AARON MARKEL BUILDS
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Aaron Markel

Founder, Aaron Markel Builds · First Day to Foreman

aaron@aaronmarkelbuilds.com
aaronmarkelbuilds.com
Rockland, Eastern Ontario
AIM Project Management o/a Aaron Markel Builds
HST 868615030RT0001 · $3M liability

Almost 30 years in construction. I set out to be a great general contractor, so I learned every trade I'd have to manage, from my first Canadian job site with zero trade knowledge to running a general contracting company and eight businesses. I now train newcomers, career-changers, youth, working crews and tradespeople going out on their own, in person and live from my studio.

Construction

  • AIM Project Management (2012–now): general contracting. Heritage buildings, embassy renovations, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Centre, two-year heritage reno of the Billy Bishop Building, multi-family, cottages.
  • Basements, additions, houses; 15–20 insurance rebuilds; multi-family from a 10-unit (18-unit next) down to a cottage.
  • Markel Home Improvements: core early company. Flooring, stairs, railings, trim and doors (Richcraft, Tamarack).
  • Carmichael Engineering: commercial HVAC; clean rooms for Canadian Blood Services and Export Development Canada.
  • T&M Mechanical: plumbing, ductwork, electrical, solar. Formal training in ductwork installation.
  • Unique View Windows and Doors: windows, doors, siding, roofing. The building envelope.
  • AIM Thermal: full-service insulation. Spray foam, batt and blown-in.
  • Behr Paint: national retail and product training. Coatings.

Six Canadian firsts

  • Canada's first eco-campground (Hammond Hill)
  • Canada's first tiny home village for short-term rentals (Hammond Hill)
  • The first solar-powered Jupe Pods at a public eco-campground in Canada (Hammond Hill)
  • The first mobile tiny home sold through Home Depot Canada (Small Living Co.)
  • Canada's first indoor tiny home showroom, 2,000 sq ft (Small Living Co.)
  • Canada's first craft brewery on an active golf course (Broken Stick Brewing)

Businesses I built and run

  • Hammond Hill: eco-campground and tiny home village; off-grid solar, water, composting.
  • Small Living Co.: modular and tiny homes.
  • Modulink: modular construction and multi-family development.
  • Broken Stick Brewing: craft brewery on an active golf course.
  • Bourget Train Station: $1.5M public-private heritage redevelopment. SCORE Academy: racket sports campus. Purafy: water purification. Hillside BBQ: mobile food truck, built from the ground up.
  • About $450K in public funding secured.
  • Still Head of Construction at Modulink. The others have partners and managers running them day to day, which frees me up to teach.

Training delivered

  • Two Ontario-funded construction cohorts for ACCES Employment.
  • Small Living Co. × Collège La Cité: hands-on tiny home program (2025), three towable tiny homes built over two summer sessions.
  • Daydream to Reality, co-developed with Dr. Bruce Firestone, taught for a week in Mérida, Mexico.
  • Numerous presentations and live off-grid demos at Hammond Hill for the Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada.
  • 61-module curriculum library and seven signature courses.
  • In production: a 14-part construction video series for ACCES Employment.

Credentials

  • SNC-Lavalin ProFac federal security clearance
  • Ontario Certificate of Qualification, Floor Covering Installer
  • HRAI Indoor Air Quality · Wardflex gas piping · Working at Heights
  • 14+ safety and trade certifications

Background

  • Lived and worked in 10 countries on 4 continents.
  • Partial scholarship, Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (now IMG Academy).
  • English, with conversational French and working Spanish.

Giving back

  • Canso Campus Premium Lager with Veterans' House Canada (Broken Stick Brewing) · Habitat for Humanity · Ronald McDonald House at CHEO

Press

CBC News · Radio-Canada · La Cité / RefMedia · Ottawa Business Journal · Le Droit · Toronto Star · Rogers TV · CFRA Radio · Ottawa Life · Narcity