Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

While Jamie never thought he'd start his own design firm, his life guided him toward that path. Hobbies like Lego and summer jobs in construction lead him to pursue a degree in Interior Design at BCIT. Everything aligned along the way. We've gathered great people from all over Canada who are passionate about design and architecture. Today, Jamie Banfield Design Inc. consists of a tight-knit team made up of architectural technologists and interior designers. After 9 years, Jamie Banfield Design Inc. has cemented itself as a trusted and creative force in the design and construction process. Specializing in Residential Design, the JBD team extends their expertise all over the lower Mainland, the Island, and the Okanagan, as well as Alberta and Ontario. We always look for fresh new ways to deliver the unexpected, whether that's making the old new again or starting from the ground up. Our design team possesses a passion for innovative, responsible building, and strives to ensure we craft a timeless family home. Innovation is always at the top of our minds. In our office, we ask the “why not’s” and “how to’s” that ensure we explore efficiency and functionality. We are a fast-paced and forward-thinking design firm that believes in providing a positive client experience from our first conversation to the completion of a family home.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Last summer, we moved from our office on Brewery Row to a loft-style studio on Clarke Street. Every day we take inspiration from the view outside our window. We put a lot of thought into how to settle ourselves into the Port Moody community and our location also provides us with an effortless understanding of the Port Moody lifestyle. We are close to transit to allow easy access for our employees and clients and are surrounded by many amazing local businesses. Many of our existing clientele are professionals in the community and we aim to shelter them from the majority of renovation stress. We believe in implementing tangible designs for the families we work with. In such a client-based industry where the design relationships last for months, we feel it is important to ensure an overall innovative process. This not only achieves a beautiful final product, but establishes lasting relationships with clients even after the project is completed. To account for the environmental impacts the design industry is responsible for, we pay special attention to the housing crisis currently sweeping through BC. JBD collaborated with Passive House to provide sustainable housing such as the certified home in Kitsilano and BC Hydro’s Smart Home. Two members of our design team are graduates of Passive House as certified Consultants. Jamie is an Ambassador for Habitat for Humanity and a Committee Member for The Ronald McDonald House. Recently, Jamie attended the RMH Gala which raised $600,000, or the equivalent of 4000 nights for families to stay in the RMH. We completed the renovation of the RMH Playroom and we are in the process of another renovation project for RMH’s Surrey location. On March 8th for Women's Day, we donated to and are volunteering for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre "HERStory" Gala. Closer to home, Jamie Banfield Design Inc. participated in Innovative Fitness’s Adventure Challenge, which raised over $118,000 for KidsSport. For years, JBD has contributed to Crossroads Hospice and Eagle Ridge Hospital where we took part in an auction for decorated trees and a toy drive. We were involved in Crossroad’s “Treasures of Christmas” last November.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

We love what we do. The opportunity to work with people and bring their ideas to life presents such a rewarding environment for us. No two projects are the same and that gives us the firsthand experience to work with and meet people from all lots of life. Adapting our process to them, getting to know them throughout it, and then presenting the finished product at the end and seeing how happy they are is incomparable and we are lucky to experience that in our line of work. Making an impact on the community, a family, or just a single person makes all the difference. We do what we can, where we can, and always strive to make a connection with people. Our business is very people-oriented; we are creating homes perfectly tailored to their wants, needs, and personalities. We grow attached to them and their projects along the way and leave a bit of ourselves with them when they are completed. Not many people can say they love what they do but we are part of the lucky few who enjoy our work and our impact on people.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

At Jamie Banfield Design Inc., we take the lead with both the client and the different contractors and vendors we associate with. The design and construction world moves gradually—sometimes agonizingly so. In a slow industry combined with unanticipated setbacks, good communication with clients, tradespeople, city permitters, and the team members within JBD is crucial. While a necessity for any business, many members of the design industry don’t take the time to keep the homeowners constantly in the loop. To us, honesty is essential. We will tell you why living in your house while it's being renovated will be an absolute nightmare, but we’ll also walk you through the whole process if you still choose to do it anyway. To differentiate ourselves from other design firms, we offer a fixed-fee design package and tailored deliverables for each project. Instead of billing hourly, the client is presented with a breakdown of the cost total from the get-go so they aren’t surprised by the grand total when it comes. We specifically developed this process to relieve stress for our clients and make the process feel more accommodating. After COVID, we fully implemented ZOOM and virtual meetings into our arsenal to ensure that everything is just a quick call away if a client has a question or concern. However, we make sure to honour our employee's free time as well. Work hours are separated from at-home hours to ensure optimal work-life balance.