Weekend Booked

Trade show weekend...
Good "Classic" times.

Alberta Homeless Secretariat

"The focus of the secretariat, which reports to the Honourable Yvonne Fritz, Associate Minister of Affordable Housing and Urban Development, will be to develop and oversee the implementation of a 10-year strategic plan to address homelessness across Alberta. It will work closely with municipalities to co-ordinate and support the development of their community plans to ensure the homeless are receiving the services and support they need." - Alberta Government Press Release
"MURRAY PROKOSCH, Member - Mr. Prokosch is from Medicine Hat where he gained 20 years of experience in the construction industry, leading to the creation of Classic Construction Ltd., a company that provides housing for first-time buyers."

Local Developer Appointed to Secretariat - Medicine Hat News

Residential Development

For all the work i've been a part of working with municipalities throughout Alberta... i've never seen anything like what is being claimed out in Ontario: "...a home builder in Caledonia, said there is a climate of fear among developers in his area" - National Post

It's quite apparent, to me anyways, that if we were looking to build that far outside of the Alberta market, i'd chose Langford over the Caledonia area (due to it's apparent uncertainty at least).

No matter, Norwood Grande (right here in Medicine Hat) is still top of mind!

Rotary Classification & Housing

i woke up painfully early this morning. Tuesday morning breakfasts are Sunrise Rotary time. Unlike other Tuesday morning meetings, today i gave my classification speech. Unlike Toastmasters first speech, which is an Ice Breaker of 3 to 5 minutes, the Rotary Classification speech is 10-15 minutes of me, and my classification, or my career & history. I didn't dwell on me for too long, and instead, after a brief history of CCL got directly into housing. Housing & Africa, two things dear to my heart. It was a small turn out, likely due to the weather, but it went well enough.
Good times.

into my discussion of housing i worked a story of homes built for the Masaii people... and i took the opportunity to highlight a fantastic Rotary initiative; Shelterbox... Well worth the research, and well worth the support.

Fast 50 - Two Years In A Row

Local company Classic Construction is recognized as one of fastest growing companies in Alberta – again.

Click this link here, you'll see Classic listed 10th!

Classic is again the only company in South Eastern Alberta recognized as one of Alberta’s Fastest Growing Companies.

CCL locally owned & founded in 2002. Employer of me since 2006.

CCL is residential real estate developer specializing in affordable housing.
Past Classic Communities include: River Park Townhomes, Northland Villas, Northland Estates & Ranchland Estates.

Current Classic Communities include: Northlands Pointe (By Crescent Heights Co-op), Somerset Villas (behind Home Depot), Terrace Ridge Villas (Ranchlands), Norwood Grande (13th avenue property) & Sunrise Terrace Villas in High River.

Classic is currently working on a second site in High River. Classic is also in the process of developing land in Brooks Alberta & Canmore Alberta.

/another blogger released this info last year before i did after Classic Construction's first Fast 50 recognition (<- here) but this year, i'm going straight to you all myself. Good news will travel fast, the news will get out.

Alberta Funds Housing

This was a good week. in fact, this was a great week for Housing in Alberta.

"More than $60 million will be invested in affordable housing projects in 15 Alberta municipalities. " - Municipal Affairs & Housing - Alberta

Medicine Hat is home to one of those 15 projects awarded gravely needed funds to increase the available affordable housing stock in our City. The Medicine Hat Community Housing Society will be developing a brand new site in Southlands. Watch for Classic Communities to be a strong partner in this project moving forward.

Beyond that $60 million tho, and what happens next. Who steps up from the for-profit sector and provides attainable housing?

2 articles this week in the Rocky Mountain Outlook were focused on a new builder in the Canmore Alberta market: Classic Communities.

The Medicine Hat News recently parroted the closing comment for one article. Thank you for that, it IS worth repeating:

"Those communities are bound to greet CCL with the same hospitality Canmore exhibited. The RMO article ended with a clear message to the Medicine Hat builder.
“Welcome to Canmore, CCL.”

It has been a great week for Alberta, and this next years pace for CCL is going to be brisk. Good times.

