Founded in 1979 by Craig Hogarth, On Side Restoration continues to be one of Canada’s leading collaborative restoration service providers. On Side has grown in every way, with a focus on geographic expansion and innovative restoration solutions from residential and commercial to large scale business and industrial environments. Consistently forging our way over the past 40 years, On Side continues to make significant advancements to improving the collaboration between restoration and insurance sectors.
Alain Fortin is a visionary, team-oriented president who’s driven by his passion for business operations and helping On Side deliver unparalleled customer experiences, every day. He is a people-focused leader who’s dedicated to fostering a tight-knit, values-driven team. Alain genuinely enjoys being in the field and building connections, as he feels this is where many of the best ideas take shape. He first joined On Side in 2019 as the company’s Chief Financial Officer with a wealth of corporate financial, claims and operations experience. Alain has spent 20 years in executive positions including with an Asset Management subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation and later, the claims side of the business. Alain is a graduate of Sherbrooke University, with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BAA) and Master’s degree in Finance, and holds his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) accounting designations.
Doug Irwin leads all of On Side’s sales and operations across the country. He has a long history of assembling high performance teams across a myriad of industries. A senior business executive with extensive P&L experience in commercial and residential construction, remediation, equipment sales and distribution, he is also a former CEO chair with TEC Canada and has held executive roles with a number of organizations. Doug has a Master’s in Engineering and is a Professional Engineer of Alberta.
Mike Van Elsberg oversees all of our branches across Canada, working closely with our Regional Vice Presidents and District Directors to support Branch Managers and their teams. His professional journey started with claims in 1988 and other than a short stint in commercial lines, his career has been focused on claims while working for a number of large insurers overseeing property and auto for all lines of business. Throughout his career, he has led his team through many strategic initiatives as well as multiple catastrophic events including the Calgary floods and the Fort McMurray wildfires. The opportunity to better align the efforts of insurers and the restoration process to support customers after a loss is significant; Mike’s working with the team to ensure that On Side continues to be the leader on this front.
Ed Gooyers has had an impressive and progressive career in management for over 35 years, from his first entry level position to his more recent senior leadership roles. He has achieved a Juran Green Belt certification in Continuous Improvement, a Lean Manager Certification and an Operations Management certification from the Ivey School of Business. Since 2008, Ed has greatly contributed to On Side’s internal processes and efficiencies. He supports our Operations Managers nationwide and is an integral part of the Executive Management team.
Candice Herlihy has close to 20 years of progressive HR experience and comes to On Side from Intact Insurance where she worked for over 11 years. She has a strong understanding of what matters to people and holds expertise in managing all elements of the employee experience, from talent acquisition to strategy. Curious by nature, Candice is passionate about leading a diverse workforce, and empowering employees and managers across all departments in the organization. Candice’s experience in claims, combined with her experience working overseas across a range of industries, are all great assets to On Side.
Antoine Turki, originally from Montreal, joined the team in June 2020 as Financial Controller, contributing to the overhaul of On Side’s finance function. He is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) with a strong finance background, and previously worked for Intact in various roles. As Vice-President, Finance, Antoine leads the finance department to support On Side’s strategic growth plans.
Over the past 20 years Darren has been providing information technology services to the insurance industry. Darren has led the implementation and evolution of On Side’s proprietary project management system called eClaim. This web-based platform is On Side’s main business platform that interfaces with accounting, operations and client systems like Xactimate. Since 1997 Darren has helped the company lead the industry by continually adopting and implementing trend setting technologies to improve customer service KPIs, job efficiencies and cycle times. Darren holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS).
Jay Kielt began his career as Labourer in 1990 and quickly advanced into other positions from there due to his strong skillset and sheer drive. Roles included a Tradesman’s Helper, Field Crew Supervisor, Project Manager and eventually Manager/Owner of Higgins ProTeam (HPT) in London, Ontario. Jay operated HPT until 2012 when On Side Restoration acquired the business. His 30+ year background and expertise has provided Jay with valuable insights on how every aspect of our business works.
With over 30 years of Property and Casualty insurance experience, Henry Blumenthal supports operational excellence and performance improvements across multiple divisions at On Side. Henry is an expert in cross-departmental leadership with best-in-class change management skills to help diverse teams embrace change. His understanding of the restoration industry dates back to his childhood when he accompanied his contractor father on job sites and quickly learned the ropes at an early age. Over the span of Henry’s career, he has held positions of VP Claims and Regional Vice President where he oversaw company distribution, the broker group, while also expanding personal and commercial lines of business. Henry’s passion lies in collaborating with people and developing strong relationships, helping On Side forge its way to achieving optimal performance within the highly competitive property restoration industry.
Ron Biggs leverages more than 25 years of knowledge in property claims, capacity solutions and team leadership to guide our 20+ Western Branch Managers in achieving new levels of performance and customer care. Having held several national and regional leadership roles for a number of insurers, including National Property Claims Director, Ron’s experience also extends on the commercial underwriting and broker sides of the business. Ron holds his Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation.
Kate Sully has been an invaluable member of the On Side team since she joined the organization in 2012. Over that time, Kate worked her way through a variety of positions that include Water Technician, Project Manager, Operations Manager, Branch Manager, Territory Manager, all the way up to her current position on our executive leadership team. Through each of these roles, Kate gained a thorough understanding of the restoration industry, and the experience needed to recognize where and how to improve our business processes – all while keeping the needs of our customers and our employees in mind. In her position, Kate oversees the strategic growth and development of the branches within the fast-growing Ontario and Atlantic regions. Her vast experience with both acquisitions and greenfield startups, coupled with her ability to lead by example have made her a vital part of our organization and plans for the future.
Jean-Pierre (JP) Bastien brings over 30 years’ experience from various executive positions in aviation operations, account management, customer service and business development. His exceptional leadership skills and ability to motivate and connect people is key to On Side’s continuous growth and development in the province of Quebec. JP is passionate about building strong teams and developing long-term growth plans to achieve success on all fronts of the business. Overseeing Quebec’s National Services functions, JP ensures that the unique needs and goals of each branch are met.