Albi Homes - 30th Anniversary

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF BUILDING DREAMS AND COMMUNITY

By Mary Savage

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(Left to right) Allan Klassen, President & Managing Partner – Debra Mauro, Co-Chairman – Tom Mauro, Founder and Chairman

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hen Tom and Debra Mauro sat down to talk candidly about their business, words like quality, innovation and the pursuit of excellence filled the room. But they also spoke of passion, humanity and a caring culture. Allan Klassen joined the conversation and together the trio spoke openly about building the business of Albi Homes Ltd. When Tom started the business 30 years ago, it was more about survival than the pursuit of excellence. “At 23, I had my first company and from a young age, I always wanted to earn money. But as you start to make money, your motivation changes,” says Tom Mauro, founder and chairman, Albi Homes.

Originally, the Mauro family emigrated from Italy when Tom was two and they arrived in Canada with nothing – except for their family name and a deep-rooted belief in their morals and values. “Tom’s parents instilled those deep values – like honesty, integrity and excellence,” adds Debra Mauro, co-chairman.

Albi Homes has built a business that represents those values and as the company has evolved, their vision has never

strayed. “When Tom started the company, he wanted his name to be synonymous with great quality and for keeping his word, and that set the foundation for a tremendous amount of pride,” asserts Allan Klassen, president and managing partner.

Today Albi Homes are found in 12 communities, they have 72 full-time employees, 150 contracted trade and supplier partners, and nearly a decade of awards. Indeed, Albi Homes are synonymous with excellence, innovation and passion.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU DO BEST Unsurpassed craftsmanship, old-world charm and timeless elegance: that’s what you’ll find when you step inside an Albi Home. They have crafted an undeniable signature in the luxury homes market and they have created a lineage of fine and affordable homes – decade after decade.

“We have tried to focus on what we do best and that’s building luxury homes. Everyone has their niche and for

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Over the course of 30 years Albi Homes has ventured into different markets, but they have always returned to their original vision: building luxury homes and it is what they do best. those businesses that stay the course, they will do well. When you look at the million-dollar-home market, very few companies can compete with our volume and the level of customer satisfaction we deliver,” says Tom. Over the course of 30 years Albi Homes has ventured into different markets, but they have always returned to their original vision: building luxury homes and it is what they do best.

“Our vision is not to be a big corporation; we have stayed small for a reason and we are focused on a particular marketplace and customer,” says Allan. “Our growth will be determined by how we can generate activity with a satisfied customer and it’s the end result that really counts for us. We want to be the most desired brand in luxury homes – in the nation. We want to be a brand that people admire, they want to work with, work for and buy from – that’s our goal – one home at a time.”

THE PURPLE COW When Albi Homes talks about what differentiates them from other homebuilders, Allan fondly calls it, ‘the purple cow’ and it’s one of his favourite topics. “We make decisions based on delivering a great product – consistently. We demonstrated that during 2005-06 when the market was going crazy and we were the first builder to put a moratorium on our sales in order to control our growth during a very hectic time,” he recalls. “We did it again during 2008 when we started to see a rebound because we wanted to ensure we could deliver customer satisfaction and a great product. We cap our sales thereby generating a quality control system.”

Building a new home is a lengthy journey and the road to the front door is full of decisions: enter Albi Homes. “The experience of building your home reaches far beyond the tangible things. We try to understand our customer’s pain points – beyond the sticks and bricks. We assist them with things they might not have thought about, like making the transition from the building process to the living process,” he says.

“We build quality homes, we deliver an unbelievable product and experience, and for 30 years, that’s how we’ve built the company – and that’s why people choose Albi. Simply put, our focus is customer care first,” adds Allan. “We strive for excellence in communication between our customers and our trade partners and we measure our customer’s satisfaction three times throughout the course of building their home. Debra calls every customer after the process is complete and I guarantee you that this isn’t happening anywhere else in the city.”

As Allan has observed, Calgary offers some of the best homes in the world.

“Overall, the quality of the homes in this city and province are as good as you will find anywhere in the world. Many of the people who have built the homes in Calgary – for decades – have been working alongside each other for a long time and we have some of the best builders in the world here.”

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Excellence in craftsmanship, the Wellington 5 show home in Aspen Summit Park.

HIRE CHARACTER, TRAIN CASH REGISTER Integrity, courage, accountability and strength are some of the traits you will find when you talk to the Albi employees and every staff member exudes them. The ownership and employees are completely aligned and they have created a powerful ‘culture of care.’

“We hire people that sincerely care and share the common belief that together, we can achieve anything,” adds Allan.

“Character comes first at Albi Homes. They’ve got to take pride in what they do, believe in quality and understand what teamwork really looks like,” asserts Allan. “Our culture is going to a customer’s house at 10:00 p.m. on a Friday night to fix a leak – it’s simply what we do.”

You will also find passion, commitment and leadership woven throughout the company and it’s one more reason why Albi Homes has built a reputation of excellence. “We have very high expectations and when they are not met, the employees step in to correct it – and that’s when you know you’re winning,” says Allan. “When people don’t align from

a cultural perspective, they don’t last here very long – even if they are high performers. All of our people have the same expectations as the foundation of the company.”

COMMUNITY BEGINS AT HOME When Tom’s parents landed on Canadian soil, they didn’t have extended family or a sense of community, but that didn’t stop them. They helped to build a community and opened their home to help families get a leg up.

