November 2015 • GOHBA Impact - B1 Amsted Design-Build celebrates 25 th anniversary with awards recognition and community service initiatives ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT Renovation contractor builds thriving, sustainable business on core vision, mission and values Congratulations to AMSTED DESIGN/BUILD for their outstanding work over the past 25 years! Living Well By Design 37 Benlark Road Ottawa (ON) K2J 2L5 www.cmillsdesign.com Tel: (613) 825-0548 Cell: (613) 762-5052 [email protected]
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November 2015 • GOHBA Impact - B1
Amsted Design-Build celebrates 25th anniversary with awards recognition
and community service initiatives
ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Renovation contractor builds thriving, sustainable business on core vision, mission and values
Congratulations to AMSTED DESIGN/BUILD for theiroutstanding work over the past 25 years!
Amsted Design-Build staff attendingthe recent GOHBA Housing DesignAwards gala had good reason to celebratewhen they learned their company hadbeen selected as the association’sRenovator of the Year. Days earlier, the25-year-old business celebrated a similarvictory at the Ontario Home Builders’Association (OHBA) Awards ofDistinction, marking the first time that anOntario renovation contractor had wonboth awards in the same year.The recognition is well deserved, as
the business, founded in 1989 by SteveBarkhouse, has won dozens of awardsthrough the years at the local, provincial,national and even international level,growing from a tiny business to a thrivingenterprise with about 60 employees and areputation for quality, service and commu-nity support.These qualities may be seen as cliches,
yet Amsted lives its core values and prin-ciples through a co-ordinated, systematic(yet evolving) set of policies and guide-
lines, based on its vision statement:“We will be the most successful sought
after company in its industry. To be highlyrespected for integrity, excellence andsuccess. To provide a work environmentthat is enjoyable and achieves a balancebetween work and personal time.”The vision, combined with a related
mission statement and a set of core values,are expressed in everything the businessachieves.
“I think what we’ve learned – andwhat we tell our clients – is that it is vitalto have a very thoughtful and good planfrom the beginning, and revisit that planconstantly,” Barkhouse said. “We revisitour vision, mission and core values inevery meeting, and annually at our com-pany retreats, and we adjust the plan, andask for input on it, and improve it.”Employees carry a card with the mis-
sion, vision and core values in their wal-
lets, as it offers support in decision-mak-ing. They can reference their cards for anydecision, and know they are following thecompany’s principles.“We begin every meeting, every full
staff meeting or partial staff meeting byreading the mission and vision and one ofthe core values – and someone volunteersnot just to read the core values, butexplain how they’ve used them,” he said.Employees are encouraged to share exam-ples of how the core value has been usedin practice.The business planning concepts and
values have evolved, with Amsted placingan increasing emphasis on community –both in terms of employees and the com-pany contributing to community serviceand charitable projects, and making surethat its practices and projects align withcommunity values.The company has established “Living
Rooms” – meeting areas and design cen-tres in a home-like environment inWestboro and New Edinburgh, as well as
B2 - GOHBA Impact • November 2015
Amsted Design-Build celebrates 25th anniversary withaward recognition and community service initiativesRenovation contractor builds thriving, sustainable business on core vision, mission and values
By Mark Buckshon Impact! Special Feature
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Working with each customer, from planning to installation, providing a hands-on personalized experience.The highest quality window and door products available on the market.
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PHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTOPHER SIMMONDS ARCHITECT
November 2015 • GOHBA Impact - B3
AMSTED DESIGN-BUILD
Diamond Flooring3 x 60 (180 Lines)
1/6 pageFirst impressions that last.
www.merkleysupply.com
613.728.2693
Congratulations
AmstedA reputation such as yours is built
from many blocks – innovation,
creativity, project management,
customer service and strong
business relationships.
We are proud of our small part in
your GOHBA success story.
Ph
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by G
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its Stittsville head office.“We work right in the neighbourhoods
and invest in the communities financiallyand with personal commitments. So wemay clean the park and we know what’sgoing on in the community and the typesof development it values.”Renovations often require minor vari-
ances and sometimes rezoning applica-tions and it is here Amsted’s interfacebetween the property owners – the compa-ny’s actual clients – and the communitycomes to the foreground.“We have the current record for the
most minor variances in a single project,”Barkhouse said. “When a client brings usa proposed project, we work with the city– we always make sure we have approvalbefore proceeding, and before we make anapplication to the community, we hold anopen house with coffee and treats.”“My opening line at every meeting is
very honest, to say: ‘This is my client andI’m going to work for the client’s interests. . . and we would like you to be our clienttomorrow – so we care about our currentclient needs and the future client (your)needs as well.’”
