Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/109465
photos: Steve Bedard it���s with their challenges in mind. ���The Toronto Shangri-La was a real task due to the size and multi-use features as well as getting up to speed on local codes and construction etiquette,��� he says enthusiastically. ���That and bringing the project in on time and under budget kept us on our toes.��� As Nemetz���s recollections suggest, the company has worked frequently outside of B.C. ��� a legacy of Arnold Nemetz, who was agreeable to work wherever his clients were developing properties. ���For example, at the start of the new millennium we did a large number of residential projects in California and Arizona on behalf of local clients, and these jobs lasted all the way to 2006,��� he says. ���Our U.S. involvement was fortuitous because there was a corresponding lull in B.C. activity. That���s one reason we decided to establish a base in Toronto: as with our divisions, the Toronto office will protect us from market slowdowns.��� The Toronto office also accommodates the company���s Lucent Design Group, a rebranding of Light Art Concepts Ltd., which was launched in 1995 to meet the growing demand for comprehensive lighting design. The division is run by Daisy Chan and Nemetz���s niece, Jennifer Stratton; together they provide creative and practical lighting solutions, and in Vancouver the divi- The Wesbrook at UBC, Vancouver, B.C. sion recently opened a separate lighting centre that allows clients to see different lighting concepts first-hand and contains a designated area for Nemetz���s lighting designers. ���Lucent���s services have proven to be very valuable to clients, and either Jennifer or Daisy will eventually move to Toronto permanently,��� says Nemetz. The Toronto office will also offer a new value-added service developed in Vancouver. ���In the last year we���ve been able to work seamlessly with a mechanical component: if the client so chooses, we can provide electrical, mechanical Tapestry at Wesbrook Village, UBC, Vancouver, B.C. and engineering documents as if all three disciplines were working under one roof,��� explains Nemetz. ���We���ve Perhaps not surprisingly, Toronto isn���t the only done this for two residential projects in B.C., one of ���iron in the fire��� that Nemetz alluded to when asked to which is Riva in Richmond for the Onni Group, and forecast upcoming events. A Calgary office is also in it gives us far more flexibility with proposals.��� The the works. ���We handle a lot of condominium projects service (which includes dedicated space and CAD sys- in that city,��� he explains, adding that several Vancoutems in the Vancouver and Toronto offices) enables ver staff members have already expressed an interest Nemetz to join forces with any amenable mechanical in relocating and office space has been secured, with the expectation it will be open within six months. and/or plumbing contractor. Now in his late 50s, Nemetz has no inclination to slow down, especially considering ���a lot Tapestry at Wesbrook Village, UBC, Vancouver, B.C. of big projects are building-permit-ready and the current soft construction market will soon heat up again.��� Most of his staff members are in their 20s and 30s, and with this enviable combination of youth and experience Nemetz has every expectation the company will thrive for another half-century. All he asks is to remain involved. Smiling broadly, Nemetz contemplates his role in the decades ahead. ���In 10 years I���ll still want to be closely involved, and in 20 years it would be fantastic if I���m relied upon as a resource,��� he says. ���If I���m in my late 70s and a young colleague steers me into the boardroom and says ���I���ve got a huge problem,��� I���ll be totally happy.��� ��� Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. p08-11Nemetz.indd 10 13-01-22 3:04 PM