The last two weeks of March were among the busiest of Brad Carr’s career, even though his team voluntarily suspended operations at Toronto-based Mattamy Homes Canada. The CEO of Canada’s largest home builder, along with many senior leaders, put in long hours during that time to develop COVID-19 safety protocols to protect Mattamy’s employees, customers and tradespeople.
“This crisis has brought everyone together and highlighted what makes Mattamy a great place to work and a good corporate citizen,” says Carr. “I’m proud of our entire team’s willingness to do the right thing.”
The company not only took care of its own people but also shared its safety protocols with government, suppliers – even competitors. “We’ve had economic challenges before, but nothing like this,” says Carr. “We couldn’t look back at history to guide us, so we prioritized what was most important, which was our people.”
Before masks became mandatory, Carr and Mattamy’s executive team thought they might be helpful for their employees and tradespeople. When the order of 100,000 arrived, however, they had a change of heart. “It didn’t feel like the right time to keep all of them,” says Carr.
Instead, they gave most of the masks to hospitals in Toronto, Kitchener, Ottawa and Oakville. Mattamy founder Peter Gilgan, through his foundation, also donated $3.2 million to Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital to accelerate COVID-19 testing and $1.5 million to food banks. “We were trying to do our part during a very challenging time,” says Carr.
Carr is most proud of how his employees have stepped up, from home and on site. His concern isn’t accomplishing day-today tasks, which are getting done, it’s maintaining the company’s close-knit culture. “For example, looking at each other through a computer isn’t the same as being together in person, in terms of socializing and engagement,” he says.
So they have come up with creative ways to connect. In August, hundreds of employees and their families attended a town hall at a drive-in movie theatre in Oakville. After the company’s presentation on the big screen ended, many stayed to watch Sonic the Hedgehog and The Invisible Man. “A team member suggested that, and it was a great alternative to a regular town hall,” says Carr.
Jehan Batliwalla appreciates how much work went on behind the scenes to get office staff set up at home. The senior financial analyst for Mattamy’s Greater Toronto East Division misses the office’s in-person interaction but has adapted to working remotely. He has daily calls with some co-workers to catch up and does virtual circuit-training workouts with others.
Batliwalla applied to Mattamy Homes as a freshly minted Western University engineering and business graduate. He wasn’t certain what he wanted to do but knew he enjoyed numbers and finance. His job interview felt like a conversation – it was relaxed, and he felt an easy connection with the hiring committee.
“I had seen the company’s signs and knew they built houses close to my own backyard,” says Batliwalla. “And it’s a Canadian-founded company, which is a bonus.”
After a year, Batliwalla wanted to understand the operations side of the business. Completing the company’s finance leadership development program helped him achieve that goal. “My supervisor was listening to what I wanted to do,” he says. “My voice was heard and I felt supported.”
This year more than ever, being adaptable has served Batliwalla well so he can continue doing what he loves. “Things are always changing, and I’m always learning. I’m taking numbers in the budgets and financial forecasts and creating a story with them to help the company make strategic decisions.”
