LIKE OTHER SUCCESS STORIES, Trico Homes came from humble beginnings. In the early years since its founding in 1989 by Wayne Chiu, Trico Homes was involved in numerous multi-family projects and light commercial development. That all changed when, in 1993, the company became fully committed to single- and multi-family home building opportunities.

Today, the Trico symbol is synonymous with owning a home built for its investment poten­tial and quality, which is why Trico homes can be found in many communities in and around Calgary. “We have a fairly broad range of homebuilding but we are also one of the largest townhome builders in the city,” says Richard Gotfried, Trico Homes’ vice-president of corporate communications.

Trico builds anywhere from the first move-in market right to the mid-estate market in the million-dollar range. “But our strength has always been in the first and second move-up market which is in the $400,000 to $650,000 range,” says Gotfried.

The majority of these homes are being built in more than 14 satellite communities and in the greater Calgary area. These include single- and multi-family homes in Okotoks and Airdrie and a single-family project in Langdon. There are also two single- and multi-family projects in Cochrane and Strathmore. “Within the city we have develop­ments in Saddlecrest and Saddlebrook,” says Gotfried. Trico also has current mid-estate projects in Beacon Hill and multi-family projects in Sage Hill and in Evergreen Ridge.
Also in the works are single-family projects in Mahogany, which is south of Copperfield, and in Silverado in the southwest.

With the demand for realty investment rising in Calgary, Trico Homes established two separate divisions two years ago: Trico Select single-family division and the Trico Connect, the multi-family arm. “Most recently we established a resort and recreational division called Trico Freedom,” says Gotfried. Trico Freedom’s projects include single- and multi-family homes in Fernie and Vernon, B.C.

As proud as they are of their home building accom­plish­ments, Trico Homes also makes a singular effort to contribute to building environmentally sound homes. “All of our single-family homes will be built according to the highest level of the Built Green standard as of May of 2007,” Gotfried says. To that end, Trico Homes has made a corporate decision to build energy-efficient homes and protect the environment at the same time.

Trico Homes has built more than 4,000 homes in the course of the company’s history, so it’s no wonder they have won numerous SAM Awards, as well as being recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies and Best Workplaces.

But the accolades pale in com­pari­son to their charity work. “One of our real strengths is that we believe in enhancing our customer’s lives by building great homes, but we also believe in giving back to the community,” says Gotfried, add­ing that they are most proud of the fact that Volunteer Calgary has recognized their active volun­teer­ism with a leadership award. Trico has formed strong partner­ships with foundations as Kids Cancer Care Foundation, support­ing the ESL and scholarship programs of the Bow Valley College, and most recently a ten-year com­mit­ment to the Family Leisure Centre to establish the “Trico Centre for Family Wellness.” Trico Homes also celebrates Calgary diversity by supporting many ethnic and cultural events including Asian Heritage Month, the GlobalFest and the China­town Street Festival.

The progressive outlook of Trico Homes—whether in the home building business, in rela­tionships with talented staff or other charitable endeavours—stems from their simple philo­sophy of trust, respect, integrity, community and opportunity (hence the name TRICO). Gotfried sums it up: “We’re very community-spirited, but we also believe in treating our cus­tomers with respect. As a business entity and as indivi­duals, we have to conduct ourselves with greater integrity with a vision towards better oppor­tunities for ourselves, our customers and our staff.” NL