It was late fall in Maskwacis, Alberta, when the Scott Builders crew broke ground on the area’s new health clinic and counselling centre. As temperatures dropped, the team layered up and kept working, stepping into the job trailer when they needed a break.
Not everyone could do the same.
From the job site, workers could see that someone was always outside, tending to a small fire. “We’d be in our warm job trailer and there’d be someone out there in minus 40, with the wind whipping across the highway, keeping the sacred fire going,” said Andrew Tjepkema, business development manager in Red Deer.
In many Indigenous communities, a sacred fire is a place of ceremony and remembrance, often kept burning to honour someone who has passed.
While protecting that flame wasn’t part of the project, the team could see how important it was. They spoke to those who were tending the fire, asking questions and listening to what changes could make a difference. Then they brought an idea to Scott Builders’ giving committee, an internal group that supports and funds employee-led initiatives.
The vision was a partially enclosed, eight-sided gazebo with concrete benches and a dedicated fire pit. Scott Builders chose to cover the cost, and the crew took it on, building and installing it themselves.
When the gazebo opened, the whole community came out.
Will Woodward, general manager of the Red Deer office, said that paying attention and stepping in where they can is a commitment we bring to every project. “We build for people,” he explained. “We build relationships while we’re on a site, and those relationships lead to other ways to support the people there.”
Going beyond scope in Maskwacis isn’t unusual. “A lot of our community projects are driven by the project teams themselves,” said Laura Starchuk, human resources manager.
“It really comes from the employee level, with someone seeing something and saying, ‘This is important. This is what I want to do,’” she added.
Volunteers from the Edmonton office rolled up their sleeves at Sport Central, repairing and prepping donated bikes so more kids can get the bikes they deserve.
Starchuk has seen the impact firsthand through her work with United Way Central Alberta, an organization committed to tackling issues like poverty, domestic violence, and mental health.
Building on Scott Builders’ 30-year history with United Way, she leads the company’s annual workplace campaign and now serves as chair of the board of directors. And her colleagues are ready to jump in: In 2025, they took part in campaigns and events, gave what they could, and saw those contributions matched by the company.
Together, those efforts raised more than $12,500 for the United Way and earned Scott Builders a nomination for the Community Builder Award of Distinction.
Members of the Scott Builders team at United Way Central Alberta’s 60th Anniversary Campaign Kick-Off Luncheon.
“Our employees want to feel like they are part of something bigger, something they can truly stand behind,” Starchuk explained. “It gives them a sense of pride, cohesiveness, and camaraderie.”
Sometimes, this ownership shows up in long-running efforts, like an annual toy drive that’s been taking place for 19 years. Employees don’t just contribute; they shop for gifts, wrap them, and deliver them themselves.
Other times, it’s simply finding a way to help. That might mean participating in events, supporting local sports groups, or rolling up their sleeves to donate blood through Canadian Blood Services.
Gifts gathered around the tree during the 19th annual toy drive in support of a local women’s centre.
“We want to have a meaningful impact where our employees live,” Starchuk said. “What better way to do that than to ask them what we can do?”
At École Normandeau School in Red Deer, our contribution continues to grow year after year.
The Come Grow With Us passive solar greenhouse didn’t start out as a greenhouse. It began as a conversation about hands-on learning and sparking interest in trades, especially for students who might not see themselves reflected in a traditional classroom.
For Woodward, who was involved from the earliest discussions, the idea was personal. “Some kids learn from books, others learn hands-on. I’m a hands-on learner,” he said. “When I can physically touch it and see it, that’s when it clicks.”
Scott Builders partnered with Red Deer Public Schools and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to give kids a space where they could learn through real-life experience.
“SAIT provided all the design expertise relative to a three-season greenhouse, including how it would be developed and how it would sit on the site,” Woodward explained. “Then we were able to partner with vendors, suppliers, and trades to keep it down to strict cost.”
The students were excited to see the project come together.
Once a fence went up around the site, kids regularly lined up to watch progress and ask questions. The crew made time to talk about the work, explain what was happening, and walk them through the process. One day, the crew even stopped construction, handed out reflective vests and hard hats, and toured these interested students through the site.
Today, students can follow the life cycle of plants, take part in maintaining the space, and learn how the building captures and stores heat: a passive heating system that collects solar energy, stores it underground, and releases it as temperatures drop.
Food grown in the greenhouse makes its way into healthy school meals. During the summer, when school is out, local families can access what’s being grown, extending that impact into nearby neighbourhoods.
These stories aren’t just examples of how our team makes a difference. They’re how Scott Builders shows up for every community-focused construction project. We pay attention, build trust, and step in when we see that something is important.