Katherine Gyles has built her professional and her personal life on a passion for community.
That’s what brought her and her husband out of Toronto and into Collingwood. Her husband convinced her they should move to Collingwood full-time. As it happened, he was right, because Gyles found her dream job.
She discovered a job listing on LinkedIn that appeared as if it was created just for her.
“It’s the job posting I would have written for myself,” said Gyles.
Gyles is the Senior Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness and Corporate Communications for Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc. She grew up In Kingston, and spent her early career in national and global business in senior HR roles.
“It’s an organization with a sense of community and a passion about what they do,” said Gyles. “People at Parkbridge love what they do.”
Parkbridge began in 1998 when its founders invested in two properties and a small staff to manage land-lease communities. Today, the Parkbridge empire includes 115 properties and 1,100 employees.
There are 75 residential land-lease communities geared toward retirees and families.
A land-lease community offers home ownership for a reduced up-front cost. Buyers will purchase the house, and lease the land from Parkbridge. Typically the communities will also include a community centre and other amenities that are established based on resident’s needs. For example, some communities offer lawn care and snow removal as part of the lease agreement.
“We continue to improve relationships with our residents so it continues to feel like a place you want to live,” said Gyles. “We fit into that sweet spot in the market.”
By leasing the land, Gyles said the price of the home can be 30 per cent lower than other comparable homes in the area.
Parkbridge also owns and operates 40 RV and cottage resort properties across Canada.
Locally, Parkbridge operates nine communities in the region including Park Place, Wasaga Meadows, Wasaga Pines, and Wasaga Dunes. There are also projects in the works on Grey Road 19 in Craigleith and on Christie Beach Road in Meaford.
The Parkbridge head office was located in Calgary, but is being moved to Collingwood. For now, the office is located on the top floor of the Admiral Building, but the company has acquired land on Huron Street where it plans to build a new head office by 2020. The company will be re-hiring about 20 employees as a a result of the move.
Gyles said Collingwood was a better fit for the Parkbridge head office.
“Collingwood is the kind of community in which we’re operating,” she said. “In Calgary it didn’t feel like we were close to our customers. Collingwood feels like a community where you’d like to be, it’s an attractive place to live.”
Since setting up office in Collingwood, Parkbridge employees have been supporting the YMCA - in particular by participating in the recent Move To Give campaign.
“We like the way they connect to the community,” said Gyles, adding the company would like to do more to support the local YMCA.
