.
Designs like that one, whose units are typically larger than the average apartment or condo, go a long way in keeping today’s generation from singing the housing shortage blues. Thanks to companies like Lépine Apartments, young professionals are learning that rentals are the way to go, promoting a convenient lifestyle with limited expenses. And should a major career opportunity arise, it’s a heck of a lot easier, and cheaper, to take flight.
The reputation of Lépine Apartments, whose resilience and regard for its clients can be traced back to its Quebecois roots in the late 60s, helps to counter one of Canada’s most implacable and damaging myths, one particularly prevalent in the suburbs and outskirts of Ottawa: the Big Bad Developer. “As a company that spends a lot of time building in the Valley and secondary markets, we want to be viewed as a positive,” says Lépine of the company’s cautious expansionism. “We spend a significant amount of time developing community relationships and supporting the local economy. We want to win over a community and be a part of it.”
Mission accomplished. While Lépine is busy singing with Hopper, others are singing his company’s praises. “Lépine Apartments is a known commodity as a quality product,” he affirms. “That’s why we’re proud to put our family name on all our properties.”
In other words, just like its conscientious Treasury Manager, Lépine rocks!
By Dan Lalande
