Rustic Creek Custom Homes is all about family. A family business itself, Rustic Creek is owned and operated by Nicholas Ruigrok. Nick is no stranger to family: Father of four (Joshua – 13, Jaycob – 11, Gracie – 7, Owen- 2) with one more on the way, Nick and his wife Jacquie understand the values of family and the dreams that come with building a new home. The company was launched in May 2012, but Nick brings over 20 years of construction expertise to the business. He grew up in a family familiar with the Oil patch – constantly moving, constantly working on one renovation project or another, learning a lot from his father, it is where he found his passion for building homes.
DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY
Rustic Creek isn’t only about building stunning custom homes: it’s more about passion for building relationships that last. Nick makes all of his customers feel comfortable with the entire experience of building a new home. That’s because Nick isn’t creating a company – he’s creating a legacy for his kids; a torch that they can carry and be proud of. Kind of like the Olympic Torch that Nick himself once ran with. A once in a lifetime opportunity for Nick and his family, Nick was nominated and awarded with RBC’s local hockey leader award. He has a true passion for his community and the people in it.
As a member of the community in which he serves, he is a well-known and recognized figure about town. Aside from his Olympic torch run as Local Hockey Leader (RBC), he has also been voted the Local Small Town Hero by the United Farmers’ Association for his involvement in building within the community. Nick dedicates many hours to the kids in the community. He is Director of the Minor Hockey Association TimBit’s division, as well as coaches his daughter’s novice hockey team. He has spent a lot of time behind the bench the last 10 years mentoring young hockey players. One of Nick’s biggest accomplishments (and probably what he is most well known for) is the development of KidSport Foothills, a local charity that supports underprivileged children and helps them get involved in organized sports. Nick has been appreciated by many for his efforts towards creating a town that lives up to high standards, and every home he builds, or project he works on, is a testament to that dedication and drive.
QUALITY AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE
The homes themselves are a perfect blend of dream and reality. While one is often intermingled with the other during the process of home building, his concepts of quality and satisfaction are crystal clear. This is part of the passion he brings to home-building. His clients know this, and are well aware that he only builds homes that he himself would want to live in. That’s the key differentiator between his and other businesses that are often several times the size of Rustic Creek. Not only customers, but even subtrades feel this family-oriented approach, and are the better for it. His partner trades are people he trusts and who in turn place their trust in him. He chooses trades that are willing to go the distance with him and attain to the level of quality and trust that he himself strives for.
Rustic Creek is currently working on two custom home projects, with a third one due to start after the Spring thaw. The homes he builds are all on acreages, and customers can either choose from his lots or build on their own land. His custom homes are built on strong foundations of reputation and trust. All of the subtrades that are a part of the Rustic Creek Family believe in building everything to a level that they too would want their families to live in. Nick recognizes the importance of a reputation, and does everything in his power to ensure that his clients and subtrades can trust him like a family member. He’s not unrealistically ambitious, and seeks to start out by building an average of 3-5 homes per year. In the next five-year period, he hopes to develop that to about 10 quality custom homes every year. He is also targeting green homes as the future direction to move ahead in, and recognizes the need for constantly educating himself and the teams he works with on the technologies and best practices involved in becoming a Green Builder. Like he says: “No one is ever done learning in this industry.”
THE FUTURE OF RUSTIC CREEK
Nick’s biggest challenge at this point is the process of setting up systems within the company. Once the systems are in place, his unique blend of organized construction practices and strong relationships with all stakeholders is going to be the key to his future growth. Nick’s approach to home building is that “the home owner should be able to have a stress-free experience.” His method of first giving the customer a plan and estimate, and then earning the opportunity to be chosen as their preferred builder is entirely dependent on the reputation that he builds with each project. His hands-on management approach, dedication to excellence in home building, choice of highly skilled subtrades and, above all, deep respect for his clients and partners alike are the keystones that he intends to use to prop up his business. His long-term vision is to leave a legacy for his children – one that they can be proud of and take to the next levels of success. His clear long-term goal will help him stay focused on the truly important values that he hopes will make his company the leader in the custom home building industry in the Foothills of Alberta.