in that town. Other members will take time to dig and haul dirt from
Habitat for Humanity sites in various communities.
“There’s a grassroots belief in this sector of industry that this is
just what you do,” said Lipp. “They know they’ve made a good living
off the work that they do, and so there has always been that thought
process that you give back to your communities that have allowed
you to benefit.”
Many of SHCA’s member businesses are second or third gener-ation
family companies. Lipp believes that those longstanding
connections within their communities – both urban and rural –
strengthened over time to the point where donations, whether fi-nancial
or by way of elbow grease, are second nature.
And SHCA is not the only organization that makes hefty con-tributions.
SHCA is a part of the Western Canada Roadbuilders
and Heavy Construction Association and every year at its annual
FEATURE
convention holds a charity auction where the proceeds are then do-nated
to the provincial body hosting the event. Hundred of thou-sands
of dollars have been raised for local charity groups.
“One of the things that we struggle with as an organization – may-be
it’s because of the scope of work that we do – the general public
sees a lot of rich contractors that are making a living off the back of
a taxpayer,” said Lipp. “That’s just not the case. Yes, these contrac-tors
are in it to make money, but there’s a huge contribution they
give back to the province through charitable donations and a lot of
other ways, too.
“It’s nice to fly our flag a little bit after receiving the Outstanding
Corporate Philanthropist Award. These guys do give back to the
province and it’s important to them. They see it like it’s just the right
thing to do.”
“One of the things that we struggle
with as an organization, maybe
it’s because of the scope of work
that we do, the general public sees
a lot of rich contractors that are
making a living off the back of a
taxpayer. That’s just not the case.”
– Shantel Lipp
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 1 2018 | Think BIG 27