The Ontario Construction Report – JUNE 2011 – PAGE OCR B1


Kitchener contractor builds reputation with teamwork, relationships, trust and multiple skills


STAFF WRITER – The Ontario Construction Report Special Feature Reg Levesque and Don Zehr


When you are seeking to discover how to succeed in the construction industry, south-western Ontario’s Zehr Levesque Inc. will provide you with inspiration and insights. Co-owned by Don Zehr and Reg Levesque, the business, less than five years old, has an annual volume of upwards of $15 million. It has completed challenging heritage com- mercial renovations and new car dealerships in the Kitch- ener-Waterloo area and, in Edmonton, built the 75,000 sq. ft. western Canada headquarters for Mammoet, a Netherlands- based manufacturer of heavy lifting and transport machinery for onshore and offshore locations. Of course, you can’t simply open your doors and win this type of business in an open and competitive environment without the experience, connections and capital to meet your obligations. Here, the story goes back more than three decades – in some respects even generations – to Kitchener- area Mennonite roots and the entrepreneurial accomplish- ments of Lester Zehr, now 85 years old. Zehr Sr. started an initially humble grocery-general store business in 1950, in a building owned by his father. Over the years, he developed the enterprise into a multi-store south-western Ontario chain, over time selling the majority – then the entire – business to the Weston organization. (The Zehr name remains on the stores, even though the local fam- ily is no longer in the grocery business.) One of Zehr’s sons, Don, initially set out to be a com- mercial pilot but quickly discovered his strengths within the family business, which evolved (upon his father’s ‘retire- ment’ from the grocery chain at age 50 in the mid-70s) into a development and venture capital business, Zevest Devel- opment Corporation. This enterprise created a natural in- house opportunity for a property/asset management business (Zehr Management Inc.) As well, Don Zehr has obtained a real estate license and provides brokerage services through Colliers International.


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