2007 Market Award

The Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce held their Small Business Awards Gala tonight.
The Medicine Hat News were proud sponsors of the 2007 Marketing Award.
Cancarb was the other nominee. I suspect it was a tight race for the judges... in the end tho, Classic Communities was called on as the winner of this prestigious 2007 award.
I had the opportunity to accept the award, smile for the photo opp and say a few words tonight at the banquet. That was fun. It went well enough. i didn't slur my words... and all the butterflies flew in formation. That helps a lot: Thanks Toastmasters!

Blackberry Pie

I received an email today, from a distraught blackberry user. The email said, in a nut-shell:

“Get RID OF HEADER!!!!!!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device”.

/ten bonus points if you can guess who sent that note.

Heh. The graphic signature that Kris at Classic had designed for me makes a mess of blackberry users being able to read my emails.

The work that we do here is entirely to time sensitive to knowingly risk something important NOT being transmitted, or received as intended. I don’t ever want to do that to any of you.

I wonder if major events &/or natural disasters might be averted entirely merely by doing away with the graphic signature (as ego boosting as I might find it!).

It’s almost as if technology itself is stating “say no to graphic signature files on your emails, and say yes to a better, more productive, more peaceful life… You can do it!”

So, as of today, and until I need an ego boost of my own, I have answered the sirens song: The graphic signature has been retired… make mine text based. Mmmmmmm blackberry pie.

Ciao,

Jace Anderson

Housing Vital Signs 2007

We shared our Rotary meeting this morning with special guests. We did see most of the aldermanic candidates, as well as Mayoral candidate Bill Cocks. That was nice, but not the special guests i was referring... no, the special guests were from throughout the community, all in attendance to hear first hand how the Medicine Hat & Southeastern Alberta Community Foundation would release their Medicine Hat Vital Signs 2007 Report. (The breakfast was good, as always)

The sub heading Housing within the report had, among other things, this to say;

"Alberta has seen a 19% increase in multiple family residential building starts between 2005 and 2006. In Medicine Hat the number of similar housing starts in 2006 was 545, an increase of 43% from 2005. "

It is good to know that CCL has played a significant part in providing the multi-family answer to the housing continuum right here in Medicine Hat.

P4AH

Blogging has been non existent again this week. i was out of town, attending the Partnerships for Affordable Housing forum in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

House Ownership All Time High

Nationally & Provincially we are on the right path. The right track, as it were. This is relatively good news;

"Figures from the 2006 census, released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, show that more than two-thirds - 68.4 per cent - of all Canadian households owned the place they lived in, the highest since this information was first collected in 1961." - Canada's home-ownership highest level on record: Report on Business - Globe & Mail.

This is a big reason why we do what we do; why i do what i do. - Classic Communities - Attainable Ownership.

Alberta Housing Advantage ;)

" About 10 condominium projects are going up... and builders are asking up to $1 million for units with granite countertops," - Breitbart.com

Heh.

With Classic Communities we also include granite countertops in all of our condo's. In Medicine Hat those (1000+ square feet)condo's are selling for $200,000 and less.

I guess the market in Tuscaloosa is just that rich.

VP era BONK

I got these pics emailed to me this morning while i was at work. Seems that my boy is all grown up. (and by checking the file names of the pics, you can see he is mocking my job title too - That's MY boy!)






I ought to buy that little boy a tie... and send him to my next work presentation. He might do better than i do in swaying the folks, and he doesn't have near the command of the English language i have. (but he does have a crazy cute look about him, no?) Would you let that boy build town homes in your neighborhood? Of course you would.

Click the video below to see era play a game of BONK with the camera.

Norwood Grande

We've cleared the asphalt and fenced the yard.
Any minute now we will begin digging a hole.

Construction on Norwood Grande will start very, very soon.

Norwood Grande is our 4 story condo development on 13th avenue, overlooking the golf course, and across the road from Chinook Village.

The below picture was circulated by email. It is a tremendous example of concrete pouring.



wow.

Era, Digger & the Anniversary

era & Prince are watching Digger Dan get the back yard in shape.


This smug little boy figures he is getting a back yard. Heh.

/Today was an anniversary of sorts. A year ago today i started with Classic. Since i started there, my role has been refined...

Monte Praises CCL

I mentioned in a prior post that while speaking at the 39th Annual Congress of the CHRA the Honourable Monte Solberg heaped praise on Murray Prokosch & Classic Construction.

