Corey Hall of Pro-Core Foundation Repair Systems: How Identifying Your Leadership Archetype Prevents Founder Burnout

As a part of our series, we had the pleasure to interview Corey Hall.

Corey Hall is the Founder and CEO of Pro-Core Foundation Repair Systems, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry and 18 years as a business owner. Inspired by working alongside his father from a young age, Corey founded Pro-Core with the goal of raising the standard for foundation repair by delivering dependable workmanship, honest recommendations, and exceptional customer service. Under his leadership, the company has grown into one of the region’s most established foundation repair firms, earning a reputation for quality, transparency, and long-term solutions.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve always liked this kind of work, going all the way back when I was a kid. My dad ran his own construction company too, so I guess it was always in the family. When I got older and bought my first house, I realized quickly how difficult it can be to find good, honest contractors. I had someone working on my roof, and there were some issues, and leaks kept coming through. So I called and called, and I couldn’t get a hold of the guy to come back. The leaks aren’t what really bothered me. What really bothered me is that he wouldn’t come back and make it right. So, knowing I wanted to work in this industry, I saw a chance to deliver a much better customer experience, along with high-quality workmanship.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

When I first started, I was working 7 days a week, and I’m talking like 20-hour days. It took everything I had to get this business off the ground. We were a small team then, which meant I was responsible for everything. It’s not something you can sustain at that level, but we’re doing work with significant consequences for people’s homes. We can’t take our work lightly, and we really wanted to make sure we were doing high-quality work and making ourselves available to our clients. It took a lot out of me, but it’s gratifying to see how far we’ve come since then.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

Happy customers really mean a lot to me. When we finished a job and they were happy with our work, that helped me push through to the next job. But I love the work itself, the process, just as much as the result. I think you have to if you’re going to found your own company, and I really believed in the company I was building. I knew I wanted to offer contractors a better experience than I’d had as a homeowner. I knew this would be a great journey if I could just keep moving forward.

So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

It’s gone well, and we’ve grown a lot. It doesn’t get easier over time; the challenges just shift. It used to be a question of daily execution–can I get up again and put in another 20 hours of labour and administration? It took a lot for me to take my hands off some things. The company is my baby, you know, but it can’t always be in my hands. You go through rough patches, and you have to grit your teeth and work through difficulties as you bring in new team members and share responsibilities, but it frees me up as an owner to focus on the most important things.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The funniest mistake from when I was starting — probably thinking I was going to make money! And I thought it would be easy. Well, it wasn’t easy, and I had no idea how demanding it would be. It’s not for everyone; that’s something I’ve learned for sure.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think we put a special emphasis on honesty and customer service. We really want to make sure everyone is taken care of, whether you’re one of our clients or you’ve never worked with us but something about your foundation is concerning you. Once, a few years back, I got a call from someone whose bank manager was worried he was getting scammed. He’d paid over $550,000 to a contractor for work that wasn’t necessary. So I walked him through what actually needed to be done and what reasonable pricing should look like. I couldn’t resolve the whole situation for him, but I could give him an honest assessment so he understood what he was dealing with. He never became a client of ours, and that’s fine. It’s an unfamiliar world for a lot of homeowners, and sometimes people just need someone who knows the work to help them make sense of it.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

