July 24, 2021

QUALICO's 70th Anniversary

This year is a very special year as we celebrate QUALICO’s 70th Anniversary! For those who don’t know, QUALICO is the parent company of Pacesetter Homes. In 2007, QUALICO started Pacesetter Homes in Austin, Texas and in 2017, was recognized by Builder magazine as one of the top 10 fastest growing homebuilding companies in the US. By 2018, QUALICO had expanded the Pacesetter Homes Texas division into the Dallas-Ft. Worth market. But QUALICO’s history goes back much further than 2007…

The story of how QUALICO came to be is the story of its founders – Dr. David Friesen and Katherine Friesen. It was their vision, incredible work ethic, and intuitive business savvy that laid the foundation for what QUALICO has been able to achieve since its inception in 1951.

A vision that began with the construction of six homes and has now grown to become one of Canada’s most successful integrated real estate companies!

In 1951, 70 years ago, Dr. David and Katherine Friesen had an idea – to build houses and provide shelter for families, creating communities and homes where people could put down roots and pursue their dreams. Established in Winnipeg, Quality Construction expanded into Calgary in 1954 and Edmonton in 1955. In 1972, the company changed its name to QUALICO and it has since expanded into Metro Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina, and Austin and Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.

Today, we celebrate QUALICO’s 70th anniversary as thousands of families choose QUALICO to build their homes. The company’s activities span the entire real estate spectrum and include land acquisition and development, single-family and multi-family home divisions, commercial development and leasing, property management and building materials and services.

Our principles and ethics remain true to those of our founders. QUALICO remains a privately-owned business through Ruth and Brian Hastings – daughter of Dr. David and Katherine Friesen. QUALICO saw tremendous growth and success under Ruth and Brian’s leadership. The company has entered its third generation of leadership with Kevin Van as President – husband of Lisa Hastings.

Learn more about QUALICO and its history here