For 75 years, Qualico has built more than homes. It’s helped build better cities, strong communities and lasting relationships in the province it proudly calls home.
As the Winnipeg-based company celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, the team at Qualico has been focused on giving back. “Seventy-five years is a remarkable milestone for any company — and, for Qualico, it’s an opportunity to reflect on where we began, what we’ve built together and where we’re headed next,” says Kevin Van, president and CEO of Qualico.
“We’re proud of our history, proud of the trust families and partners have placed in us, and proud of the people across the company whose dedication have shaped Qualico over generations.”
Founded in Winnipeg in 1951 by Dr. David Friesen and Katherine Friesen as Quality Construction Company Ltd., Qualico began with the construction of 13 homes.
Over the last 75 years, the company has grown into one of the largest integrated real estate companies, with operations across Western Canada and the United States.
Today, Qualico’s business activities span land acquisition and development, single-family and multi-family homes, commercial development and leasing, property management, and building materials and services.
“It’s a huge milestone to reach for a Winnipeg-based company that’s in its third generation of family ownership,” says Bryan Ward, Qualico’s regional vice-president for Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“It’s exciting to be part of a company that’s been able to grow and exist in this sector for so long and contribute to our city and other cities in Canada and parts of the U.S. for so many years. It’s a good place to be and it’s fun to be part of.”
One of the reasons Qualico has seen such long-standing success is its innovation, Ward says, which he anticipates will continue for years to come.
“Because we’ve been able to continue growing and exist as a company for so long, we get to see some really long-term vision coming to fruition. Land development, community development and building new neighbourhoods is a really long process. For example, we’re sitting in Sage Creek where our head office for Qualico is, and this is a community that was started 25 years ago and is just now into the final phase. So it’s incredible to see how the community is growing and see how the vision that was set so long ago gets built over time,” Ward says.
“To keep growing, to continue that innovation and to keep building the next neighbourhoods for the next generation of people, it’s a lot of fun and it’s very exciting to think about that future.”
At its core, Qualico has and continues to be dedicated to building and maintaining strong relationships with the people living and working in its communities.
Qualico’s recent progress reflects that focus. The company continues to advance initiatives related to sustainability, mixed-use development, housing diversity and long-term planning across the board. It has also achieved the milestone of having a certified net-zero homebuilder in every Canadian province where it operates.
“As cities grow and change, so do the needs of the people who live in them. Affordability, sustainability and community design are all shaping the future of our industry,” Van says.
“We see that as both a responsibility and an opportunity — to keep improving, to keep innovating and to keep delivering value in the places where we operate.”
As part of Qualico’s anniversary celebrations, the company has set some significant goals for two employee-driven programs in an effort to give back.
Through the Qualico Volunteer Day program, every employee is allotted a workday where they can dedicate their time and focus on volunteering towards a cause that is meaningful to them. Qualico has set a goal to hit 7,500 volunteer hours across the company.
They’ve also set a goal to give back $75,000 in employee-driven donations through their Acts of Kindness campaign, which focuses on employee- directed corporate giving.
Employees are encouraged to nominate a registered not-for-profit or charity that is important to them to receive a donation from Qualico. Since 2016, more than $500,000 has been donated to causes that its employees are passionate about.
“I think it really goes back to the founders of the company and the family ownership and the values that they instil in the company. It’s an important part of our culture,” Ward says. “Being involved in the community and supporting worthy causes and supporting folks with time off to volunteer is fundamental to the company.”
As the current board chair of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, Ward says he’s had an incredible amount of support from the company to be able to fulfil that role.
Qualico and Habitat for Humanity have a long-standing relationship, with the Qualico Manitoba and Saskatchewan region hosting two Habitat team build days a year.
The collaboration is a no-brainer, with the two organizations sharing similar values of building sustainably and contributing to end the cycle of poverty.
“Addressing housing and housing affordability is such a good fit with our business and with some of the expertise we have on our team, so it’s important for us to continue to participate in such a worthwhile cause, “ Ward says. “Habitat is a really important partner of ours in Manitoba and in other regions as well.”
Qualico also supports Habitat for Humanity’s Ride Around the Lake each year, sending a team to participate. This year, Team Qualico will be taking part in the 20th Annual Fundraising Ride, with a goal of raising $600,000 to support the construction of Habitat homes in Winnipeg.
In addition, Qualico believes strongly in supporting access to skilled trades education, especially as Canada faces a critical labour shortage.
Last May, Qualico gave RRC Polytech a $1.25-million gift to support education and career development in the skilled trades, with a focus on attracting Indigenous learners and under-represented groups to the industry.
The gift will enhance programs, increase access and opportunities, and promote diversity and inclusion in skilled trades.
“Supporting individuals to get into the trades for employment — whether that’s women in trades or other groups that maybe traditionally haven’t had as much obvious access or training to trades — has become a really important endeavour for us,” Ward says.
“Some of that relates back to our business, but it’s also about community health — the trades provide great jobs for people and good incomes. We need them in our business and we need people with skills to come and help build homes. That’s become very important.”
As Qualico looks to the future, Ward says their focus is simple — build better cities.
“That’s now our current tagline, but it’s true in what we are trying to do and contribute to all of the communities that we’re in,” Ward says.
“We’re focused on continuing to build on the foundation and the history of how the company started and the values that were — and still are — important.”
