UDI New Member Spotlight: TLA Developments

UDI CAPITAL REGION | June 28, 2021

Tell us a bit about TLA Developments. What brought you to join UDI Capital Region?

TLA Developments is a veteran-owned and operated property development company based in Edmonton, Alberta. TLA Developments co-founders Troy Grant and Chris Bradley have been coming to the Capital Region for many years now for vacations and to visit family and friends, but it has been only within the past five or six they have been either consulting, designing or building in the area. After working for other development companies, Troy and Chris started TLA Group of Holding Companies Inc. a year and a half ago as a company focused on designing and developing condominium projects in the Capital Region.

Many of the partners we work with in the Greater Victoria area are members of UDI. From them, we have heard very positive things about UDI Capital Region. We have also seen a great deal of positive articles about the organization and are looking forward to taking part in workshops and information sessions offered by UDI Capital Region.

Also, we want to be active members of the communities in which we work. Engaging in professional association like UDI is a great way for us to do that and to meet fellow developers and professionals in the Greater Victoria region.

What do you feel sets TLA Developments apart from other developers?

We believe there are a few things that make TLA Developments unique.  Firstly, many of our executive team members are veterans with a background in the Canadian Armed Forces. They learned their leadership and management skills in places like Bosnia-Herzegovina, the western Sahara, Afghanistan and other diverse, challenging environments. We leverage our military staff training and bring those sensibilities to everything we do. Secondly, TLA Developments is an innovative company with a focus on collaboration. When we talk about our team, we are talking about more than our staff and families. We believe that the municipalities in which we operate, neighbours, Chambers of Commerce, consultants, and stakeholders are all part our team. Through understanding our communities, and the housing needs of our target demographics, we believe we are truly designing to meet the demands of the community rather than simply increasing the housing stock. Our engagement approach is in-depth and thorough, touching base with all relevant stakeholder. It is designed to ensure we have gathered and responded to as many inputs as possible before we bring our requests to the municipality. The third thing that sets us apart is our commitments and our focus on our vision and mission, outlined below.

• Value: quality product for the owner. Solid return for the investors
• Transparent: Open and communicative about our projects and processes
• System Approach: focused development process, which allows us to provide a consistent product and return for our investors.
• Supportive communities: Work in collaborative municipalities

For us, these are more than just words. They help guide us in every decision we make.

How do you define success for your projects? Is there a project you are most proud of?

We define success in a project very simply: Have we met or exceeded the promises that we made? Have we been responsible corporate citizens? Does the municipality and our consultants return our calls and actively engage us as much as we engage them? When we answer ‘yes’ to all these questions then we know we have been successful.

Additionally, if the client feels they received excellent value for their purchase, the community and city have a project that they feel was needed and brought value to the area, and a project is completed without injuries – that is success to us. We want to make sure everyone on our team, whether it is a TLA staff member, or any of our valued vendors and sub-contractors, make it home to their families.

As for a project we are most proud of, it has to be the team we have built. The buildings are all beautiful and have their own nuances, but the TLA team is our greatest achievement.

As our communities slowly re-open, are there any positive changes you see in the development industry that have come as a result of Covid-19? Anything you’re eager to leave behind?

We were very impressed to see how quickly everyone adapted to the new environment and the remote capacities of municipalities, investors, and home buyers. However, virtual meetings do not have the same personal touch as in-person connections. The pandemic has made it more difficult to build the personal connections and professional links that make development smoother. We will not be disappointed to have more in-person meetings with our local teammates and stakeholders. We like meeting the people we work with and work for!

See more at: udicapitalregion.ca/news/new-member-spotlight-tla-developments