45 charities will be awarded $100,000 each as Calgary area builder gives back.
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The year was 1979 when 36-year-old Calvin Wenzel lost his job as marketing director of a modular home manufacturing plant. The husband and father of three had to find new income and getting into Calgary’s booming new home construction industry seemed like a smart thing to do.
Today at 80 years of age, the chairman and chief visionary officer of Shane Homes presides over the home building empire he named for his son, now company president and CEO, who was seven years old when the company began. Together with Edith, Cal’s wife of 57 years, the Wenzels are celebrating the company’s 45th year of business, sharing its success by giving away $4.5 million to local charities and non-profit organizations.
“This anniversary was a good opportunity to do something unique, so Shane, Edith and I thought we’d give away 45 $100,000 awards to local people. We made our money here. The people who made us will get some of it back,” he says.
Cal’s philanthropy began more than 40 years ago, when 25 per cent of the proceeds in the company’s first profitable year was donated to Ronald McDonald House. The Wenzel family is a notable supporter of STARS Air Ambulance, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Camp Kindle, the Kidney Foundation and a long list of charitable organizations. Shane Homes was a major player in the Resolve Campaign, a collaborative fundraising effort from 2011 to 2018 that saw $75 million raised to fight homelessness in the city. More than $20 million has been gifted to the University of Calgary.
Cal’s capacity to earn enough money began in his youth when he had the largest paper route in his hometown of Medicine Hat. As an adult, his confidence to launch a building company came from the know-how learned from his father, who built basements after working long hours at his regular job. He applied the conservative teachings of his parents and built just six homes in the communities of Edgemont and Hawkwood in his first year. Even with mortgage interest rates as high as 19 per cent, building lots in Calgary were scarce. It was only through his association with Tony Usselman of Carma Developers, who died in 2013, that Cal managed to acquire land.
“The downturn in the ’80s was the best thing that ever happened to us because we were finally able to get lots. One of the best deals I ever made was through Nu-West in Riverbend who didn’t make it through the recession. Lots they paid $40,000 for, I paid $14,000,” he recalls. “I bought lots in the northeast for $8,000. I advertised houses for $59,900 and we sold 70 units in a weekend in Taradale and Martindale.”
The growth of Shane Homes into a company that builds more than 600 single-family and 80-plus multi-family homes a year has been steady and measured.
“We always took it slower. We always paid our bills on time, except once when we missed a payment and I asked for a week. We don’t like to borrow if we don’t have to,” Cal says. “We even re-did a stucco job that was 17 years old because our guys did it wrong. If you do it wrong, you go and correct it. That fits with our attitude about honesty and integrity. Your reputation is the only thing that counts.”
In 1979, Calgary was a city of 549,000 people. It’s grown by almost a million people and there are no signs of slowing down. Cal has seen many ups and downs in the industry but the city’s on a growth pattern like he’s never seen before.
“It’s phenomenal. Because of in-migration and immigration to this province, the next four or five years for sure are guaranteed,” he says. “We’re now one of the largest players in the city. We’ve expanded to new product lines, multi-family divisions, a land division and lending to people who need it.”
Building practices and safety have changed for the better. Prefab wall systems are increasing efficiency and build times. Zoom booms mean roofs can be done in sections and installations are are easier.
“You used to have two guys, one on each side of a ladder, holding a 200-pound window climbing 30 feet in the air. Now you can lift it with a Zoom Boom. It’s definitely safer,” Cal says.
In 2016 at the age of 72, Cal was inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame, Southern Alberta. Despite entering his ninth decade of life, he still works 10 to 12 hours days, beginning at 7 a.m. when he first logs onto his computer and ending well into the evening.
“When I started the company, I was young, vibrant and invincible. Now, I’m not always sure I’m invincible,” he jokes.
Charitable organizations that meet the funding criteria can apply for the remaining share of the $4.5 million before Nov. 30. Eligibility requirements and the application process can be found at shanehomes.com.