A Q&A WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF GROUPE QUORUM
Guy Laporte and Peter Cosentini, co-presidents of Groupe Quorum, were successful real-estate developers when they met in 1992. They hit it off immediately and found, in each other, a kindred spirit with complementary strengths. The following year, they joined forces for a project and haven’t done a deal without the other since. Their collaboration is a perfect example of the saying that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” I met them at the Quorum head office on St. Patrick St. Also in attendance were their adult children, Maxime Laporte and Kassandra Cosentini.
Question: How did you get into land developing?
Guy Laporte: I grew up in the West Island. My first job, at age 15, was in a scrapyard. Then I worked as an apprentice plumber and later became a trucker, hauling gravel to construction sites. This led me to working on demolition and renovations.
In 1983, I bought a piece of land on Plateau Mont-Royal, assembled a team, and began building.
In the decade that followed, I built all across the island of Montreal.
Peter Cosentini: I was raised in Ville LaSalle. As a teenager, I took an interest in real estate and worked with an agent, after school.
(When I was) in my early 20s, my father-in-law, who was a builder, became my mentor.
In 1980, Montreal launched a program called Opération 20,000
logements. The goal was to bring young families to the city by creating well-built, affordable housing for them. We bid on 21 contracts and won 19.
Why does your partnership work so well?
Guy: It’s simple; he’s good at what I’m not, and I’m good at what he’s not.
Peter: Exactly; together, we’ve got all the angles covered. Guy is the most creative person I’ve ever met. His vision can be expensive but I’m here to tone him down.
Guy: Peter is the best negotiator in the world. Put two people with opposing views in a room with him and they both walk out feeling like winners.
Peter: We’re also similar for important things. We consider all people equal and treat them accordingly, from the janitor of a company to the president.
We answer our own phones and still get very excited when we see a vacant piece of land. Guy: Especially if it’s waterfront property, like the one we made an offer on yesterday.
What are you working on now?
Guy: We have many projects — each exceptional, in its own way. A few are: Highlands, in Ville LaSalle; Condos Monk, in Ville Émard; and Onze de la Gare, in Vaudreuil.
Peter: My parents, who emigrated from Italy, were hardworking people. They came here with the idea that the most important thing was to own property. We create a variety of homes so that there is something for everyone’s budget and taste.
Guy: In our 22 years, some families have bought three or four homes from us and it has passed from one generation to another.
What do Maxime and Kassandra bring to the team?
Guy: Peter and I believe that everyone should follow their dreams. My son, Maxime, studied marketing at the University of Sherbrooke and then did a master’s degree in engineering at the Polytechnique.
The connection between the two disciplines isn’t obvious but, in our business, it’s very important to bring the voice of the client into the technical aspect of building. Maxime really gets this.
In fact, he created a new course, for the University of Sherbrooke, which links marketing and engineering.
For this initiative, in 2003, he was named Quebec’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Peter: My daughter, Kassandra, wanted to be a pastry chef. She pursued it, but found it wasn’t for her.
What she loved was working with numbers, so she changed paths and studied accounting.
She takes care of our bottom line and does it exceptionally well.
What are your passions, outside of work?
Guy: Oh, that’s an easy one — I love race cars.
Peter: I like to spend time down south and play golf. I am also a big hockey fan.
How do you envision the next five to 10 years?
Guy: We’re at the fun part of our careers now and not ready to retire any time soon. But it’s great to know that, when the time comes, Quorum will be led by professionals who were not handed positions because of the good fortune of their birth. They possess a deep understanding of the brainpower and energy it takes to make the company run.
Peter: I agree with Guy 100 per cent. We are still very hands-on. Kassandra and Maxime came in as employees and work hard. And because our families have been close-knit for 20 years, they are like siblings. We are confident that when they take the reins, it will be as harmonious for them as it has been for us all these years.
We are still very hands-on. (Our offspring) came in as employees and work hard. And because our families have been close-knit for 20 years, they are like siblings. We are confident that when they take the reins, it will be as harmonious for them as it has been for us all these years.
PETER COSENTINI