Genuine Design & Contracting Inc.
Licenced Home Builder & General Contractor serving Edmonton, Alberta region
Joel and Amanda have over 40 years of construction and design experience combined. Together, they merged their expertise and formed Genuine Design & Contracting Inc. Genuine was founded on the belief that every client deserves exceptional quality and customer service.
Joel French is a co-founder of Genuine Design & Contracting Inc. He has well over 20 years of experience in design and construction that includes owning his own successful company and working in the Alberta Film Industry.
Joel is known for his good character, friendly, and professional disposition. His work ethic is second to none and is attributed to years of dedication in the field. As a creative person, his natural talent and design abilities attracted the attention of a prominent academy nominated set decorator. He worked exclusively with her on her team on several large critically acclaimed movie sets along with some of the biggest names in the industry. Joel’s hard work and dedication paid off. He quickly rose in the ranks and soon became a lead hand, instrumental in guiding his team in the design and implementation of set decorating, construction, and set design. The experience of working in the film industry gave him a unique perspective on design like no other and challenged him in ways that give him the inspiration and the knowledge in what he does today. Joel’s success continued with having started a company, Genuine Design. Genuine was a busy framing company that worked with some of the best builders in Calgary. As much as he loved running an award-winning framing company, he missed the creative aspect.
Joel followed his passion and worked for several designers in different capacities from Project Manager to Operations Manager, later he accepted the role of site supervisor of a large commercial high rise project. After working in the industry for years, he felt disheartened with the quality of materials, poor workmanship, and lack of customer service. He strongly felt like he needed to make a difference. That’s when Genuine Design & Contracting Inc was formed. Joel strongly believes that exceptional results come from excellent customer service, superior quality in design, workmanship, and materials. His unique experience and knowledge are evident in the creativity and inspiration behind his design work.
Amanda (Mandy) French is also a co-founder of Genuine Design & Contracting Inc. She has over 20 plus years of considerable experience and education in construction and design. Her experience includes working for design firms and notable homebuilders. Amanda is also the Creative Director of Elements Interior Design Inc.
Amanda’s lifelong passion for architecture and design was apparent at an early age. She studied interior design before actively pursuing a career that allowed her to express her creativity, yet also allowed her to continue her quest for knowledge. In her previous roles, Amanda worked for design firms and prominent home builders. She was an essential part of the design development to leading large scale residential projects. As a project manager and interior designer, she coordinated the design and architectural details, specified custom construction specifications, and created and implemented full interior concepts. She has worked on numerous residential projects of differing scale and depth of involvement. She strived to create functional, beautiful, and creative spaces for her clients while ensuring the project runs smoothly.
As an innovative interior designer, Amanda offers a balance of creativity and knowledge along with focused project management to ensure smooth delivery of every aspect of the design process. She finds creative inspiration in travel, experiences, and history just to name a few. Amanda attributes her success to her diverse experience and dedication as an advocate of lifelong learning. Currently, she is pursuing a degree in Architecture and has been a speaker on the panel for design studies at the University of Alberta. Amanda ensures that she is kept adept in leading design innovations by attending industry conferences and workshops.
Amanda’s ambition and entrepreneurial spirit led her to founding her own interior design company, Elements Interior Design Inc. where she continues to serve as Creative Director. Her lifelong dream has always been to be at the helm of a custom home building company. In this pursuit, she joined forces with Joel and started Genuine Design & Contracting Inc. to continue their work as licenced contractors, designers and custom home builders. Our team builds Dreams.