Posted by Greenpark on May 4 / 2017
This year, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. Our success as a country is measured in part by those of our individual and corporate citizens.
Today, one of those corporate citizens, the Greenpark Group (GG), marks its 50th year of operation. It also highlights the birth of a culture whose values have provided product, livelihood and community. Its history provides a role model for success and a pathway to those who aspire to set trends rather than simply follow the path well worn. It emulates and embodies the Canadian experience.
Initially conceived by three men – Carlo Baldassarra, Philip Rechtsman, Jack Wine – the “GG family” now includes thousands of employees and trades people. It is a significant player in the economy of Ontario.
The values upon which that initial tripartite partnership was founded - integrity, hard work and loyalty - have stayed at the core of its growth and expansion.
“GG has always demanded quality workmanship of its trades”, says Carlo Baldassarra. “It has sought perfectionists who take pride in what they do - people who build a home in which they would raise their own family. GG sought Tradespeople who saw, and see, Greenpark as a career investment. Many still work with GG today.”
Some became joint venture partners. Still are.
Their product, continues to aim at converting the buyer into a proud owner of something special. After five decades, over 72, 000 buyers of houses and, now increasingly, condos have turned to GG as their builder of choice. Their loyalty is reciprocated with the reliability and quality they have come to expect.
In fact, Greenpark homes project the image of durability and permanence while remaining inviting. A marriage of artisanship and creativity that has contributed mightily to its growth in the marketplace.
The GG business model serves as a template for all facets of life. They learned by doing. They improved by observing. They survived by adapting, and became competitive by innovating.
Over the years, the corporate leadership nurtured a culture of confidence and ambition among the team to produce a product that was/is technologically superior and artistically desirable. Three generations of Greenpark homeowners are a proud testament to the success of that ethic. And to the building of a brand.
From a small company that built nine houses in its first two years, the ethos of integrity, loyalty and quality work has translated into a producer of 3200 units in 2016, all of them premium quality. GG is, not surprisingly, a dominant player in the industry.
Along the way, without compromising its fundamental culture, Greenpark expanded its business model to encompass all aspects of home production from land-massing, to development, to building, finishing and servicing. Whether through wholly-owned, semi-autonomous entities or joint venture partnerships, the Greenpark Group has stayed true to its strategic vision and its values structure.
In a wide-ranging interview, Carlo Baldassarra, singular owner of GG, now the only surviving member of the original founding group, summed the company’s ethic as follows: “Greenpark doesn’t merely construct houses; it builds communities, invests in them and nurtures them – as would become a responsible corporate citizen. We have established a Foundation active in various jurisdictions, here and abroad, dedicated to service and care of the disadvantaged, and to medical scientific research. Such philanthropy – an obligation in our view - has come to define part of our corporate image.”
Has it produced success? Carlo points out that nothing is produced without hard work. He adds, “We are a corporation driven by the vision that continuous growth is fundamental to our culture. Atypical of low-rise builders, we embarked in High Rise development throughout the GTA, launching a separate division for this purpose. In the last 10 years, with several successful projects to its credit, Greenpark can boast an auspicious beginning to this new branch of its operations.”
Nor can one “stand still”, one might add. To which Carlo responds, “We are not risk averse, but we are methodical in all our undertakings. In 2013, after years of due diligence, Greenpark brought its expertise and reputation to Europe in launching Greenpark Costruzioni (GC) - in Rome, Italy! Despite the challenges posed by Historical Boards and Archeological considerations, GC has already built and sold over 100 units and is developing 20 other projects across the Eternal City.”
For some, the location evokes ironic allusions to empire building. Certainly, Greenpark has grown and expanded beyond the wildest dreams of that initial partnership 50 years ago; and, yes, Greenpark is now one of the largest private sector employers in the GTA.
Its widely-recognized leadership in the construction industry in Canada makes its views on public policy matters related to the economy, education, skills training and immigration (to name but a few) issues highly sought after.
With characteristic modesty, Carlo says, “maybe. Ours is a collective success story. I congratulate all those who have been apart of it in these last 50 years. What I can do personally is undertake to ensure that the corporate structure and succession planning will respect and build upon those values that brought us to this point. And I do”, he closes resolutely.