Heading towards the end of the year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on all that we have accomplished. This season, we’re proud to say that we have put our company values into action.
Keep reading to check out some of our recent milestones.
We are now a Living Wage member
Did you know that RJS is proud to be a member of Living Wage for Families BC?
As a certified Living Wage Employer, we ensure that each employee within our business is paid a living wage.
It’s important to recognize that more and more British Columbians work in low-wage jobs that do not pay enough to live on. A living wage calls on employers to meet a higher standard for both staff and major contractors, to ensure that wages reflect the true costs of living in a community.
As a business, we always look back towards our four core values as a guide. Out of the four, family and accountability are the two that have been a prominent theme that drive our business.
We like to view every person within our company as family and hold ourselves accountable for ensuring that each employee is supported so they are able to support their own families.
RJS expands into the education sector
This year, our team has worked hard to expand our range of projects and grow our business’ portfolio by working in different sectors within BC. We’re proud to say that education is now becoming a prominent piece within our portfolio.
Do you live in Coquitlam? You might have caught a glimpse of our work while dropping off the kids. Currently, we are in the midst of an exciting expansion project for Panorama Heights elementary school. Once complete, four new additional classrooms will be ready to support the students.
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) has been another big part of RJS the past few years as one of our first projects within the education sector. Our recent projects included renovations to the Baker building and adding updates to some of the offices. Heading into the new year, we’ll be at the Abbotsford campus working in their Food and Agriculture Institute.
Building a brighter future for our communities
As a member of our local communities, we want to hold ourselves accountable by doing our due diligence to help those needing support. We hope to make a positive difference in people’s lives and communities through building safe, affordable, and quality housing.
Cougar Creek and Jennings Place are the two exciting projects that we have been working on as one of the trusted contractors for BC Housing. Once complete these two sites will provide affordable housing to those within our community.
In the upcoming months, we’ll begin a new project for BC Housing at the American Hotel. This Downtown Eastside building will provide services to those who have been living in supportive housing and are ready to take the next step toward independent living.
Helping our local small businesses
As you have probably already seen, many businesses have struggled to stay afloat due to COVID-19 in the past year. However, with things slowly opening up, we’ve been hard at work to help local small businesses like Co-Brokr Mortgage, Enterprise, Toro Aluminum, and Belpar prepare for a post-COVID world.
For our Co-Brokr Mortgage site, we are moving through our routine inspections to start off the project. Getting the lay of the land is crucial before starting work on any building. It provides the team with an overview of what and how to tackle the project. In our next few phases, we’ll begin tearing down some of the structural components of the ceiling and eventually turning this space into the perfect office.
Nothing says a fresh start like the beginning of a demolition.
Our team getaway at the lake
Last but not least, we wanted to take a moment to mention some team updates. At the end of September, our team had the opportunity to go on a fishing trip to Pinantan Lake Resort.
It was a beautiful weekend with lots of laughs, fishing, and great views!
We’re grateful to have this opportunity to not only catch the rare sunny weather, but have this time to be together again after so long. As a close knit team, we view ourselves like a family and it was a wonderful experience being able to catch up on each other’s lives.
In the past year, COVID-19 has made it difficult for team bonding due to social distancing and limited indoor capacities. However, as things slowly open up, we hope to bring back more of our annual fishing trips to celebrate our team and all their hard work.
What’s next for RJS?
When one door closes, another opens.
Our business is constantly expanding and growing as we take on new challenges. This year, we wanted to hold ourselves accountable by helping our local community and this was reflected in all our projects.
We’re already looking toward the future and are excited to see what 2022 has to offer.
Want to keep up to date with the projects mentioned in our blog? Give our social media a follow on our Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram.
