For builders with decades of experience, growth isn’t always about learning how to build—it’s about finding the right systems and the right path forward.
For Tyrone Leslie, President of Heritage Homes, Epcon Franchising offered exactly that. With a career rooted in real estate, hospitality and home building across borders, Tyrone’s journey into franchising wasn’t planned but once it started, it moved quickly.
A Career Built on Real Estate Foundations
Tyrone’s background in real estate spans decades and generations. His family’s involvement in real estate and hospitality shaped his career path early on.
“My family has been in real estate and hospitality basically all of their lives. It was pretty obvious I’m probably going to be falling into that type of category,” Tyrone shared.
After getting into real estate in 1987 and relocating from Canada to the United States in 1995, Tyrone founded Heritage Homes, his home building company that would later become part of the Epcon network.
Discovering Epcon
Tyrone’s introduction to Epcon began with a home plan. What started as a casual conversation quickly turned into something much bigger.
“I saw a home plan that another Epcon Franchise Builder had. Then I thought, ‘Hey, this is a really great plan. I’d love to buy it from you.’”
That curiosity opened the door to learning more about Epcon’s philosophy, approach and business model.
“I did some research on Epcon and realized that their philosophies and their ideas were very parallel to ours as a company.”
Once that alignment was clear, things moved quickly.
“Before you knew it, within I would say about five months, we were already meeting with Epcon and signed the papers to become a Franchise Builder.”
A Relationship That Exceeded Expectations
With more than 39 years in the home building industry, Tyrone came into the franchise relationship with clear expectations but Epcon still surprised him.
“The relationship with Epcon so far has been absolutely phenomenal, probably even more than I ever anticipated.”
What stood out most was the level of ongoing support across every aspect of the business.
“Whenever I have a question, whether it’s marketing, construction or any type of design ideas or concepts, they are always there for us.”
Learning to Builder for Today’s Home Buyers
Even as an experienced semi-custom builder, Tyrone found that Epcon helped refine how Heritage Homes approached design, particularly for active adult buyers.
“What we learned was how to make a home more livable for our clients and really deal with today’s needs compared to what yesterday was.”
That shift had a direct impact on home buyers within our region and allowed us to create a community like no other one around.
“Since launching our model homes, just to hear the responses of the unique designs, something clients have never seen before, that’s what you want as a builder. And to have them at the end of day saying, ‘This is exactly what we dream of our home looking like…’ that’s when we know that we have done our job right.”
A Relationship Built on Mutual Value
What continues to define Tyrone’s relationship with Epcon is collaboration and shared growth.
“When you join a company, you really have to make sure that you are giving as much as you’re taking.”
That exchange of ideas benefits everyone involved, especially the homeowners.
“When that relationship is there, everything just fits together. We collaborate with each other, and at the end of the day, our clients are the ones who benefit most.”
To learn more about Tyrone’s story, watch Building Homes From Canada to North Dakota.