DCR/Phoenix Group of Cos. distinguishes itself in the design of its properties.

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As it enters its 20th year of business, CEO Cuckoo Kochar says DCR/Phoenix Group of Cos. is still going strong and setting itself apart in its market. “We do intend, in every way, to be different from [other] builders,” he states.

Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the company specializes in land and commercial developments, homebuilding, and granite and hardwood products for its homes as well as retail, wholesale and homebuilders. DCR has distinguished itself in the design of its properties, Kochar says. The company incorporates Victorian styles in its work, which involves use of stone and balconies, he says.

Many builders will not use these features because of the costs involved, but “[We have] incorporated them from day one,” Kochar states. “We always retain the flavor of Phoenix.”

A native of New Delhi, India, Kochar came to Canada in 1972 and earned a master’s of engineering degree at Concordia University in Montreal. Afterward, he worked as a project and site engineer on infrastructure projects in Quebec.

In 1977, Kochar moved to Ottawa and became a manager for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), where he oversaw land in nine provinces. It was at CMHC that Kochar saw the potential in developing land for small builders, which led him to form DCR in 1988.

Today, “We still say our biggest strength is land development,” Kochar says, noting that DCR plans and services its land on its own. The company manages the planning and development, which includes zoning and construction infrastructure. To date, the company has developed more than 3,600 serviced lots in Ottawa.

In 1997, “We created a housing arm because we had so much land,” Kochar remembers. Since then, the company has built more than 2,000 homes in Ottawa.

On the commercial development side, the company’s projects have included the Ottawa Life Sciences Technology Park, a 12-acre campus purchased by the University of Ottawa. “The park’s prime location near the Ottawa Health Sciences Centre and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario make it particularly attractive to Ottawa’s world-famous medical research university,” DCR says.

Kochar adds that the company is expanding its reach with new land and commercial developments in Toronto, as well as in New Delhi. “One of the biggest demands there is for office space,” he says.

The largest users of this space are customer service call centers, he says. “A lot of the Fortune 500 companies are moving there, and we want to be there,” Kochar says.
 
The Family Business
Kochar’s family is strongly involved in DCR. His son, Rahul Kochar, is vice president and oversees the company’s business affairs in his father’s absence.

“He knows the philosophy we follow,” Cuckoo Kochar says, adding that he can confidently travel out of the country, knowing that DCR’s operations are being managed by his son in the same vein. His wife, Madhu Kochar, manages the company’s office, and his daughter-in-law, Amita Kochar, has designed several of its model homes.

The participation of his family has benefited DCR’s business, Cuckoo Kochar says. When customers learn about its long history and family ownership, “You start to get lot of confidence from the people,” he explains.
 
Constructing Communities
A project that is a source of pride for Kochar is Moffat Farm, a riverfront neighborhood located nearly eight miles from downtown Ottawa. DCR purchased 80 acres of land for the project from the government of Canada, which had been used as undeveloped green space for years by the local residents.

When DCR wanted to complete a housing project there, it met resistance from the community, Kochar says. “[It] took us three years of planning, engineering and arguments,” he remembers. “Finally, we won the case, and the development stands out as probably one of the finest, if not the best, in the whole city.”

DCR sold more than 75 lots in the location, but also left 30 acres on the waterfront for a public bicycle park, “which they never really had before,” Kochar claims. “Today, all the people [who protested] are silenced. They, in fact, love it.”

Another source of pride is Heritage Hills, its flagship community located in Kanata, Ontario. There, DCR built more than 800 single family, townhomes, semi-detached, and seniors bungalow homes with its Victorian styling features, including stone and balconies.

“No one was doing balconies [there] because of the cost,” Kochar remembers, noting that it also integrated maintenance-free materials, such as fiberglass in its balconies. “We tried to introduce elements that would attract people.”

DCR’s recent developments include Strandherd Meadows in Barrhaven, a community in Ottawa. Currently, the development features more than 400 single-family homes, but another 400 are planned. “By the time we finish, we’ll probably have 800 homes in there,” Kochar predicts.

Strandherd will also feature a large, eight-acre neighborhood park with a pond.

Guarding Itself
Kochar wants DCR to diversify its services more as it moves overseas. “By doing that, you’re guarding yourself from any economic up and downs we may have in Ottawa,” he says.

For example, Kochar wants the company to begin performing renovations, a segment dominated by small companies in Ottawa.

He also wants DCR to open a custom home division. “[However,] we still want to keep the company mid-sized, and we want to keep the company family owned,” he notes.