The way I see it, there are two types of leaders, and you need to know who you are. Some people are visionaries with great ideas who know exactly where they want to go, and some people are great operators and doers; they’re very good with their time and systematic. Most people aren’t both, and can’t be both. Me, I’m an ideas guy. I always have new ways we can develop and improve as a company. So once you know who you are as an owner, you need to find a partner who can complement you naturally to fill that role; otherwise you’ll burn yourself out trying to be someone you’re not.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I wouldn’t be here without my wife, no question. I mean, I mentioned the time I had to put in to make this company work, and that I still have to put in to make this company work. Being married to a business owner requires as much sacrifice and support from them to make things work. You need someone who’s really by your side, who’s as bought-in as you are, and she’s always been right there through all these years, and I’m incredibly grateful to her for that.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I try to give back on my own as much as I can, and we try to bring that spirit into the company as well, investing our time and money back into the communities we serve. But I believe we should always be asking what more we can do. We’re proud to be a part of the City of Ottawa’s Community Champions Program, and we actually have an announcement coming soon for a project we’re very excited to work with them on, but I’ll save that for another time.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. At the beginning, you can feel really alone. I was really young back then and working 7 days a week, so you’re missing parties and all these social events and moments in your life, just hoping that this will turn into something down the road. It’s not just a job; it’s a lifestyle, and until you’re surrounded by the right people, the right team, the right family, it can feel like it’s you against the world.

2. I wish someone would have told me how expensive it is to run a business, especially if you’re trying to operate right in our industry. It takes a lot to get things going in the beginning, and if you want to grow well, that requires a huge investment in people to help you run the business. We make sure we’re dotting all our I’s and crossing our T’s, and that comes with a lot of hoops to jump through, and a big team of people to make sure we’re handling all of that properly.

3. I wish I knew what a balancing act it is to be a bold but responsible business owner. If you want to start a business, you need to be a risk taker and a little crazy, and I’ve always been a risk taker. But this company has been successful, and it’s not just me anymore. Our employees depend on this company for their livelihood, too. So I need to be a responsible leader, but you can’t afford to lose your boldness or the business will stagnate and die. So that’s a tricky balance to strike. It’s a role that favours riskiness in the beginning, but requires responsibility to mature the business and take care of our people.

4. I wish I had known to start building systems and processes sooner. With smaller teams, you can get by without them. Your own sense of responsibility can be enough, because it’s all in your hands. But once you start handing things off and making others accountable, you need systems to make sure you can understand, manage, and guide day-to-day without getting bogged down in the details. Once you’re big enough to need systems in place, you’ve missed the ideal window to get them in place. If you wait until you’re big enough, you shoehorn people and roles into systems after the fact, rather than building it all together for a better fit.

5. I wish I knew how mentally draining it would be. I never could have imagined what it’s like. I am thinking about the business 24/7, all the time. What we’ve struggled with recently, how we can get better. It doesn’t turn off, and you feel the weight of the responsibility, all these people who depend on the success of this business. It’s great; you love seeing people succeed, and that’s always worth it. But I wasn’t ready for how much mental space being a business owner would occupy.

Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder?

You just can’t let yourself get carried away by either of them, the highs or the lows. Everything used to get to me in the early years. Every little issue was huge, or you have some success, and it really goes to your head. But you need to stay level-headed. They’re going to come, the highs and the lows, and you need to know that and try not to overreact to either one. It’ll really impact your decision-making, so I’d advise not making any big decisions in those moments.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

It’s very sad that there are still people in this world without access to food or water, and where we live, we’re surrounded by abundance. I wish we could make sure everyone had their basic needs met. That’s one of our goals here: to reach a point where we can start providing for people out of what we have.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

We’re on most social media platforms; you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and you can also visit our website at procorefoundations.com.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

About The Interviewer: Tavares Beverly ( www.tavaresbeverly.com ) is the Founder and CEO of Beverly Boy Productions, a national video production company that has helped organizations tell their stories through video for more than two decades. Over the course of his career, he has worked with everyone from Fortune 500 executives and healthcare professionals to politicians, nonprofit leaders, educators, and artists, gaining a unique perspective on the role communication plays in leadership, business, and human connection. A frequent contributor on topics including communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal development, Tavares believes that the ability to communicate effectively is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop. His work is driven by a passion for helping organizations connect with their audiences and helping individuals unlock their potential through mentorship, perseverance, and meaningful relationships. To learn more, connect with Tavares on LinkedIn or visit www.BeverlyBoy.com . If you’re interested in using the power of storytelling and communication to grow your organization, strengthen your brand, or inspire your audience, he welcomes the opportunity to connect.