PropertyGuys.com is led by a visionary executive team that puts franchisee success first
Ken LeBlanc, President & CEO
Ken LeBlanc has successfully challenged an established industry and selflessly shares his passion for helping others build a business through his activities with organizations such as the Canadian Youth Business Foundation. Ken has been in the business of building his own business since his student days. Now, 20 years later, he has leveraged his drive and vision into the largest real estate marketing franchising network in Canada.
It started in 1998 when two young classmates identified the opportunity to help homeowners who wanted to sell their homes privately by leveraging the power of the Internet. With this big idea and less than a hundred bucks to invest, the PropertyGuys. com real estate marketing program and brand were born. The company has continued to be on the cutting edge of industry change and technological innovation.
Today there are operations in 10 provinces and territories, and over 90 franchise locations serving home sellers in 600 communities from coast to coast, and most recently expanded into the United States with a Master Franchise Agreement for the State of Florida and Texas.
Entrepreneurs are builders and visionaries. In addition to mentoring fellow entrepreneurs, Ken initiated a one of a kind opportunity by awarding a franchise license as a prize on a special Ypreneur Gene edition of CBC’s Dragon’s Den. Ken participates in many franchising and entrepreneur mentorship programs and speaks publicly on the challenges facing youth in business and invests much of his personal time in inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Ken is also the Past-Chair of the Canadian Franchise Association Board of Directors, a position he gladly enjoys giving back countless hours to the franchising industry.
Walter Melanson, Co-Founder, and Director of Partnerships
Walter Melanson has been a driving force behind the growth and success of PropertyGuys.com over the last two decades, which now has 85+ franchise units from coast to coast. Walter uses his disruptive voice to challenge old ideas. He is excited by consumer-driven change and believes that real estate is ripe for absolute transformation.
An eccentric character, his style often reflects the groups’ thesis that the industry as a whole is headed towards a real inflection point thanks to advances in technology and a changing consumer attitude towards industries that no longer effectively serve their modern wants and needs. With this customer-centric lens, Melanson champions the needs of buyers and sellers which are at the heart of everything at PropertyGuys.com.
With a background in franchising, internet marketing, finance, and real estate – he brings a fresh perspective to his role that aligns perfectly with PropertyGuys.com’s mission of becoming everything real estate.
Since the very beginning, Walter has been tapping into his professional experience to become an active contributor to a wide variety of initiatives aimed at young entrepreneurs. Often called upon as a speaker, he enthusiastically shares his belief that the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” whether young, old or even renewed, needs to be awakened and nurtured in order to build more sustainable and community-focused economies.
Jeremy Demont, Co-Founder and Vice President
Jeremy Demont holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Admin., and has been involved with PropertyGuys.com since the age of 18.
With only a few dollars in hand and big plans, Jeremy and Ken turned an idea born in a university library into a national success story. What started out as a local private sale marketing business in Moncton, NB, the “guys” turned into a National Franchise System with over 90 franchise units servicing over 600 communities and thousands of customers each year. Recently, PropertyGuys.com has also expanded its franchise offering into the United States and South Africa.
With a strong operational and financial background, Jeremy oversees the internal growth of the organization from day-to-day operations to 30+ employees, our Canada-wide call centre, national annual conferences and growth leadership initiatives. Jeremy is heavily involved in the franchise community supporting organizations like the Canadian Franchise Association and the International Franchise Association. Jeremy along with PropertyGuys.com are also proud supporters of Junior Achievement and Youth Entrepreneurship within the communities they serve.
Daina Peterson, Director of Franchise Development
Daina brings a wealth of successful business and entrepreneurial experience to the propertyguys.com franchise development team. Starting her first business at the age of 19 and eventually entering the world of franchising she made it a lifelong passion for self-employment and self-generated success. She exemplifies the ideal franchisee characteristics of hard-working, self-starting, and completely switched on to embracing how the system is a fundamental key for any structured entrepreneur to find success.
Daina is no stranger to the PropertyGuys.com family and has experienced it on every level beginning as a consumer. As a former house flipper and real estate investor, Daina was introduced to the brand in its early stages and has watched it grow and flourish into the full-service real estate offering it is today internationally. The business model and brand spoke to her need to challenge the status quo while helping savvy homeowners save thousands in real estate commissions. She bought into the system in 2008 and during her tenure as a franchisee listed over 1000 properties propelling her to become an award-winning top performer.
As Director of Franchise Development, Daina brings to the table an almost unique perspective as she has walked many miles in the shoes of a Propertyguys.com franchisee. Her ability to see things through their lens along with a passion for real estate and facilitating others in reaching their dreams of becoming a business owner has been instrumental in the expansion beyond Canadian borders. This front-line experience serves her well as she attracts, vets and awards franchise territories to new candidates as well as helps integrate the feeling of family and culture from PropertyGuys.com headquarters.
Her role currently finds her meeting with franchise candidates from around the globe eager to realize their entrepreneurial dreams. Her extensive experience, proven track record, and business acumen afford her a near sixth sense for recruiting new franchisees ready to apply their passion, work ethic, and business zeal for the future of the real estate, just as she did.
Paige Hernden, Franchise Development Specialist
Paige Hernden started her journey with PropertyGuys.com at the young age of 16, when she joined her local franchise team as the sign girl/marketer. Since then, she has grown up and grown into the business. After graduating from Nova Scotia Community College with an advanced diploma in International Business in 2017, she joined PG’s home office team as a Franchise Development Specialist. As a young entrepreneur herself, and after working in the franchise she was excited for the opportunity to assist others in accomplishing their dreams of owning their own business.
Paige recognizes the importance of having the right fit for a franchise system. She is dedicated to bringing stellar candidates through the franchise journey and establishing solid relationships with them as brand new franchisees. Between her years of experience, excellent communication skills, and undying enthusiasm for the brand; Paige can turn even a serious skeptic into a passionate PGPro!
