Meet the Daizen Team

Dai (Yoshito) Ona / Business Development & Project Scoping

As owner and big picture thinker at Daizen, Dai Ona identifies business opportunities and works with clients to bring their project visions to life. He applies his design and building experience to create final products that are distinct, functional and sustainable. Dai conveys both passion…

Johnny Matak / Business Development

Eijiro Hara / Timber Frame Team Leader

Eijiro Hara began his carpentry career sharpening his chisels under the direct supervision of his father who would inspect Eijiro’s work with a sharp eye and say “o.k.” only to ping the freshly sharpened chisel with a hammer for Eijiro to resharpen. This established a…

Miki Ona / Accounting

Miki Ona has been with Daizen since its inception in 1991 and has developed and overseen all accounting systems for the company. Miki’s ongoing attention to detail and diligent processes ensure responsible financial management within the company. Her role behind the scenes is integral to…

Jason Trefzger / CNC Controler

Prior to moving to BC, Jason started apprenticing at a timber frame Company in his home country of Germany. Shortly after successfully completing this, he continued his studies and achieved his Master Timber Framer accreditation, at the young age of 22. Jason also attained the…

Tomoko Shimoda / Office Administrator

Tomoko Shimoda takes care of all the internal office administration at Daizen. She has an office administration certificate from Thompson Rivers University and has experience managing a small business. Tomoko is responsible for review and crosschecking inventory and analyzing office related information on a day-to-day…

Ken Brookes / Safety Organizer

Ryuichiro Kan / Floater

Ryuichiro Kan shortly called Ryu by his co-workes, moved to Canada from Japan in the summer of 2015. Prior to this, Ryu worked as a carpenter and general laborer in Japan for 10 years. Together with his father, he built small-scale buildings and also had…

Kazunari (Kazu) Furuya / Fine Joiner

Kazunari Furuya moved to Canada after working as a carpenter and log builder in Japan for 14 years, where he gained knowledge and expertise in the Japanese style of construction. Kazu also worked to achieve a degree in architecture and is a licensed architect in…

Leonard De Vos / Timber Dresser

Leonard oversees a crucial step in the preparation of timbers prior to staining; he sands or brushes the wood to make the most of the grain in the final product. When Leonard began working at Daizen in 2011 he had no timber framing or log…