A real estate professional with half a century dedicated to the industry has been honoured by an industry body.
Hugh Heron came to Canada in 1967 from Scotland and joined Costain, a company he’d worked for back home.
In 1979 he co-founded Heron Homes with a group that he is still in business with today. Overall, his entities have built more than 8,000 homes in communities across Ontario, along with over 1,000,000 square feet of commercial and retail space.
The Heron Group was rebranded as Herity in 2017.
Hugh Heron has now been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour from the Building Industry and Land Development Association's (BILD).
"For 50 years Hugh has given back to the industry that gave so much to him and his family," said Dave Wilkes, President & CEO, BILD. "He has served in leadership positions at some of the industry's most important institutions, including chair of the Ontario New Home Warranty Program, past president of both the Greater Toronto and Ontario Home Builders' Associations, and former senior board member of Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC)."
He established the Mikey Network in memory of Michael Salem, a partner at Herity who died of cardiac arrest on a golf course in June 2002.
The Mikey Network helps place "Mikeys" (public access defibrillators) in schools, workplaces and public access areas across Canada. They have been used to save 39 lives across Canada to date.
