About THEbTEAM

THEbTEAM is a highly effective and successful partnership designed with clients in mind. Similar to many other individuals, the business of Real Estate is changing on a continual basis.

With the proliferation of computers, most REALTORS© now have equal access to a large amount of information and material. The question arise: If REALTORS© all have access to the same information, what is the difference from one to the next?

I was born in St. Catharines in February of 1973, the second son to a GM worker and a Health Care Nurse. I was raised in the town of Thorold with my brother Ray, and my sister Cathy. I graduated from Thorold Secondary School in 1991. Throughout my childhood and young adulthood I was active in many, many different sports and activities and was fortunate to be a part of several teams that won Ontario Championships in both hockey and baseball. I finished up my schooling at Niagara College here I received a diploma in Sales & Marketing. Fortunately for me I knew exactly what field I wanted to spend my working career in. Right from College, I was hired into my field, and spent the better part of 3 educational years working for Maple Leaf Food in the Customer service department. Working for such a large company was an eye opening experience to say the least. What I remember most though, was how salespeople treated their customers. Many companies employ the "spent 80% of your time with 20% of your clients" strategy, and that's fine for the 20%, but what about the other 80% of clients who are getting virtually no attention from the Salespeople. I know in sales you are supposed to search for "whales" and not "minnows", however these were loyal customers who has been using Maple Leaf products for years and because of a new sales strategy were finding themselves pushed to the side and ignored. This really "irked me". Maybe it was because I wasn't experienced enough in the ways of big business, or possibly just plain naivety, but at that moment I decided that in my sales world no customer would be too small, or a purchase too insignificant for me to deal with.

I have now been in Real Estate since 1999 with all of my years spent working for the same "locally owed and operated" company. The bad taste in my mouth left over from the Maple Leaf years is now gone, but the promise I made to treat every customer like a "whale" is ongoing.

On a very personal note, I have been married since 2001 to a lovely Nurse from Sarnia (Therese). We have 2 beautiful children, Hannah & Daniel. The four of us live in the North end of St. Catharines in the same 3 bedroom bungalow that Therese and I purchased in 1999. Although we have now been there for 8 years I still encourage my customers to move every 5 years. Ha, ha.

I was born and raised in the north-end of St .Catharines, the youngest of 4 children to my parents, Chuck and Jane Burke. Among many of the typical interests and pastimes of a boy back then, the piano was the hobby that held my interest the most. After graduating from Laura Secord Secondary School in 1992, the piano became more than a hobby as I was off to Wilfrid Laurier University to pursue music graduating in 1996 on the Dean’s Honour Roll with a Bachelor of Music Education and Performance. Next, I attended the University of Western Ontario where I graduated on the Dean’s Honour Roll with Distinction with my Bachelor of Education degree.

High school music teaching positions were not abundant at the time, so when an opportunity to play piano on a Cruise Ship came up, I jumped at the chance. Having not traveled a lot up until then, the opportunity to not only travel but to play the piano as “my job” was an opportunity I could not resist. After a few contracts, I was offered the position of Musical Director, overseeing the musicians on board as well as leading a 10-piece orchestra. Successfully managing and working with musicians from all corners of the world was a challenge that I truly enjoyed and learned a lot from. It was at this time that I met a wonderful woman from England named Alice who I went on to marry here in Niagara in June 2002. We have two children…our little girl Jasmine and our newest addition, our little boy named Elliot.

My time at Sally McGarr Realty Corp. Brokerage began in the summer of 2002 when I was immediately welcomed and made to feel so comfortable amongst this great group of successful and dynamic Realtors. The teamwork atmosphere that I tried to create and foster on ships was very evident in the office here. We are all individuals running our own businesses who are also very aware of the team we are a part of. It is so rewarding to be a part of a group of professionals who always have time to help each other out. I believe this, among many other reasons, is a big part of why this office achieves such a high level of results and acclaim.

Fortunately, I continue to play music and have found that Real Estate and music, as well as a busy family life, can all co-exist quite comfortably.