Chandos is one of the most admired companies in Canada: A 100% employee-owned construction company with offices across Canada, they are the first and largest B Corp certified commercial builder on the continent.

(Full disclosure: my purpose consultancy Conspiracy of Love had the privilege of doing some work with Chandos in 2019 which is where I got to know about this incredible company).

They have long pioneered the idea of inclusive hiring, focusing on recruiting young people from underprivileged backgrounds to give them a pathway to a better life.

Now the company is breaking new ground with the launch of a Social Procurement Guide (in association with Buy Social Canada), which helps companies think through how they can spend their dollars in a way that drives social impact.

I caught up with Chandos President Tim Coldwell to find out more about his remarkable journey, and how that has fuelled his desire to help a new generation of people and organizations.

Tim Coldwell: My father is an evangelical minister. I was home schooled and taught to fear people who were different or had different ideas than what the ministry believed. At a very young age my mother taught me to read at a high level and we spent hours in the local library. That was my saving grace. In my early teens I read Kant, Dostoevsky, Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli. Their words shaped me, especially without the traditional school system that rewards students for fitting in. A couple of years later, I left that world to go to university. That choice led me down a new path and shaped my future as a business leader. 

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