September 9, 2026
Authenticity: From the Inside Out
Authenticity: From the Inside Out
Commercial real estate often neglects to discuss culture. Instead, it focuses on metrics like vacancy rates, cap rates, and net operating income. The people side of the business is often treated as overhead rather than a strategic advantage. That is changing as firms begin to reckon with a leadership pipeline that is thinner than anyone wants to admit and a generation of professionals choosing employers based on values, not just compensation.
Craig Coleman and Laetitia Pacaud have been building toward this moment for years.
Craig, Managing Partner and CEO of Epic Investment Services, has been at this since 2016. Laetitia, Managing Partner and COO, joined in 2019. Together, they oversee a national platform managing more than 26 million square feet across Canada, supported by roughly 220 employees across six cities.
Epic's four core values, Execute, Partner, Initiate, and Challenge, came out of a conversation in 2019, discussing what kind of firm Epic should be. Every employee is evaluated against those principles as a structural part of their annual review. "It ensures discipline to make sure we are living according to our values as opposed to just providing lip service on a website," Craig says.
People First, Portfolio Second
When Laetitia arrived, only 30 percent of Epic's team participated in a bonus program. This has changed at Epic. "Every individual in here should have a bonus component," she says. "Everyone contributes to value." Today, everyone does.
Her view of the firm's most important asset is direct. "A lot of people look at us and say your assets are the real estate," she says. "I don’t. Our assets are our people."
She monitors feedback continuously rather than saving it for year-end. "We don't give feedback at the end of the year where someone's not getting their bonus, and they'll say, ' But I didn't know this,'” she says. "It's feedback along the way."
Accountability runs alongside that investment. A high performer who destabilizes the team is not a net positive regardless of what they bring in. "It can’t solely be about the amount of new business that a person can bring in," she says. "Protecting the culture we’re building is just as important. If it’s not the right fit, then that person should find an environment that’s more in line with their goals." In a service business, you never stop earning the client relationship.
Keeping 220 People Connected
Craig and Laetitia make a point of physically showing up in each market, working out of regional offices, attending local events, learning names. Laetitia makes a point of learning something personal about team members to increase connectivity on the next visit.
When she arrived, there was a perception that Toronto was disconnected from some regional realities. Her response was direct. "Within every complaint, there's an ask," she says. "What do you want me to change? How do you think the organization should change so that you don't have this complaint?" Sometimes the answer is reasonable, and she acts. Sometimes it is not, and she explains why. Both, she argues, are forms of respect.
The Seven-Year Relationship
Craig is clear about what drives Epic's growth. Execution is the currency. The combination of investment, leasing, and property management into a vertically integrated delivery model is what makes execution possible at scale. "Being fully integrated means our investment team gets real-time information from the leasing and property management teams," he says. "That helps us become better strategic partners."
Laetitia talks about growth in terms of patience. At a recent town hall, when asked what it takes to succeed, she gave a simple answer. "Turn up, execute on your role, do more than that, and check your ego at the door." An egotistical person protects their relationships rather than sharing them, which weakens the organization. She has nurtured client relationships for seven years before they converted. "Be patient and take the long view. Relationship building takes time," she tells her team.
Passing It Down
Both describe the next chapter in terms of ownership transfer. There is a group in the senior leadership team who want a stake in what they have helped build. "I want to work smart, and I want them to grow," Laetitia says. "Craig and I are trying to push ownership down."
The client philosophy mirrors the internal one. "We lead with trust," she says. "If there's bad news, you will hear from me before you hear good news." The firm is prepared to veer away from relationships that do not reflect that standard. "We only want clients that value what we do. If a relationship isn’t built on mutual respect, it’s not the right fit.”
That is not the language of a firm on the defensive. It is the language of a firm that knows what it is worth. The team is the asset. It always has been.
Craig Coleman
Managing Partner & CEO
Laetitia Pacaud
Managing Partner & COO