"And, of course, through flexible financing, CMHC is also helping private sector builders make a difference in their communities. In my own community of Medicine Hat, for example Murray Prokosh, of Classic Construction Limited, has developed hundreds of privately owned affordable housing units in partnership with the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society and CMHC, and I want to acknowledge Murray." - Link to the entire speech, hosted on Monte Solbergs site.

Ribbon Cutting

Friday was a good day.
Let me correct that statement:

Friday was a great day;

I was lucky enough to serve as MC at a pretty important event: The dual ribbon cutting ceremonies for both the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society's latest affordable rental development the Centennial Housing Project, as well as the ribbon cutting for Classic Communities Northlands Pointe development.

In the middle of a hot Friday afternoon, under a large white tent i had the privilege to introduce the President of the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, Peter Wilde, the MLA for Cypress - Medicine Hat, Len Mitzel. Our City Mayor Garth Vallely & Classic Communities President Murray Prokosch. We had arranged for Monte Solberg to be in attendance, as the Federal Government had recognition to give Murray & Classic. I was looking forward to introducing Monte, and i was especially looking forward to hearing him speak... as he is always well spoken. As it was, i introduced one of his staff in his place, Mr. Solbergs schedule changed and he was unable to attend. Disappointing to say the least.

You probably had to be there, but i had a great gag regarding "running with scissors" that i'd been pretty excited to share. Good times!

39th Annual Congress

I spent last week in Calgary repping CCL at the Canadian Housing & Renewal Associations' 39th Annual Congress.
Congress was located on Stephens Ave at this little spot.
Of course, no trip downtown Calgary is complete without a trip or three to the Falafel King. It's that good.

The congress was good. Monte Solberg spoke with glowing support for Classic and what we are doing for attainable housing in Medicine Hat.

/Toastmasters came in real handy this weekend, i was honored to introduce the final plenary speakers. That was by far the largest (and likely well dressed) room i've addressed so far. Good times.

Trade Show TV Interview Snippet

March 2nd 2007 Classic Communities @ The Medicine Hat Home Garden & Leisure Tradeshow
Video sent by jaceanderson

i blogged the tradeshow briefly, but this video gives you a look at our booth (or six of them to be exact). We sold a lot of homes that weekend. People go to trade shows and buy houses... Only in Medicine Hat.
Ahh, suprise media visits... good times.

/Kudos to Daily Motion, the french based online video site i chose to host this video (because they allow videos up to 150 mbs, and this video is close to that threshhold) Zippy just couldn't do it, not this time.

Trade Show Weekend

Trade Show weekend. We have six booths this year (four last year, our previous high) and we are a little understaffed (holidays etc).

This translates to lots of hours, and likely less blogging than usual. i'll miss it, for sure.

Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force

This morning was a lot of fun. Butterflies in my stomach and all. i presented, on behalf of Classic Construction (at the Task Forces invitation) to the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force. It was a spirited conversation, but enough about my time. I had the opportunity to listen to Darren Rud of the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society. Wow... my hat is off to that man, and his suggestions were spot on! i sure hope the Task Force considers, weighs & values his input.

The Task Forces goal was, in the words of newly minted Minister Danyluk:
"The task force is responsible for identifying short- and long-term housing solutions that will have a positive impact on Alberta’s competitiveness and enhance Albertans' quality of life."

Heh, i even got name mention in their list of presenters, just click on the Feb 26th Medicine Hat download to see... if you care. Mom?

/ i was dissapointed to see that there was no representation on the task force from Southern Alberta, i suppose that would be due to travel in the short timelines Premier Stelmach has given them? It certainly isn't because they couldn't find apply suitable board members within Medicine Hat. Murray Prokosch included.

Construction & Politics

What a day. R.S. makes my day with the following humor via email. He manages to touch on Construction, & politics. That scores high in my books. enjoy.

If you're still reading, here's a little humour to brighten your day.

MODERN MEDICINE

Five surgeons are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.

The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is color-coded."

The third surgeon says, "no, I really think librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon chimes in, "you know, I like construction workers...those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed, "you're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, and no spine, and the head and rear are interchangeable."

