Cradled under the Qualico umbrella, the Sterling Group has been at the home building game for more than half-a-century, since its creation by Russian emigrants David and Katherine Friesen, who first took a swing at construction in Winnipeg’s River Heights in the 1950s.

“We are certainly proud of the over 50 years the company’s been in business, and the family ownership,” says Bill Bobyk, general manager of the Sterling Group of Companies. “We have always tried to do the right things. If you do the right thing, good things will happen.”

Customer satisfaction is an area where karma has smiled on the Sterling Group’s two current builder arms, Pacesetter Homes and Sterling Homes. While rising up in the ranks over the years, the duo notched its best showing yet last year – a second-place standing in the CRHBA’s Sales and Marketing (SAM) Awards for Customer Choice in the large-volume builder category.

“That’s something we are truly proud of and it tells us we’re doing something right. We have consciously triedto improve our customer experience every year,” says Bobyk of the much-coveted prize which is based entirely on independent surveys of home-buying customers. “It’s nice to know that what we are implementing is working.”

Bobyk chalks 2006 up to an especially challenging year for all in the Calgary building community. But, he says, the well-publicized labour shortage, lack of listings in the resale market and the unpredictable price surges made the builder—and its competitors—more aware of what was achievable as a company and service provider.

“We really haven’t changed a whole lot. We did have to realize our capabilities and I think we did a good job at it,” says Bobyk.

One strength Sterling has shown in a challenging market is  its ability to deliver innovation. Partnered with developer United Communities, the Town of Okotoks, ATCO Gas, and with the benefit of some government assistance, Drake Landing Solar Community, now home to about half its 52 households, marked the first community to use “solar seasonal storage” ever in North America.

“One of the things we are really proud of is our solar project in Okotoks. It received a lot of local and national press and won quite a few awards,” says Bobyk, adding the builder is eyeing other opportunities for similar projects in Calgary but on a larger scale.

A host of new communities are on the horizon between Pacesetter, which crafts in the neighbourhood of 200 duplex to starter and move-up abodes annually, and Sterling Homes, which delivers as many second, third and fourth move-up addresses. Airdrie, Cochrane and Langdon will all be home to Sterling addresses in the coming year in addition to a large segment of the Calgary market, says Bobyk, while a few opportunities to own Sterling closer to the Calgary city limits are also in the works.

One thing buyers won’t see is the building partners adding million-dollar custom digs to its roster in 2007, assures Bobyk. “We don’t go too much above $700,000. We realize we can’t be all things to all people… there are lots of builders around that build higher-end homes well and we would never want to extend ourselves beyond our capabilities.”

Dubbing the past year “a great learning experience,” the Sterling GM says the company is prepared for whatever 2007 has in store. Fuelled by the success of Drake Landing, he predicts a growing move toward more environmentally-friendly specifications will be part of the plan in all future Sterling and Pacesetter addresses. That translates to offering high-efficiency furnaces, monitoring air changes in homes, among other “green” features.
“Every day we look at how we can do better,” says Bobyk.

The Sterling Group, between Pacesetter and Sterling Homes, currently builds in more than a dozen areas in and around Calgary.  NH

For more information about the Sterling Group, their homes or where they build, visit http://www.sterlinghomesgroup.com