When WalterFedy launched our Asset and Facilities Management team in 2016, Alex Lubczuk, still a student at the time, was one of the founding team members.

For Alex, a career at WalterFedy was always his aspiration. Raised in Kitchener, just down the street from our head office, Alex saw first-hand how our firm’s expertise and reputation grow within the community. This formed the basis of WalterFedy’s appeal for Alex. After he graduated from Conestoga College with a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Architecture, Project, and Facility Management, Alex was offered a position as a Planning and Project Management Analyst. Needless to say, he was thrilled to take what he’d learned in school and translate that to a career in the Facilities Management industry.

Now in his fourth year at WalterFedy and with many projects under his belt, Alex has one project that stands out the most. At the end of 2019, Alex was tasked with conducting a detailed Building Condition Assessment and long-term capital planning for the KidsAbility Centre for Childhood Development in Waterloo. For Alex, this was an opportunity to give back in a new way to an organization that was already cherished by both Alex and his family.

KidsAbility offers resources, programs, and support to families with children who have physical, communication, or developmental challenges. As a teenager, Alex volunteered for KidsAbility through his grandparents’ Rotary Club. This experience helping others has resonated with him ever since. “It’s nice to help people who are less fortunate,” says Alex. “It really puts things into perspective. Even our bad days could be a lot worse.”

Not only was this project personal for Alex, but it also presented an opportunity for professional development. He worked with the client to see the project through from start to finish, contributing to the firm’s long-standing relationship with KidsAbility. “Everyone had a hand in it,” said Alex, as other members of our design team played a role, affording Alex the opportunity to build relationships throughout the firm.

“At the end of the day, we provide a service to people who are in need,” says Alex. “They get a product they can rely on to meet their needs. I definitely like helping people in that regard.” For Alex, that’s what a career in Facilities Management is all about. “We’re not here to point out flaws. We’re trying to find creative and sustainable solutions to help our clients.”  

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If you’d like to explore a position with the Asset and Facilities Management team, be sure to visit our careers page or express your interest to hr@walterfedy.com. We're currently seeking a Team Leader for the group, but are always interested in adding passionate and knowledgeable professionals to our team.

To welcome winter, we turned to our Interior Designer, Lisa Speers, to give us a look into what we can expect in the coming season!  
 

Express Yourself

Bold geometrics, hand-drawn sketches, playful colour blocking: this style is all about expression. As with the expressionist art movement, this trend celebrates the bold and imperfect. You can try daring colour combinations such as burnished red with navy, or mustard with mauve, or  embrace line art – a key motif for this look.

Thoughtfully Simple

On the flip side, this trend encourages a calm, warm and peaceful mood to work in – it’s all about making our surroundings safe and inviting. If bold and bright isn't your style, trade it in for something soft and neutral. 

Colour Trends

This season, embrace warm neutrals like oatmeal and natural buff. Beige has also made a comeback and can serve as the perfect base to build around. 

Mustard is another popular colour in interiors. In previous seasons, we were seeing mustard paired with Scandinavian neutrals, but for this season, it is being matched with richer jewel tones. 

We haven’t seen a lot of purple in a while, but its time has come. Purple represents royalty, luxury, opulence, and also creativity, wisdom, and peace— all the things we want to feel in relation to our environments. Used on a small scale, this colour can have a big impact.