Alberta Triples Nation

Here in Alberta, we are doing our part.
As reported in the Calgary Sun today:
"Alberta growth triples nation... Without Alberta's booming home industry, housing starts nationwide would have fallen by 3.3% last year. Alberta accounted for two-thirds of the jump in national average resale prices."

Glass House

Denver's Glass House project is worth review (i encourage it)... and replication as it might apply to whatever you may be involved in.
Link courtesy of marketing guru Seth Godin. (isn't guru as a word bandied around a little much these days? it's almost as meaningless as genius, wouldn't you agree?)

Post Bloggus Interuptus

It's been a while since i posted last, you may have noticed, loyal reader. Heh... or not. Either way, a part (but not all) the reason for the online absense has to do with this light reading i've been doing. Light reading, for sure. - Condominium Act of Alberta. Much more interesting than it sounds, tho that might be a direct result of my work with local company CCL.

The recent lack of blogging hasn't been due to Warren Kinsella's opinion quoted here
"January 14, 2006 - On this blog, I don't ever name our children, or post photos of them, or do anything like that. I don't want to make things easier for some of the hands-on haters out there (cast a glance over last week's postings, and you'll see what I mean). There are a lot of crazy people in this sad old world, and I want to keep them away from my family as much as possible. I'm certain you feel the same way."
(tho i must admit i did ponder it for a while, Danger Mouse has such a sweet gig, no one knows his real name)
;)

Fast 50

Seeing as the cat is out of the bag, thanks to a friend of mine, the mouse: it's time to link to good good (read: GREAT) news.

Classic Construction Ltd is recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Alberta by Alberta Venture Magazine in their 2007 Fast 50. In fact, CCL is the only representative on the list from the Medicine Hat area.

A Good Year

2006, a round-up of sorts. As much a selfish exercise, i read thru all the posts i'd made in 2006 (Good times) as it is a public exercise: to hilight what junctures (and relating blog posts) this year were important, or pivotal in my mind.
You'll likely notice a real trend which takes shape on July 27th. Care to guess?
The below list starts in January of 2006, and follows chronological order, thru to November 2006 with the last link in the round-up.

January: CoD2 is installed on my computer video games take root, again.

February: 2006 was a good year for the League of Southern Alberta for World Dominance. Don't just take my word for it, click the link ;)

Mission work in Africa with AIA. That caused quite the blogging silence, conectivity was weak in the Horn this year.

March: Coffee leads to greatness... Med Hat Blog is started, and in under a year, has really made a strong valuable presence as a voice in the community. Good show guys! Keep driving debate & commentary.

April: April fools gag we pitched to the MH News garnered a huge response, greatly increasing the chatter about the company i was employed with at the time: Pitch Outdoor Advertising.

July: Change in Working arrangementsi left Pitch for CCL.

Change in living arrangements Elijah Reuben is born July 27, 2006. 1570 grams. (thats kinda tiny)

September: Elijah Reuben is home.

November: Elijah Reuben is dedicated at church!

In review, maybe i should suggest a theme for 2006 and the posts i chose to blog about. Considering the number of pictures i loaded post July 27... this blog has, since 2006 entered a new era. (pun intended)

/and now i'll leave all the counting (and streamers and champagne) to these folks. i'm going to sleep. God bless.

Excel Advanced... Mm Mm Good

i learned things tonight. Good things. It's nice when that happens. Memory LaneComputer Trainning. Thanks Dave.

CRA SR&ED & The Falafel King

Good times. i would have liked to blog this from downtown Calgary this morning, would have liked to, but didn't. i spent this morning in a seminar at the CRA learning about SR&ED and form T661 (or was it T116) either way, i'm not going to tell you. If you care, go ahead and google it. Not a big deal either way.
The big deal tho, was my mandatory visit, every time i get downtown Calgary, i want to walk Stephens Ave to see my good friend the Falafel King. I don't know the King personally. His swarma is as good as it gets in Canada (Lusaka's is much better, but i digress). i walked into the cramped little kingdom over lunch, the place was bustling, Falafel king is NO secret. The King himself( Falafel, not this one) walked up, and smiled, "it's good to see you again my friend". It's been a year, at least. i'm not nearly spectacular enough to recall. He's just that nice. And his business shows.