Bricks and Mortar of Building a Community: Caliber Projects gives time, expertise to Foundry
Ask Jerry Pol of Caliber Projects why the company is committing their time and construction management resources to their work on building Foundry, and his answer will be quick and definitive.
“Langley is our home,” says Pol, the business development manager at Caliber, a construction management firm specializing in building multi-family homes and commercial projects Langley.
“Many of us live, breathe, work and do pretty much everything in Langley.”
But that may only be part of the equation. While they’re embedded in the community and its physical growth, the company has the connections and resources to help construct the perfect space to welcome youth, as part of living out their core value "Love It" and their purpose of Building People.
Apart from their everyday work as builders and organizers of hundreds of subtrades, Caliber’s nearly 50 employees fulfill the company’s mandate to give generously to the community, by donating labour and/or funds to projects that specifically improve lives in the cities they work in.
Naturally, the opportunity to build Foundry, a hub that welcomes young people who need to consult with health care professionals and counsellors on anything from health needs, mental wellness and substance use issues, proved to be a perfect fit for Caliber’s corporate ethic.
They’ve taken on the renovation for the 7,600 square foot space at 20618 Eastleigh Crescent, which includes the building of clinical space where young people can speak to physicians or counsellors; a nursing station, laundry facilities, staff workstations, a demonstration kitchen and plenty of comfortable common space.
Though they’re not the biggest general contractor in the region, Caliber is among the busiest, and proving that they’re among the most philanthropic. For this project alone, they are donating $175,000 back to Foundry.
“A lot of the community commitment comes from the belief that we're blessed financially and therefore we need to help those in our community. In that way, we multiply the effect of our donations by inspiring dozens of others in the industry to shoulder up and help as well,” he says.
To allow them to donate as much as possible, Caliber encourages the sub-trades they hire to consider discounting their fee or giving back to the Foundry project. That appeal goes out to demolition and disposal industries steel stud and drywall installers, electrical, mechanical (plumbing, heating ventilation and air conditioning) experts, sprinkler installation, flooring installers, painters and more.
So far, every partner in the subtrades and within local government has responded with enthusiasm over the Foundry project, Pol says.
Not only have the sub-trades and partners jumped in eagerly, but bureaucracy has been relatively swift. “The permitting timeline for this project is the quickest we at Caliber have ever seen!”
He says he’s not surprised by the response.
“Foundry will have a great impact on the community once it’s done, and that impact is what it’s all about for Caliber: reaching out to people who need help.”
