W.G. (Gord) Bontje, President
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Laebon was incorporated in 1976 by Peter Lacey and myself; two young guys with a dream. The first year we built two homes and earned barely enough to buy groceries. We didn’t mind; we were both ambitious and had big dreams, so we persevered -- working, learning and improving.
Thirty-two years later I am still passionate about the work I do. Things have changed. Peter left in 1982 to focus on other industries. Laebon has grown a little; in 2007 we built 300 homes worth about 65 million dollars for people all over Central Alberta in many Laebon communities.
THE BEGINNING - I was born in 1957 in London, Ontario. I am the second son in a family of six children, and grew up on a farm just outside of London. Most of my family still lives in south-western Ontario. In 1975 I was seventeen and felt the lure of the west, so I left home and came to Red Deer. It didn’t take long to sense the boundless opportunity that Alberta offers; I soon became a committed Albertan.
On July 18, 1981, I married Kathy. She was born in Red Deer and has lived here all of her life. We have been blessed with three children. Steve, our oldest, works with the land development team at Laebon; Emily is at the University of Calgary working on a Commerce Degree; and Adam, our youngest, is in high school.
I often meet people who are just starting a move to Central Alberta and I think back to my own excitement when I arrived here. It didn’t take me long see what so many others have also seen; Central Alberta is a great place to live and to work and raise a family.
EDUCATION – My formal post-secondary consists of earning the “Master Home Builder” designation from the Professional Home Builders Institute of Alberta in 1993. But, my real education has come from living my life following the principle of life-long learning. As a voracious reader, I have accumulated quite a large library over the years.
MY JOB AT LAEBON – As CEO, my job is to make sure the Laebon team achieves our goals. I make sure we do what we say we will do, when we say we will do it. That simple statement wraps up the dilemma of leadership. I have to be a cheerleader, head coach, visionary and problem solver.
With each home we sell, we sell a little part of ourselves, so we buy land continually, and that is another part of my role. We have an ongoing quest to create the next great Laebon community. We want each new community to grow on the success of the previous one.
IN ADDITION TO MY JOB AT LAEBON - I have taken an active role in the building and development industry through its associations and regulatory agencies.
I have been a Director, 2nd Vice-President, 1st Vice-President and President of the Central Alberta Home Builders Association. On the provincial level, I have been a Director, Vice-President and President of the Canadian Home Builders Association of Alberta.
From 1989 – 1994, I served as the Central Alberta representative on the Board of Directors of the Alberta New Home Warranty Program and during that time also sat on their Finance Committee.
From 1993 – 1999, I was a part of the Building Technical Council, the technical arm of the Safety Codes Council, a public/private sector body that administers the Alberta Building Code and governs Safety Codes Officers in the building discipline.
I currently serve as the Chair of the Alberta Housing Industry Technical Committee (AHITC). With representation from home builder local associations, the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, municipalities and regulatory bodies, AHITC serves the housing industry from the perspective that a technical problem is not the purview of the regulator or the regulated, but rather of the industry, and we use all resources at our disposal to solve them.
I currently serve the provincial Board of Directors of the Urban Development Institute as the representative of the Red Deer Chapter and sit on a number of specialist committees.
OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING INDUSTRY – I believe that as a business becomes successful, it has an obligation to contribute both its money and time to the greater community. The skills that are used to manage a business are skills that must be used to advance a community.
I recently completed twelve years of service to the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division, the last six of which were as Board Chair. The Board is responsible for capital growth, and for setting policy and hiring and guiding the senior leadership team as they educate over 6,000 children. This effort involves a 50 million dollar operating budget and over 500 staff.
I was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Westerner Park, Red Deer’s fair and trade show facility.
MY PASSIONS – Our passions get us out of bed in the morning, and help us of achieve greatness.
I love the design of fine homes, the architecture of great communities, and providing shelter in the finest possible way. I find great joy in finding innovative solutions. I love the challenge of designing great communities and great homes that average people can enjoy and love.
I believe in education, and in making the education system the best we can. The formation of young minds is the gift we make to the future. We allow mediocrity in the education system at our peril.
In 1999 I started supporting A Better World Canada (www.a-better-world.ca/ ), a Lacombe, Alberta based humanitarian organization that serves people in the third world in very basic and fundamental ways by building infrastructure that is desperately needed by some of the poorest people on earth. I dedicate ever more time to ensure that the volunteer staff of A Better World has the resources they need to achieve their lofty goals.
