Veteran Calgary home builder and philanthropist Wayne Chiu has received one of the country’s top civilian honours.

The founder and CEO of Trico Homes has been appointed Member of the Order of Canada.

Chiu earned the distinction for contributions as a corporate leader, champion of innovation, and social entrepreneurship in western Canada, says a release from the Governor General of Canada.

“Wayne Chiu is a humble, extraordinary man who continues to bring honour to himself, to his family, and to our company,” says Wanda Palmer, Trico’s vice-president of marketing. “He’s a visionary, and we’re very grateful for this and proud of his enormous contributions to the community.”

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Connectivity, an affordable lot and green space perfect for walking dogs added up to the right fit for an accountant and her four-legged housemates.

Cheri Dusanko, in her mid-forties, is headed for Evanston, where she’s having a front-attached garage home built by Trico Homes. She felt it was time for a change from her home in Rocky Ridge, on the far northwest corner of the city.

“I wanted a slightly bigger yard for my dogs,” Dusanko says. “There does seem to be some nice green spaces around there. They also seem to be big on trees there, which I love. It gives you some shade and it looks really good.”

Read more about Cheri’s story here in the Calgary Herald.

Engaged couple Genelle Babin and Tyson Frank are on “countdown” for 2016.

Not only will the French immersion teacher and the salesperson for a plumbing and heating company be getting married, they will be moving into their first home together.

The couple has purchased a duplex by Trico Homes in the southeast Legacy community. Their home, with just over 1,600 square feet, allowed them the option (which they took and which Jorgenson says is by far one of the most sought-after features of this home — “it’s a real treat”) of adding a sunroom retreat in the master bedroom.

“It had everything we wanted,” says Babin. “We looked at others but we kept going back to the Trico show home.”

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Derek and Jocelyn Bell with their child Hanna bought at Riviera in one of its earlier phases. When the Bells first discovered Riviera, they were reminded of a nearby mountainside town.

“We love Canmore, we love the mountains, we love the trees and the way the homes are designed with the Rocky Mountain type look and if you were to head down into that neighbourhood — there is just something about it,” Derek says. “You walk down there and you are kind of on your own. You’re in your own little world down there.”

They built the Fairmont model through Trico, which is a 2,229-square-foot floor plan with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

When it comes to meeting the needs of a move-up home buyer, the Fairmont 2 thinks of everything.

The home’s generously sized bedrooms, large central bonus room and functional free-flowing main floor gives growing families the elbow room they need.

This is the newest show home by  Trico Homes and located in the amenity-rich northwest community of Beacon Heights. Trico offers 13 models in Beacon Heights and is the community’s exclusive builder.

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Light, bright, with elegantly unique, but oh, so sensible twists: Trico Homes’ The Tremont is all those things.

The show home in the estate sector of Cooper’s Crossing in Airdrie is a beautiful open-concept, two-storey residence. Right from the time you step through the double-glassed doors, you are greeted by a very large entryway — you don’t have to worry about bumping into each other while you get in and out of your winter clothes.

From the entryway, you are flooded by the light – you can see clear through to the light-emitting windows in the great room and breakfast nook.

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Nolan Hill has been a popular landing spot for families and young couples since it broke ground on a scenic stretch of land in 2011.

Since opening sales on zero lot line homes, they’ve caught the eye of a number of home buyers, including Colin Chong. He and his girlfriend Chan Mean picked the Fraser model through Trico Homes. Its standard floorplan is 1,916 square feet and it comes with a two-car garage along with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

“When we have people over, everyone is in one area,” says Chong of the main floor. “That’s a good selling point.”

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Growing families are top of mind in the design of a new show home by Trico Homes in Airdrie.

The Ridgeway is located in HillCrest, a master-planned community on Airdrie’s southwest end. It features a functional floor plan with thoughtful spaces for quality time together, including a generously-sized great room on the main floor and an even bigger bonus room on the top level.

This model is 2,172-square-feet with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. It also features a two-car front-attached garage.

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

House hunters eyeing a functional family-friendly design in a move-up home model, may find their match in the Hudson. This is a new two-storey show model by Trico Homes with a two-car front-attached garage in Nolan Hill.

The home is 2,131-square-feet and on a 29-foot-wide lot. It’s a zero lot line concept, which means it’s built against one end of the lot’s property line.

The Hudson has three generously-sized bedrooms on its second level, including a master bedroom on its rear corner. It has enough space for a king-sized bed and large furniture.

Read the full article here in the Calgary Herald.

Calgary homebuilder Wayne Chiu is a firm believer in business education and social entrepreneurship.

On Wednesday, the chief executive & founder of Trico Homes put $3 million towards that belief in the largest donation ever for Bow Valley College as the institution renamed its School of Business after the local business leader and philanthropist.

“The reason for the donation is because I’m entrepreneurial and I support business and what’s best to support business but by supporting business education,” he said. “Business education is my passion. My goal is that hopefully we can encourage people for lifelong learning and hopefully this lifelong learning can encourage people to look into different ways to further their passion of study.”

“We hope the donation does not just boost the program but at the same time (helps) to expand to the business program as well to what I call social entrepreneurship and social innovation kind of education.”

To learn more, visit the Bow Valley College website here.