KIMBERLEY HOMES FOCUSES ON QUALITY AND DETAIL
Founded in 1989, company renews focus on custom infill — where it first made its mark
A custom infill home in Edmonton’s Ritchie neighbourhood started it all.
Founded in 1989 by the husband-wife team of Dave and Donna Jewett, Kimberley Homes built six homes back in its first year as the then-fledgling company began to find its footing.
“It was tough,” said Dave, in reference to the company’s beginnings in the local housing scene 30 years ago. “The market was tough. But with tough markets come opportunities, hence the opportunity to service customers in a different way. Prospective buyers were taken by quality, innovation, attention to detail and the willingness to customize in a client-centric way that was not a norm for those times.”
Today, the custom home builder has averaged around 72 homes a year over the last five years, and it still counts infill as one of its offerings.
“Infill is where we first made our mark and 30 years later infill has become a renewed focus for our business, again linking back to how we service clients and recognizing the number of clients who want to be serviced with products of this fashion,” said Steve Ruggiero, Kimberley’s president and CEO.
Growth came from continually re-evaluating who their clients are, how best to serve them, and then developing the right products for them, said Ruggiero, who joined Kimberley in 2002.
“Service each buyer individually how they want to be serviced, where they want to build and what they want to build,” added Jill Genyn, Kimberley’s vice-president, home buying experiences.
Kimberley, which is now building homes in neighbourhoods in Edmonton, Sherwood Park and St. Albert, would go on to launch Kimberley Communities in 2008, adding duplexes and townhomes to serve the multi-family market. Now, as of 2019, there’s also Kimberley Okanagan for those seeking investment, vacation or dream homes in British Columbia.
“Quality and attention to detail was something that was so important to Dave, and remains integral to us today,” said Ruggiero. “Our focus continues to be on our clients, for whom we exist to serve, and that the market will tell us how the industry needs to change. We believe that servicing buyers in real time is a big part of that; demonstrating to them that they are our main focus.”
LOAD BEARING
If you’ve ever bought one of those home lottery tickets, the home in question could have been built by Kimberley Homes.
For the past 10 years, it has been a Kimberley home that has been awarded to one of the grand prize winners of the Cash & Cars lottery that helps to support the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The 2019 Kimberley lottery home in the subdivision of Jagare Ridge — this year’s lottery launched late last month — is a two-storey home that comes in at 3,139 square feet and includes a main-floor secondary suite designed to enrich family life or better care for a loved one while at the same time allowing them to be in their own home.
For Kimberley, being a part of the lottery is part of the company’s passion to support the community and help worthy causes. But it is just one aspect of giving back. There has also been the Kimberley Golf Classic and its charitable endeavours.
MULTIPLE HONOURS
Seven times in the past 10 years, Kimberley Homes has been named Builder of the Year – Small Volume by The Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Edmonton Region. This included winning the category for four straight years from 2011 through 2014.
That, said Ruggiero, is one of the highlights of Kimberley’s 30-year run.
He also points to Kimberley being the highest ranked in customer satisfaction in 2016 (New Homebuyers’ Choice Award, from Customer Insight and the Professional Home Builders Institute) as well as being a finalist for the Home Owner Mark of Excellence for five consecutive years — another client-feedback centred award.
“While our awards speak to our success as a builder, the voices of our clients and providing them with an easy, stress-free experience is where our passion lies,” notes Lauren Ruggiero, Kimberley’s marketing lead and sales experience coach in regards to the 50-plus awards the company has won over the years. “We listen to what our clients are looking for and fill that need.”
Going forward, Lauren adds, along each step of the way Kimberley works with experts in each field who are equally as passionate about providing a premium home building experience.
“With this focus we are excited to enter new markets and bring the uniqueness of a Kimberley homebuilding experience to cities like Kelowna where we currently have an infill project underway just blocks from Okanagan Lake in the heart of downtown.”