Barkhouse says he encourages neigh-bours to review the proposed project andoutline their concerns.“The concerns often have nothing to do
with the project requirements from thecity,” he said. “Neighbours care aboutincreased traffic, they care about the kidsacross the street, and cars backing intodriveways – and the current bylaws oftendon’t address these issues.”In practice, this means that Amsted
will occasionally pull a project – even atsignificant cost both in time and finances– if there are true community concernsthat cannot be quickly addressed. “In onecase, we went to the Committee ofAdjustment and learned that the communi-ty didn’t feel that we had addressed theirconcerns.” The committee was preparingto rule in Amsted’s favor, but the companystill withdrew the job. “We had to reapply,because the community wasn’t in favour.”Amsted seeks to work co-operatively
with the city and the community – it does-n’t want to be seen as the “developer or
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Proud to be part of the Amsted Team.
B4 - GOHBA Impact • November 2015
renovator coming in, fighting with the city. . . we don’t agree with that.” Of course,“you can’t please all the people all thetime” but if you can satisfy 99 per cent ofthe people, the majority will convince thefew holdouts that the project truly is wor-thy.Amsted’s systems and processes
ensure that the company’s employees –many of whom have been with the organi-zation for 10, 15 or even 20 years – areselected because they share its corporatevalues and cultures. New employees are only hired after
existing employees interview them.There’s a family feel to the organization,with more than one generation working atthe company. For example, StephanieHaw co-ordinates marketing, while heruncle (and founding partner) Kirk Hawoversees the company’s Restore-All divi-sion, which handles emergency repairsand insurance restorations.“We have a unique workforce,” Kirk
Haw said in a 2005 interview. “We havespecialists, we have generalists and theyare comfortable in what they do.”“You have to be comfortable in what
you are doing,” he said in the GOHBAImpact story published a decade ago,which continues to be relevant today.“You can have all the skills in the world,but you also need to be able to fit in as
well.”“We enjoy what we do. We work very
hard because we are passionate about it,but we don’t live to work. We do a lot ofthings outside of work together as well,including parties, sports activities andfundraising for various charities. We likeeach other’s company.”“Not every day is sunshine, but who
would you rather be with in difficult situa-tions?”Amsted, in fact, may have achieved
the sweet spot for business and communi-ty success. The company’s workforce islarge enough that it can complete and
manage many aspects of its projects in-house, ensuring a seamless client experi-ence.“With the size of our team, we can
offer the benefits of design-build, andhave been successful in extending this tothe design community at large,”Barkhouse said. Its solid relationshipswith the community also extends to rele-vant industry associations such as theGOHBA, and respect for its trade suppli-ers, many of whom are advertising in thisfeature, without any arm-twisting.What will the next 25 years bring?“I’m not worried about the future,”
Barkhouse said. “We’ve got a great team.I know we take a leadership role in ourindustry and our community and NorthAmerica wide.”“I’m proud of that – but that’s not me.
I’m painfully shy, but my employees pushme to speak out because it is my job torepresent the company.”“You’ve got to be on your toes at all
times to represent these really great peo-ple,” Barkhouse said.“Amsted would not be where we are
today without the support of all of ourcustomers, whom we define as our incred-ible employees, valued trade partners, andcherished clients. Our success for the next25 years therefore relies on the relation-ships built with our customers to date, andthe future A-players we will add to ourteam.”
AMSTED DESIGN-BUILD
ASPHALT - CONCRETE CONTRACTOR - SNOW REMOVALLOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1977
75 Jamie Ave. Nepean, Ontario
613 723-7283Fax: 613-723-7285
Congratulations to Amsted on 25 years of success!
Congratulations to AMSTEDas you celebrate a quarter century
As Amsted Design-Build celebrates its first quartercentury in business, the company has initiated severalprograms to recognize its employees, suppliers, clientsand community. The company has already thanked its clients and
supplier/partners with appreciation events, but “we alsorealized we needed to recognize the community atlarge,” said marketing co-ordinator Stephanie Haw. “Ottawa and its residents have given us 25 great
years, and we decided this year was a chance for us togive back, bigger than ever before. That’s why in 2015we initiated ‘25 Acts for 25 Years.’“We ramped up our efforts to give back this year,
participating in school fundraisers, company fooddrives, large charity events and small community driv-en initiatives. We are well on our way to completingand even surpassing our goal.”The list of community service projects is impressive
– and there’s still more to come.
A Chance Animal RescueAlgonquin CollegeBoys and Girls Club of OttawaCamp SmittyCardinal Creek Community AssociationEcology OttawaEnviroCenterGlebe Community CentreGlebe Neighbourhood Activities GroupGOHBAHabitat for HumanityHopewell Avenue Public SchoolHospice Care OttawaJewish Youth Library of OttawaKanata ArtistsKanata North communityKanata South communityRoyal Ottawa - Women for Mental Health ProgramOld Ottawa South Community AssociationOttawa Community HousingOttawa Food BankOttawa MissionRonald McDonald HouseSpecial Olympics CanadaThe Ottawa HospitalWest Wind Public School
