grit, vision, and talent

steve barkhouse has always been a man with a clear vision of what he wants.

he studied business administration with a focus on organizational relations to prepare himself for a career in the construction field. he’d also put in the legwork by learning carpentry and by studying architecture and business at ottawa’s algonquin college before transferring to lakehead.

everything seemed to be coming together according to plan when an ottawa construction firm hired steve shortly after he received his degree. then, the 1989 economic recession struck and steve’s job was eliminated before he even started. 

“after pouting for two weeks” steve says, “my dad pointed out that i wasn’t going to be living at home rent free. he said, ‘why don’t you start a business!’ so i convinced my best friend to establish a residential building and renovation company with me in our hometown of stittsville, ontario.”

steve (pictured right) recently received a fellowship award from algonquin college. “i’ve been involved with the college since i attended 40 years ago, and i was very humbled and honoured to be acknowledged,” steve says. “algonquin had a partnership with lakehead that allowed me complete lakehead’s 3-year business program in 1.5 years, which was good for an impatient person like me,” he adds.

in the 35 years since then, steve’s company, amsted design-build, has grown to five locations, 60 employees, and has been recognized nationally and internationally for its outstanding work. among its more recent accolades, amsted was named the 2024 ottawa renovator of the year⁠ by the greater ottawa home builders’ association, the 2024 ontario renovator of the year, and was voted one of ottawa’s top ten employers in 2024.

“we were also the first canadian company to be one of four finalists for the fred case remodeling entrepreneur of the year award and winner of the remodelers advantage impact award. coming from a small canadian town, receiving these north american awards was pretty cool,” steve says. “in an industry, where tradespeople run most of the businesses, it’s fortunate that i’m a businessperson with a trades background. lakehead taught me the value of reputation and integrity, customer service, financials, short- and long-term planning, and human resources.”

pictured left: steve (badmin’ 89) gives a tour of one of his building sites. steve grew up on a hobby farm in stittsville, ontario. “we had horses, cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, and cats. i learned responsibility on the farm—even if i was tired after football practice, i still had to feed the animals.”

steve says that his time at lakehead was memorable not only because of the excellent education he received, but because of the people he met, including his future wife, and fellow business student, tracey.

“the lakehead community took me in when i was young and a bit homesick. the polish ladies who worked in the residence kitchen were fantastic women who mothered all of us. i also bonded with my classmates and fellow residence 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 —we had great weekend trips to duluth and sudbury.” other highlights included running into the famous ski jumper eddie the eagle at a thunder bay ski hill. in 1988, eddie attracted international attention for being the first athlete to represent great britain in an olympic ski-jumping competition, even though he finished last. “we drank with eddie at the ski hill bar and then invited him back to rez for a party,” steve recalls.

a thriving business committed to community service

as amsted expanded beyond stittsville to brockville and three ottawa locations, steve made it a priority to give back. “our community supported us, so we want to support them. for our 35th anniversary this year, we pledged to carry out 35 acts of community service, although we’ve ended up doing 46.” 

these acts of service range from building gazebos for retirement homes and cleaning up parks to fundraising for local organizations and sponsoring charity events. camp smitty—run by the ottawa boys and girls club—is particularly close to steve’s heart. “we’ve donated more than a million dollars to the camp over the past 20 years and built cabins, treehouses, and decks for them.”

above: a triplex built by amsted.

amsted’s success has brought steve unexpected opportunities.

“i hit it off with ctv news host leanne cusack over 15 years ago and began doing monthly on-air television spots sharing home renovation tips with viewers.”

steve is retiring from amsted at the end of 2024, but strengthening his community and challenging himself in new ways will continue to be a constant in his life. 

“bringing people’s dreams to life has been an honour,” steve says, “whether it’s building an award-winning environmentally friendly home or renovating a powder room that someone has spent years saving up for.”

watch a couple of steve’s ctv home renovation segments: 

https://amsted.ca/steve-barkhouse-talks-lighting-on-ctv-news/

 https://amsted.ca/ctv-appearance-how-much-will-24-sussex-cost-to-repair/