Chiu School of Business

My most memorable moment has definitely been the 2013 Alberta Floods. Trico recognized the need for support and donated $50K in funds & provided several employee foot patrol teams to go from house to house in High River to clean, bail, pump & shovel. The severe devastation that I witnessed will forever be engrained in my memory. Never will I forget the garbage, the smell, the homeowners and the hundreds of volunteers all working together to get people back into their homes. That day I wore my Trico t-shirt with such pride, I still have that shirt to remind myself of all the good that we can accomplish when we work together.

Dreams of Christmas used to be about snow and lights, about carols and candles and the scents of evergreens and cinnamon. But all of these beautiful things fade in comparison to a Trico Christmas! I remember my first one; as a brand new employee I had no idea what to expect of course. I mean, we had a beautiful tree in the reception area and other decorations around the office. Everything was pretty much the same as I had seen in previous companies. But then, one morning, it happened. Big baskets came through the front door and were carefully unpacked. The kitchen table changed within minutes. From an ordinary table, it transformed into this beautiful array of foods; chocolates, cold cuts, fruit, nuts, candy, cookies, cakes, cheeses, chutneys and so on. It was a spectacular sight! An announcement through the intercom was not necessary. More experienced staff knew what was going on and found their way to the kitchen to load their plates and celebrate around the table. As this continued throughout the month of December, I began to understand the deeper meaning of the “Trico ten” and how it had everything to do with the season; the opportunity to gain at least 10 pounds when celebrating a Trico Christmas. Really, what company can beat that?

It was a sunny day on May 3, 1993 – exactly 24 years ago. I was actively looking for an opportunity to continue with my career as a quantity surveyor after immigrating to Canada, I came from Banff to Calgary to visit an executive of a land developer whom I read about on the newspaper. With this gentleman’s willingness to help, some business connections between this developer and Trico, and a bit of luck, this cold call led me to a job interview on the same day. It was my first time stepping into the one-year-old Trico office – a very humble one located on Macleod Trail. I went through an unexpected two and a half hour interview conducted by Wayne, a young and fast-paced entrepreneur with an ambition to develop a home building business. With much delight, I was employed as the estimator and started building the second single family home for Trico. It has been 24 years and I have witnessed how Trico evolved from a small company to one of Calgary’s top builders and one of the best managed companies. This journey has been amazing to both Trico and me. It is solid proof of Wayne’s vision and leadership. I believe it also took Wayne a lot of sleepless nights to grow Trico to its current position and brand with extensive public recognition. These advancements are not to be taken for granted. With Trico’s 25th anniversary around the corner, let us all celebrate our endurance of the past and prepare for another 25 years!