ABOUT DARREN VILLENEUVE
PROFESSIONALLY
I have had the opportunity and good fortune to be able to try a number of things over my 54 years. From cleaning swimming pools, washing dishes, and bussing tables to operating several of my own successful businesses, including one doing residential renovations and one transporting new and used vehicles with my son. The longest tenure thus far and certainly one of the most successful is having spent over 30 years in the sales department of the automotive industry. I have sold cars, trucks, and RV's, managed and trained many salespeople as a sales manager, and have also spent approximately 10 years in the finance office helping people secure financing for their purchases. However, by far the most gratifying career choice is Real Estate. For over 14 years I have truly enjoyed getting up each and every morning realizing, that I am able to have such a positive impact on so many people with, in some cases, the biggest financial decision of their lives. Getting to know my clients and their families along with their particular needs and desires is extremely rewarding. Seeing their smile when they get their keys on the day of closing is priceless. The decision to get into Real Estate was an easy one. With my past experience in customer service, sales, finance, and residential construction, it was the perfect fit for me, it gave me the background to help my clients every step of the way. Since 2007 I have never regretted that decision and am now looking very much forward to the next chapter, alongside my son. What could possibly be more flattering than to have your child follow in your footsteps.
PERSONALLY
I have been happily married to my awesome wife since 1990, she has taught me so much over the years, she’s a wonderful person and frankly, it just keeps getting better year after year. I have two grown kids. Sam is 27 years old and Ally is 22 years old. I couldn't possibly be more proud of them. They have turned out to be intelligent, caring, compassionate, and overall good human beings, what more can a parent ask for. Ally is in her final year of University, studying Neuroscience. She mentioned that she chose this field of study to figure me out. “Good luck with that young lady!”. I have volunteered with my community "neighbourhood watch" for many years, I have coached soccer for several years and, in general, I try to live my life with integrity, honesty and I always treat people the way I would like to be treated, its a "can't lose" philosophy.
My name is Darren Villeneuve. I am proud to be a Realtor and I would be very proud to represent you and your family!
ABOUT SAM VILLENEUVE
PROFESSIONALLY
I have recently finished my studies to become a professional Realtor in the Greater Ottawa area and Eastern Ontario. I am extremely excited about this new career path and looking forward to many years of helping buyers and sellers! But let's back up a bit, I started my working life as a merchandiser at Giant Tiger in 2011 where I worked for almost 5 years gaining excellent experience interacting with many people daily. During that time I graduated high school. Then, being a “bit” of a gamer at heart, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in the field of creating video games. I subsequently completed a 3-year course at Algonquin College in Video Game Development. During these three years, I not only learned a huge amount about actual game development, design, and programming, but also a great deal about computers in general, ranging from hardware and peripherals to the software that runs them and everything in between. Through that course and the years since I have become extremely proficient with computers and have fixed and built many systems. Of course, life isn't always what it seems however and in spite of successfully finishing the course in game development, I quickly discovered that Ottawa is not exactly a booming city for video game development. The industry here is virtually non-existent. I realized that I would have to relocate to another city if I wanted to succeed and given the competitive nature in this field, I ultimately decided not to pursue it any longer. Moving far from family and friends to acquire a job was really something I didn't want to do. While I wrestled with this decision, I decided to take a job delivering potato chips for Lays. While working there I learned a great deal about the many different neighbourhoods of Ottawa and many other communities in Eastern Ontario as well as gaining more experience in communication skills. In 2017 my Dad and I decided to start a business delivering new and used cars to dealers all over Ontario and Quebec which extended my knowledge of the area even further. In 2018, realizing the game development career was not something I wanted to pursue, I began to seriously consider a career in Real Estate for a number of reasons. Having watched my Dad in the business for many years to this point, I had a good idea of what it entailed, and the prospect of being able to work with him at something we both cared about was a huge bonus. I also felt that my personality and skills built os far would work very well with the job and I could be successful doing something that I would enjoy. One of the biggest motivators for me was that I truly believe that I can help people. There are a lot of negatives in the world and if I can make, perhaps the biggest purchase of someone’s life, a little less stressful or a little more fun, then I have done my job. With all that, I started my real estate journey in September 2018. Although I am not as seasoned as my Dad, I am every bit as passionate and motivated!
PERSONALLY
My home town is Embrun, for those who don’t know it's about 20 minutes east of Ottawa, and I have lived here for my entire 26 years. I played hockey when I was younger here, got my first job here, and forged many friendships. I am very lucky to have been able to grow up in this wonderful area and I truly believe it's one of the best places to live. Embrun is my home, but the town of Russell which is right next to Embrun is very much like a second home to me. Having gone through all of my elementary and high school years there, also making countless friendships that I still happily retain today. Spent countless nights at friends' houses, played soccer for many years, and volunteered for a number of organizations, not the least of which was neighbourhood watch, for me, it's easy to consider Russell as a second home too.
My name is Sam Villeneuve. I am proud to be a Realtor and I would be very proud to represent you and your family!
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