101 Base Line Road West in London
Dedicated to Family.
What are some of the core values and guilding principles that lay the foundation at BlueStone Properties?
Colin Bierbaum: We’ve always been raised to follow several values that were indirectly taught to us, and our parents still demonstrate them to this day. We decided to write them down, and these 6 distinctive key values – Leadership, Respect, Communication, Creativity, Teamwork, and Community define us, and have become our goals and underlying philosophies. It’s been a great process hearing about them from the past generation and formally rolling them out publicly, both internally and externally.
Jaclyn Pisarczyk: I believe that one of the key factors that make BlueStone Properties stand out from the crowd is our dedication and commitment to all of our existing properties. Whether they are 5 or 50 years old, our properties are professionally maintained, managed and are operated according to the highest standards of excellence for our tenants. I find that a lot of companies in the marketplace are neglecting their older products and just focusing on the new ones. We’re always reinvesting in all our properties to bring them to our own current standards, and we always want to make a better home for our residents regardless of the age of the property they are living in.
Collaboration is Key.
If the culture at BlueStone Properties is one of unwavering commitment to collaboration, personalization, and a steadfast commitment to customer service. How do you make all those separate entities work together as a team?
Colin Bierbaum: It is absolutely crucial to fulfilling the company’s vision, and everyone on board works hard to meet that commitment. We believe a positive and supportive work environment brings out the best in a team and enables every member to succeed and contribute to the company’s success. The company’s management team continually holds meetings with VP’s and managers to ensure everyone is on the same page at every level of development and management.
A couple of years ago we implemented an Accountability Chart, that provides clarity about who owns the major functions of our organization and identifies the primary roles and responsibilities for which they are accountable. The good news is that our current team fit those roles very well, and we’re very proud that we all have the same aligned values that contribute to our end result and have a mandate to service our residents the best we can.
We depend on the specialized knowledge, skilled services and superior workmanship our partners provide to deliver our projects and we strive to maintain the best possible subcontractor relationship with top performing partners that share the same core principles and values as they do. We are firm believers in maintaining a solid relationship with our trades and suppliers. A lot of our trades have been with us for a long time and we can depend on their consistent quality of work. We have a code of conduct that we share with all of our contractors and we have a contractor policy that requires them to review, sign, and agree to our code of conduct which references behavior, values, basically how we want them to act while they are on our properties and how they represent BlueStone.
Shaping Communities.
How does BlueStone Properties strives for balance between the design and the needs of the market, ensuring that while the designs remain unique and creative?
Colin Bierbaum: We don’t infringe on the integrity of the community. We enforce strict architectural guidelines, so our communities maintain a certain level of esthetic quality. Great quality, suite design, amenities, and safety are all very important to us. We do not sacrifice quality at the expense of saving cost. Our projects represent our brand and our legacy, and we want to ensure we are represented as a high quality, thoughtful and innovative developer.
Jaclyn Pisarczyk: We recognize that building successful communities takes more than just constructing well-designed buildings, it also means understanding local dynamics and establishing a community that taps into the best features of the surrounding neighbourhoods. This means designing and planning communities that are both beautifully designed and incorporate local parks, shopping facilities, and transportation hubs. We strive to do more than fulfill basic customer needs. We go above and beyond to design much more than a neighbourhood, but we also create an ideal lifestyle that exceeds everyone’s expectations.
As a leader in proposing sustainable and energy efficient developments, BlueStone’s green core philosophy is that every project is built with an emphasis on preserving the environment and natural resources. When developing their projects, we not only mindful of its place in the community skyline, but also its place in the local environment. We have members on our team that go through LEED designation programs that help us achieve high performance in key areas of our sustainable initiatives. We believe we all have a role to play in preserving the environment and building energy efficient and ecologically friendly projects.
Industry Recognized.
Being recognized for your efforts and accomplishments sets the standard for the industry in professionalism and a dedication to excellence. What does this say about the guiding principles at BlueStone?
Colin Bierbaum: If anything it honours our great work that our staff, partners and clients can be proud of. In 2017, BlueStone Properties won the London Better Business Bureau Business Integrity Award that honors companies who demonstrate best practices in leadership character and high standards of organizational ethics that benefits our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and communities.
Jaclyn Pisarczyk: The award embodies the Better Business Bureau’s mission of advancing trust in the marketplace, and our team were thrilled with that recognition. We were so honoured to have won the Business Integrity Award for the Large Business Category. It was especially meaningful because our tenants trust us to enter their homes and work places daily and being recognized as a business operating with the highest degree of integrity is crucial for building that trust. We were blown away when we won the award as there were several outstanding businesses in the running, all in different industries. It was certainly a proud moment for us.
BlueStone is also proud to announce that we have been certified as a Great Place to Work® after a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work® Institute Canada. This certification is based on direct feedback from employees, provided as part of an extensive and anonymous survey about the workplace experience. It is with pride and excitement that we’re able to share that BlueStone Properties has officially been identified as a certified Great Place to Work. It is because of our employees that we are able to accomplish this recognition.
Never Stop Moving.
Success is not simply reflected through the results on a balance sheet – but also on a strong foundation of quality relationships with a committed team, tenants, residents, and valued neighbours. Is the team at BlueStone Properties ready to continue to lead the charge in London?
Colin Bierbaum: Absolutely. We share our goals with everyone that contributes to the development of our communities and support each other in our successes. We would not be where we are today if it was not for the amazing teams that we work with. As part of our continuous improvement plan, BlueStone will carry on with expansion and they are committed to constantly growing and improving in every facet of our business.
Jaclyn Pisarczyk: BlueStone is planning for expedited growth. Construction of our most recent 169 unit apartment building, 271 Platts Lane in 2017, and completion of our 113 unit apartment building 250 Oakland Avenue in 2020 is just the start for us. Our team is strong, willing, and ready to take off. We look forward to showing the London community what’s in the pipeline.
