LEADING BY EXAMPLE Explorers Circle Members of Explorers Circle help National Geographic Society inspire people to care about the planet, and help Arts Commons bring the National Geographic Live speakers’ messages of exploration, discovery, and conservation to Calgary audiences. ENGAGEMENT SPONSORS Bob & Sue Benzen, I Bought A Rainforest with photojournalist Charlie Hamilton James Ken & Chris (in memoriam) Havard, The Mystery of Our Human Story with paleoanthropologist Lee Berger
MEMBERS Sandra & Simon Barker Michel Bourque & Bryan Clarke James & Bev Butler David & Roxanne Dunlop Jane Durango & Dr. Beverly Frizzell Greg Epton & Greg Robertson Lloyd & Riona Freeman Jane Golubev & Igor Tesker Brian & Annette Hester Janine LaBossiere Jordan & Nyssa Moore Joyce Warren & Vanessa Arrate
WRITTEN BY SASKIA KNIGHT
F
irst impressions are everything, and upon arriving to the ALSA Road Construction office in Calgary’s southeast industrial park, you are greeted warmly by friendly staff and the sound of children’s laughter coming from the company’s in-house daycare. Past the entrance is a bright, open-concept design with floor-toceiling glass windows and doors which makes ALSA’s head office feel less like a construction company and more like a boutique architectural firm. One can easily connect the welcoming architecture and warm physical space to the company’s underlying familyoriented philosophy, driven by ALSA’s co-founder and co-owner, Sam Kamis. It is a philosophy rooted in community involvement and giving back through the arts.
made ends meet by running a small community supermarket. One day, a hungry teenage boy came in looking for food but had no money. Though Sam’s family was struggling themselves and did not have much, his mother gave the young man enough food to fill his backpack. This experience of seeing his mother – someone with so little – selflessly give what they had to someone else, left a deep impression on him.
Started by Sam and his brother in 1980, ALSA has become the largest independent road construction contractor in Calgary with a staff of 130. When asked how a construction company relates to the arts, Sam matter-of-factly explains that business is a creative process, and so ALSA’s sponsorship of arts organizations like Arts Commons simply makes sense.
Please note that only gifts of $1,000 or more are listed above. For a complete list of individual donors through Founders Circle and Explorers Circle, please visit our website at artscommons.ca. To inquire about becoming a member of Founders Circle or Explorers Circle, please contact Ms. Saskia Knight at 403-294-7455, extension 1465, or sknight@artscommons.ca.
Arts Commons CEO Johann Zietsman (left) with Carol and Sam Kamis.
Sam’s personal interest in the arts goes hand-in-hand with his belief in giving back, which resonates through the company’s philosophy and business practices. He believes that giving back is central to Calgary and Calgarians – “it is part of who we are.”
“You can always find a way to give back – even in tough economic times,” says Sam, who not only sponsors two music programs for Arts Commons Presents, but also the High performance Rodeo. ”The arts bring beauty into our lives and creates our societies. What else is there beyond that?” First impressions really are everything.
The son of immigrant parents, Sam recalls a childhood memory from when he was six years old, when his family
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