MHBA 85th Anniversary

Manitoba Home Builders' Association Celebrates 85 Years 23 BY WENDY KING Hearth Homes has always been about "family building for families." Founded in 1985 by Rob and Nancy Wickstrom, Hearth Homes continues to thrive, building on a legacy of trust and quality with Matt Wickstrom as operations director, Adam Wickstrom as finance director and his fiancé Ryan James Miller as design co-ordinator. Hearth Homes has proudly completed more than 300 builds but limits their builds at 10 to 15 homes per year, allowing them to maintain personal attention to each client. "We're proud to say we don't disappear when the warranty ends," says Adam Wickstrom. "We've had clients from 20 years ago reach out to us as a resource for advice or to answer questions that will help them maintain the quality of their Hearth Home." Being a member of the MHBA is also a source of pride for Hearth Homes and a marker of trust for their clients. "Membership in the Home Builders' Association lets us stay on top of industry developments, and the association speaks on our behalf, providing us an essential service," says Wickstrom. Wickstrom says he grew up hearing about the homebuilding business, with dinnertime conversation often focused on day-to-day operations. "My brother started off doing site foreman work, then site supervisor and then doing quotes, and that gave him the foundation to be the operations director which he took over from my dad," says Wickstrom. "My mom handled finances and the office management, and post-university that's the position I took on." Hearth Homes continues to evolve, embracing new processes as the company moves forward. "We operate a bit differently now," says Ryan James Miller. "We've learned our foundational skills from the founding generation and then combined that with next generation technology and skill to reinvigorate the company." "We've developed more flexible processes that allow us to pivot as things move more quickly," says Wickstrom. "When my parents ran the business, there were fewer options available, fewer choices to make. That has completely changed." The company has also redeveloped its overall presence in the marketplace. "I'm very proud of our design team, architectural designer Brandi Soloway and design co-ordinator Ryan James Miller, for ongoing development of our brand and making our homes more identifiable as Hearth Homes," says Wickstrom. Company growth is carefully managed, however. "We've always focused on how we can improve our processes before looking to expand," says Wickstrom. "The last thing we want to do is to grow too quickly and not have the processes to support that expansion and have our clients suffer for it." The majority of the people working at Hearth Homes are under age 40, but many have already worked for the company for 12 to 15 years, providing a stable footing for the company. "It feels like the people who work for the company become family, and many of our clients have built with us multiple times," says Miller. "When you work with Hearth or you build with Hearth, you join the family." All in the family WITH HEARTH HOMES Submitted photos Top photo: 46 Curry Drive Bottom photo: Matt, Rob and Adam Wickstrom 46 Curry Drive Submitted photo MEMBER PROFILE

• Cover