Originally a carpenter by trade, I began my career building luxury handcrafted log homes on Vancouver Island with Cottonwood Industries. Afterwards, I moved into commercial carpentry in Vancouver and Regina where I worked directly with a number of large well-known franchises. Upon moving to London, UK I was given the opportunity to lead a team of restoration specialists undergoing multi-million pound contracts for the Royal Family, high-end fashion houses and other corporate offices. Following my return to Canada I founded my own renovation company, Bilsky Construction, which I successfully ran for several years before deciding to return to university after a fall which resulted in a broken neck.As an academic, I maintained a near-perfect GPA and received several offers to publish, grants and bursaries; as well as a number of prestigious scholarships, including the Canada Millennium In-Course Excellence Scholarship, which I was awarded during my BA Honors degree, and the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, which I received for my MA. During my undergrad I became the first member to join Teneo Properties as the Vice President of Residential Properties. While successfully managing Teneo’s portfolio over the next 3.5 years from its original 8 doors to 124 doors (with a stabilized 1% vacancy rate), I also managed all five of their capital improvement projects, resulting in an approximate increase in repositioned property value of $1.8 million. I eventually became a partner in the company and moved over to the acquisitions team as their Special Projects Manager to help steer Teneo through the complex process of acquiring buildings through new construction.I have recently gone out on my own again, helping form Phoenix Property Management where I apply my significant experience in a part time capacity to many areas, including leasing, tenant management and portfolio management. In the other half of my time I have revisited my carpentry skills by creating a custom furniture and home furnishings business called The Bespoke Collaborative, where I create for and sell to both local and international clients and galleries. I am also a husband of 20 years and a father to four boys.