The Dream Of Creating
A Home
The story behind Devmont is at once unique and universal. It is the story of the Scalia family and indeed of every immigrant family – the desire to create a new home. That and the belief that with hard work, dedication and enterprising vision, anything is possible.
It’s a story that began on October 8, 1955, when Francesco Scalia, father of Devmont founders Sam and Joe Scalia, arrived in Montreal. The very next day he found work passing electrical lines for Collette et Frères. The next year, he leaped at the chance of employment at Donolo – a family-run general contracting company. Hungry for more, he took on a second job in an effort to raise enough capital for his own business. When that opportunity finally arrived in 1958, he embraced it fully and never looked back.
That first landscaping business grew into a family’s construction company. The first modest duplexes and triplexes in St-Leonard led to more ambitious complexes. By 1979, Francesco and his brother Giovanni were buying up land to accommodate larger housing complexes. This was also the year 13-year-old Sam Scalia began his career in construction and development, working on-site on evenings and weekends. Joe Scalia quickly followed suit. When Devmont was officially founded in 1999, the younger Scalia brothers were already 20-year veterans of the industry.
Francesco Scalia’s ambitious vision, indefatigable work ethic, loyalty to family and rigorous insistence on quality remain the foundation on which Devmont is built. It’s why we still insist on handling all aspects of our business – from planning to sales. It’s what defines and distinguishes each condo and apartment complex we build. Our family’s dream of building homes is the blueprint for your family’s dream home.
Milestones
October 8 Francesco Scalia, father of Sam and Joe Scalia, immigrates to Montreal.
October 9 Starts work at Collette et Frères.
Is hired at Donolo where he works on the construction of a hospital at Notre-Dame and Papineau.
Launches his first company – a landscaping business.
Builds his first duplex on Nicolas Gaudet in St-Leonard.
Beginning of a 25 year partnership with Giovanni Scalia.
Builds first 12-unit pre-fab steel building with commercial units on St-Denis.
Purchases land next to Angus Rosemont to build 320 apartments.
Sam Scalia begins his first solo projects – two 3-condo blocks on Chateaubriand and a 12-unit apartment block on Gilford.
Joe Scalia, age 22, joins family business. The brothers begin construction of Les Jardins St-Joseph, the first of 16 phases with a total of 212 units, which will be completed in 2001.
Construction of Les Jardins Laurier, a 27-condo project.
Devmont is officially founded.
Construction begins on Canal Lachine project.
Construction of Le Bellagio at 5840 Marc Chagall.
Construction of Espaces Mont-Royal.
Construction of 5th Avenue Project.
Construction begins on Côté Ouest Phase 1.
Construction of Côté Ouest Phase 2.
Construction of Rouge Phases 1 to 4, 400 condos.
Construction of Rouge Phase 5, 99 condos.
Construction of Rouge 6
Construction of Westbury Phase 1, 2, and the Commercial portion.
Construction of Westbury Phase 3 and the Hilton Hotel
Construction of Westbury Phase 4
Construction of Westbury Green and the industrial project Le Se7t300
Construction of Westwalk DDO
Construction of Westbury 9 and Westwalk Pointe Claire