Likewise, when Debra was young and complained about going without, her mother was quick to offer a trip to the Salvation Army – to show her what it truly meant to go without. “Giving back to the community is a part of who we are: it’s how we were raised. It’s not something we plan, it’s simply what we do,” says Debra.

Albi Homes has given generously to countless organizations and they have helped both the young and old – from all walks of life. But when they talk about helping those off the beaten path, they come to life.

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Congratulating Albi Homes on 30 years of outstanding craftsmanship!

Congratulations Albi Homes on your 30 year Anniversary!

Calgary Showroom 3504 80 Avenue SE Ph: (403) 279-5898

Edmonton Showroom 17320 108 Avenue Ph: (780)489-5591

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120-4600 104 Avenue S.E. Tel: 403.735.6120 • Fax: 403.735.5067 www.trecc.ab.ca

Yet Another Milestone for Albi!

We wish to extend our warmest congratulations to Albi Homes on 30 years of innovation and leadership in the homebuilding industry!

We at Keystone Excavating are proud to be one of Albi’s long-term trade partners, and look forward to working with you in your continued success.

Best wishes from all of us at Keystone!

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Beautiful exterior on the Monticino 3 show home in Timberline Estates.

In 2008, Debra called the Calgary Catholic School District and inquired about the schools most in need. She was directed to a school in Forest Lawn and after talking to the principal, she found a dismal parent-teacher turnout, kids who had never ridden a bicycle and the school grounds had fallen into a state of disarray.

Within a few months and with a bit of ingenuity, Albi Homes had collected a mountain of gently-used household items that would be sold at the first-annual school garage sale. The Albi Cruiser rolled into the parking lot and fed the families, and the Albi employees donated their time to clean up the grounds. But the most rewarding aspect of their efforts shone through while teaching the kids how to ride a bike: Debra had arranged for a special field trip.

Save for the Albi Cruiser, there was no logo banner splashed across the grounds and no corporate recognition – it was purely a selfless act of giving back to the community.

Albi Homes has hundreds of stories just like this one – helping the community and expecting nothing in return.

The Walk-In Closet is another organization that Albi

Homes has rallied behind. The Walk-In Closet helps women who are starting over – either they are new to Canada or starting a new life, but they have virtually nothing. The volunteer-run organization welcomes gently-used clothes for women, and thanks to supporters like Debra, the WalkIn Closet is helping less-fortunate women feel a little more confident – and that’s invaluable.

“Being in service is truly about ‘being in service’ and we work with some pretty incredible organizations,” adds Debra. “There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone who needs it. We do it because we can, we want to and we should – it’s about being in service.”

FROM GRASSROOTS TO DREAMS When Tom, Debra and Allan talk about the future, their vision is filled with energy and once again, the room is filled with a relentless pursuit for excellence.

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Congrats Albi Homes!

We wish you many years of continued success!

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Congrats Albi Homes on 30 years of success!

Congrats Albi Homes!

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Congratulations Albi Homes on 30 years of success!

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www.bowvalleykitchens.com Albi Homes | 30 years | Page 7

Congratulations Albi Homes on your 30th anniversary!

We look forward to working with you for many more years to come!

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Congratulations Albi Homes on your 30th anniversary!

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Building Community The entire staff at Albi believes it’s their responsibility to do more than just build beautiful homes in Calgary.

Giving back to this city they love, and to the fine communities within it, is a vital part of the way they do business.

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Spacious and luxurious kitchen in the Monticino 3 show home in Timberline Estates.

“I have a vision of people and clients lined up at our door to buy a house. We no longer need a marketing budget as we are 100 per cent referral based,” remarks Allan. “I envision us on the cover of Builder Magazine as a company that’s doing everything right. We are one of the top 50 best-managed companies in the country and I envision us in our own community where we have a level of exclusivity – and today we are on track to turn these visions into reality.”

Building a home is far more complicated than most people realize and in order to deliver both an exceptional product and experience, it requires Albi’s unabated commitment to excellence. “Building a home is a system and it includes a myriad of bits and pieces. Our vision is to have a system that’s so seamless that we focus all of our energy on customer care – and we’re getting very close,” adds Allan.

As Debra so succinctly notes, their vision reaches well beyond building quality. “Our vision encompasses our entire team and collectively we are about something much bigger than ourselves.”

“In order to build a customer for life, you have to treat

them well and be very fair. Our customers expect something special and now we are building for the second generation.

Our focus is community and we build in first-class neighbourhoods,” says Tom. “We are living the dream, but we have to ensure we always compete at the highest level. We can’t become complacent nor satisfied – we have to continually strive for better and we haven’t seen our best day yet!” adds Tom.

4770 110 Avenue S.E. Calgary, AB T2C 2T8 (403) 236-4032 • www.albihomes.com

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Congratulations to Albi Homes 30 Years of Craftsmanship

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Congratulations Albi Homes on your 30th anniversary!

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Lethbridge Division: 403-328-5499

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We congratulate Albi Homes on 30 years of success! #230, 1010 - 8th Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 1J2 Ph: (403) 263-8111 • Fax: (403) 263-8121

We wish Albi Homes many years of continued success!

It’s a pleasure working with the Albi Homes team!

8010 - 40 Street SE Ph: (403)259-4223 • Fax: (403) 259-4350 Albi Homes | 30 years | Page 13

Our sincerest Congratulations to Albi Homes on 30 years of exceptional business.

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