Buyingblock -Buyingblock.com Team

The Buyingblock.com Team

bruce whitaker

A significant part of Bruce's motivation to start Buyingblock.com was a result of his frustration of being put on hold when dealing with service providers, "I felt like a nobody and really wanted to be treated like a somebody". He often thought, "if only we could get together as consumers, we would see a much different world". Bruce has ten years of experience with TD Bank (personal banking, commercial lending, international banking). He has also worked in corporate consulting for Ernst & Young and as an executive with a start-up technology enabler. Bruce loves the sense of community in his Parkdale neighbourhood. He puts on an annual Clothing SWAP that allows neighbors to empty their closets and swap with others. The favorite part of his life is hanging out with his partner and 8 year old son.

rodney litigio

Rodney is "the guy", it's what many of his friends and clients refer to him as. If you want something done or a referral to someone who can get things done, just call Rodney. Educated as an engineer, Rodney has spent the last eight years with Sutton Group - Tower Realty Ltd. and Century 21 Regal Realty Inc. in Toronto. Walking down the street he is often stopped by neighbours with a hearty hello as he is well known through his involvement in the community from leading a dance club for young children, to participating in the residency association, to helping out at the organic community Everdale. His objective of starting Buyingblock.com was to make people's lives simpler freeing up time to participate in their passions. When not on his sailboat, Rodney can be found playing in his front yard with his two daughters aged 3 and 5.

michael pezzack

With a BA from the University of Western in English and Philosophy and with experience in media writing, Michael has worked in film and television production for many years. His interest in the mortgage industry started when his father's private mortgage business started getting busy and he saw how the mortgage industry was maturing. Yes, it's a big jump from film and television production to mortgages, but he figured it'll be a good fit and liked the idea of working for a small organization driven by the right ideals. Michael has been with Mortgage Intelligence and is an Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) with over five years of experience in the mortgage industry. He is presently a member of the Business Networking International and a Board Member with the Toronto Ultimate Club. During his free time he enjoys producing community live theatre shows.

scott henson

Born and raised in Toronto to parents who emigrated from South Africa, Scott studied biology at the University of Western Ontario and operated his own business for a number of years after graduation. Scott decided on a career change and graduated from the Financial Services Underwriting Program at Seneca College. This program was devoted to the mortgage industry allowing Scott to gain necessary insight into the increasingly complex mortgage world. He has been working with Michael at Mortgage Intelligence and now with Buyingblock.com. Scott received the Homeguard Ray Baker Award for outstanding achievement in Ethics and Mortgage Broker Legislation.

leslie yu

Born in Vancouver, Leslie decided to move to Toronto to start her university career right after high school. A graduate of York University with a BA in Honours in English and Communications, her experience lies within the administrative side of the real estate and mortgage industries and very much enjoys its challenges and complexities. She loves the condo life in her Yonge and Sheppard neighbourhood and the intricacies Toronto has to offer. She is very much a city girl. She spent most of her life playing volleyball and when she is not at the office, she tries to make time to compete and play in tournaments.

linda nakanishi

Linda is a passionate and gifted designer. Her specialties are web and graphics design but she also loves to get her hands dirty with non-digital art. With an educational background in Western and Eastern Arts History, Painting and Advanced Interactive Multimedia her goal is to make the Buyingblock.com site a gentle oasis for stressed out home buyers. An avid explorer of both travel (off to Dubai), soul (alternative medicine), environment (green committee) and work (book design) destinations, Linda is passionate about everything that life has to offer.

pauline stroud-lloren

Pauline started off in the field of Customer Service where her degree in Business Management, Major in Hotel & Restaurant Management came in handy. Because of a combined interest in numbers and helping people, the lure of the mortgage industry was too strong to resist. After completing the Financial Services Underwriting Program at Seneca College, she gained enough insight to realize that this was the career for her. The added bonus? That it is a perfect complement to her husband's investment business. Pauline likes to keep busy which is easy enough to do with 6 children aged 9 to 20. Spare time is truly a luxury and indulgence comes in the form of curling up with a good book or taking to the field with her softball team when spring comes around.

priti patel

Priti is the Buyingblock.com socialite - a lover of all things social from hanging with friends to going to dinner. You can often find her at a coffee bar in deep conversation or full out in laughter. Priti graduated with a Kinesiology degree from York University and then switched to real estate, where there's much more contact with people. Priti loves real estate and every aspect of the job. She's spent her last two years working with Sutton Group - Tower Realty Ltd. and Century 21 Regal Realty Inc. She is an oldie when it comes to music - anything from the 60's, 70's and 80's. The belief she lives by everyday is that "things can only get better".