Some say entrepreneurs are born, some claim they are nurtured. Both are half-truths, for they hide a cardinal truth: what matters is the learning curve, which carves and molds the people behind successful ventures. In the Canadian construction and restoration industry, veteran Tarik Aziz attests to the integral impact of a learning trajectory and with good reason.
A self-made entrepreneur who has tasted success with many of his brainchild enterprises, Tarik has consolidated his legacy from scratch. During his journey, he has built workspaces, restored homes, seen satisfied smiles on his clients’ faces, and borne the brunt of misunderstandings and presumptions. He is proud of his best days, but never forgets (nor regrets) the setbacks: as both experiences made him sturdier, focused, receptive, and endurable.
Just as he promulgates and cultivates independent and creative minds, Tarik cautions against headstrong obstinacy regarding others’ professional opinions and work ethics. He admits that he himself used to embody the latter trait, during the early days of his career. However, his journey towards overcoming the same makes for a fascinating and inspiring story.
Growing up in Canada
Describing his journey of self-discovery in Canada as ‘surreal,’ Tarik remembers the time he moved to Canada as a foray into a new world of infinite possibilities. From an early age, his goal was to make it big, to stand out among his peers, to be the best in what he chose to do.
The greatest drive came from Tarik’s will to provide a secure and happy life for his family; a life that had unfortunately missed him in his formative days. A mind brimming with ideas was not enough, as Tarik realized he wasn’t blindly meant to follow orders of his superiors.
The result? Tarik found himself ‘creating more efficient ways of doing things outside the box.’ Quickly realizing that he had a passion for growth and a knack of grasping the bigger picture, he devoted his time and efforts to becoming a self-made entrepreneur. He candidly claims, ‘I wanted to apply my strong mindset, passion, persistence and curiosity into my own vision of becoming successful.’
Taking matters into his own hands
Like a sculptor who shapes a rock into a statue imagined in the mind’s eye, Tarik commenced with his first business venture when he was 24 years old. By then, he had already decided exactly what kind of enterprise he wanted to build: a restoration company with excellent and cost-effective service.
What prompted his entrance into this industry? The impetus came from his own high-end home, where Tarik experienced water loss and subsequently availed the services of a restoration company: “After analyzing the process and quality of work that was done, it dawned on me that if we were able to provide higher-quality service, better pricing, and better customer services we would excel in their business.’ This was the gut feeling that steered his entrepreneurial mindset into the arena of restoration and later in commercial construction. Once his mind was set, every new step he took heralded new possibilities.
A proud leader
Now a flourishing company, Nationwide Restorations opened as a 24/7, 365-days emergency service provider for any client faced with any type of undesirable loss or damage to property. Tarik built a team of certified and experienced employees who approached each client as unique, with novel demands and requirements when it came to safety or repair.
Cultivating empathy and receptivity in his employees, Tarik encouraged the same traits while dealing with his clientele, foregrounding their loss, anxiety, ideas, and needs. Forever committed and always available, Nationwide Restorations guided its clients before, throughout, and even after its services were completed. This is how the company has brought happy smiles and rave reviews from its clients. Its popularity in Calgary, Edmonton, and contiguous regions in Canada attest to its distinguished service.
Tarik admits that ‘building my first business created a ‘snowball effect.’ as I branched off from home building into restoration work and further more into small and large commercial construction work.’
Like Nationwide Restorations, Tarik’s subsequent enterprises met with immense success. In tandem, his entrepreneurial acumen deepened and evolved. By constantly gaining in experience, Tarik now augured that there was a dearth of mid-size companies ‘that can address multiple aspects of commercial construction: from exterior building envelopes, to structural, to coding, all the way to retail, restaurant build-outs, and design.’
Alliance Commercial Construction Ltd. was the offspring of this realization. As its name indicates, Alliance emerged as an enterprise comprising professional builders for small and large commercial contract-based construction projects. Even this time, Tarik hired the most skillful and experienced builders who possessed abundant practical know-how and were devoted to their work.
Today, the venture has garnered extensive experience and information on each element of commercial construction. Its reputation owes to its spotless work: fast, tech-savvy, and reasonably priced services.
Tarik takes great pride in all his prospering enterprises; always pushing for two common values that have kept his businesses on top: ‘quality of construction and timely completion of projects.’ With Alliance, Tarik’s focus is on every aspect of modern construction: ‘site development, building science, building envelope, water proofing, design build, ground up, tenant improvement, renovation, restaurants, hotels, dental or medical offices, and all types of commercial construction.’
Adapting to the tech
Tarik lives and swears by a simple but highly beneficial motto: ‘As an entrepreneur, the success of your business rides on the strength of your adaptability.’ Each new event is an opportunity for growth, which is the most important goal as per Tarik’s business mindset. Instead of being intimidated by new challenges, one must rise to the occasions. To stagnate is to perish, to innovate is to succeed.
Such a view is aptly reflected in the operational shifts of Alliance, whose team of diverse and creative minds is complemented by its adoption of the latest technologies in commercial construction. While Tarik’s employees present a vast range of options regarding every single project, tools like 3D cameras, estimate software for project managers, sketch programs etc. streamline Alliance’s operations.
Today, Tarik’s latest venture can examine the nature, requirement, and timeline of a project more precisely. Thereby, the possibility of unforeseen mishaps is minimized while most projects are finished well within stipulated deadlines. Each innovative team decision is collectively discussed beforehand, and Alliance even tracks the viability and operational hazards of ongoing projects to improve them in real-time.
The boon of retrospection
Tarik is a staunch believer of trying and failing. For him failure is just another road to success, and Tarik has learned it through a career of trials, errors, recognitions, and rectifications.
While starting out, Tarik used to search for those professionals who were ‘like-minded’ in terms of work ethics and core entrepreneurial beliefs. With experience and hindsight, he realized that a bunch of yes-men would only hinder the growth of his businesses. ‘You need a diverse realm of individuals who bring different unique strengths to the table. Everyone has a unique way of doing things.’
In his learning curve, Tarik has come to appreciate and prefer diverse, sometimes conflicting opinions and advice. In turn, his main responsibility as an enterprise leader is adapting ‘to each caliber of individuals.’ A true leader in the modern globalized world, he has some lofty plans for the future.
Exciting projects in the pipeline
At present, Tarik has provided the small/medium Canadian restoration ventures the opportunity to franchise with Nationwide Restorations.
With Alliance Commercial Construction, Tarik and co. are completing a huge hockey arena project in Lamond, AB. Additionally, in Red Deer, AB, they are involved in repurposing and restoring 100 rooms into assisted living facilities.
Despite the Covid-19 halting operations and temporarily leading to job loss and financial problems, Tarik remains confident that the revival of commercial construction/restoration is well under way.
