When homebuyers are looking to build their dream home and see the outstanding craftsmanship, efficient execution, and high quality details that go into a Kimberley home, they sigh and think “someday.” Then, they are elated to learn that they can afford a Kimberley home, since this builder works with every client and their specific needs, providing the same quality and experience for any home, any price point and anywhere they want to build.

The strength and success of Kimberley is evident in strong (organic/non-solicited) reviews from clients, and seven Builder of the Year awards from the Canadian Homebuilders Association, among many other recognitions.

Steve Ruggiero knows all too well the pull of this dynamic company. He joined in 2002 and soon discovered a passion for the company, the products, the process and the journey of the Kimberley homebuyer. Today he is the president and CEO.

“We exist to serve our clients,” Ruggiero says with pride. “We build in some of the most sought after new communities in Edmonton, Sherwood Park and St. Albert as well as infills in mature neighbourhoods and acreages in the surrounding counties. Our greatest successes come when we find our clients first and then cater a build for them, providing a caring, personalized experience based on their needs.”

It all started when Dave and Donna Jewett founded Kimberley Homes in 1989. From the beginning Kimberley Homes was on the leading edge of the industry, choosing to start, not follow, industry trends. By 2003 the company was an early adopter of digitization and cloud based construction management.

After nearly two decades in business, Kimberley Homes had established an impenetrable reputation and set the bar extremely high when it came to providing a custom homebuilding experience for clients. The company recognized a growing need for low maintenance living and their clients’ desire to have the same quality and experience delivered in smaller homes. This spurred the launch of Kimberley Communities in 2008, Kimberley’s multi-family product that set a new standard for duplexes and townhomes throughout Edmonton, with multiple award-winning homes and projects.

In 2009 Kimberley Homes won its first of seven Home Builder of the Year awards, and during that same year Ruggiero was named by Avenue Magazine as a Top 40 under 40 winner. The next year he became the company’s president.

Under Ruggiero’s leadership, Kimberley Homes was twice named a regional finalist in Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies and given the Platinum Award of Distinction in 2011, awarded by the Alberta New Home Warranty Program. In 2013 Ruggiero was named as one of the 20 business Leaders for that year in Edmonton.
During it all, Kimberley Homes remained intent on being engaged socially in the community and launched the Kimberley Golf Classic in 2015, in support of the University Hospital Foundation. The company has also contributed nine grand prize homes to the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s Cash and Cars Lottery.

“It simply comes down to this,” Ruggiero stresses adamantly, “we live our core values and mission statement every day to deliver a second-to-none experience of designing and building your home. We strive to make it easy from conception to completion. We focus on building relationships, and we take pride in being known as one of the highest quality home builders in the region. We have a reputation for living and breathing excellence for our clients.”

While Ruggiero is quick to admit that Kimberley Homes, like every other business, has its fair share of challenges, he chooses to always look to the positives, and genuinely enjoys going to work each day to overcome roadblocks and celebrate victories as a team.

“What I love is pulling everyone together to work for a common goal,” he smiles. “We have incredible team alignment; everyone knows what needs to be done to best serve our clients. It’s such an incredible thing that we get to start with a piece of land and grow it into the most important investment, both financially and emotionally, in someone’s life – their home. It’s so humbling to be that client’s choice. It’s quite a responsibility, and we all take that responsibility very seriously.”

When you see a Kimberley Home, learn about the brand’s many awards, witness the passion and drive of the team, or participate in one their non-profit fundraising events, you may get the impression that it’s a large corporation with sprawling headquarters and hundreds of staff.

It’s not.

Kimberley Homes is proud to be a family business run on family values, and a team of 31.

“We are fortunate to have a very strong brand, at times there can be a misconception that we are bigger than what we actually are,” states Ruggiero.

The secret to this success, he divulges, is to listen intently to what their clients want.

“New home buyers want to build what they want, where they want, and they need to be serviced by someone who will listen and take a genuine interest in their needs,” Ruggiero points out. “For us, trends are not based on the type of flooring or colour of the moment. We prefer a trend of aligning our company to listen to our clients and make the building process easy for them. To do that better than anyone else is our business.”

“How do you service people before they realize they are being serviced?” he continues. “You must give your clients the experience they deserve before they even realize what they need. Staying ahead and being the best at this is our greatest challenge.

Regression is not an option for a company that has enjoyed steady growth and diversification for 30 years. Kimberley Homes intends to keep “making it easy” for clients to build what they want and to work with any budget now, and far into the future.

“As a company we are very grateful to Dave and Donna Jewett, Kimberley’s founders, for creating the values that have been instrumental to the growth and development of the company and our team,” Ruggiero concludes. “I am personally thankful for our staff’s ongoing and relentless commitment in giving customers an experience that is second-to-none, and we are extremely grateful to over 1,000+ individuals and families that have chosen Kimberley to build their dream home over the past 30 years.”

Learn more about this energetic and agile company at buildwithkimberley.ca online, @buildwithkimberley on Facebook, @kimberleyhomes on Instagram, buildwithkimberley on Pinterest, and Kimberley Homes on YouTube.