Theepan Balasubramaniam always knew he wasn’t meant to be a 9-5er. But he wasn’t sure how exactly he was going to shape his career into something that would be meaningful and make a positive impact.

Initially, with an engineering background under his belt and a keen interest in marketing, he focused on gaining a wide range of experience with corporate gigs at IBM, BlackBerry and more recently in healthcare.

While he tried out different roles one thing remained a constant for him, the passion he had for homes. Everything about the way they brought families together drew him to delve into the real estate industry. It was from here that his entrepreneurial journey would begin.

Over time he saw that there was a huge gap between what people actually knew about buying and selling homes and the realities of the market. In addition, while real estate was seen as an investment vehicle to grow wealth, Theepan felt that clients lacked perspectives and knowledge needed to further build their wealth and quality of life.

As he worked with an increasing number of home owners, he found himself addressing countless questions about products and services related to home improvement in particular. He started broadening his network to include more service providers and learned about existing home shows. The more he researched, the more evident it became that there wasn’t a single show that catered to the unique needs of the Tamil community—and they were more than ready for one.

Gone are the days when Tamils in Toronto, and the GTA, were simply trying to survive. Now, with many roots laid and much success in different sectors, they are thriving and looking to improve their quality of life.

Enter, VeeDu Living Home and Garden Show, the brainchild of Theepan, who plays a lead role in planning and execution; Thay Shanmugaratnam, an IT portfolio manager; Lojan Srianandan, a mortgage specialist at Mortgage Architects; and Muraly Srinarayanathas, CSO of Computek College.

Taking place this weekend, on Saturday, April 9^th and Sunday, April 10^th at the Markham Fairgrounds, the show will bring together a carefully curated list of businesses and subject matter experts with three main objectives: to teach, inspire and connect. The weekend will be filled with a variety of exhibitors showcasing quality products and services, informative presentations, panel discussions, do-it-yourself sessions, and a wide array of gourmet food for attendees to enjoy.

The Home and Garden Show will be the first of many initiatives that are a part of VeeDu Living’s mission to connect consumers with businesses that provide convenient and quality services. As the community continues to evolve, VeeDu Living will explore new opportunities to cater to its members and prioritize their needs.