The face of engineering: Kelly Sherman

Ecora Engineering & Resource Group's stunning new headquarters is a reflection of its people-first mantra.

"It's designed to be a place where our team members can be the best version of themselves," says Ecora president and CEO Kelly Sherman.

"After all, teamwork is what drives the company. When the team is happy and collaborative and productive, we serve our valued clients better."

Ecora recently moved from two locations in downtown Kelowna to occupy a mid-town office building at 2045 Enterprise Way.

The space has been renovated into bright and airy open expanses with pods of adjustable, stand-up, sit-down desks, collaboration and community zones, breakout spaces, private booths and rooms for phone calls and meetings, a funky kitchen, games room and boardroom with a conference table that turns into a ping-pong table.

"Forty percent of productivity is discretionary," states Kelly. "So, we've created a cool place to be where our team members come first. Team members thrive when their unique talents are leveraged. Ecora has core values of People, Environment, Relationship, and community (PERC), which creates a culture where team members align and flourish."

Throughout the office, Indigenous art abounds, a nod to 30% of Ecora's projects being for Indigenous groups seeking support with land management, environmental services, and development projects. Ecora recently adopted its own action plan under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Entrepreneur, lawyer and former Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie has also joined the Ecora board as an independent director. Kelsey McLeod is Ecora's First Nations client manager and has also just become the Kelowna branch manager.

One of the biggest projects Ecora is involved with is the under-planning Opus master plan adjacent to Robert Louie's Indigenous World Winery in West Kelowna. It's a $500-million development of Ohkw:ri Medical Destination, hotel, condominiums and rental apartments, commercial and retail space.

Some of the other cool projects Ecora is involved with include another Indigenous master-planned community called Thunderwood Estates on East Boundary Road in West Kelowna, Nk'Mip Corner master plan for the Osoyoos Indian Band, refurbishing flood damaged homes and moving them to a new subdivision in Grand Forks and numerous BC Hydro and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure initiatives.

Ecora has a diverse, talented team of 200 who excel in civil, geotechnical, hydrotechnical, structural and mechanical engineering; environmental assessments; landscape ecology; environmental remediation; geomatics and data management; landscape architecture; forestry, legal land survey, development servicing, project management and marketing.

"We've moved to accounts-based marketing so we can service our core clients better with more services, rather than more clients with fewer services," says Kelly.

Thus said, with such an array of professionals and services in the Okanagan, Ecora is involved in almost every development and infrastructure improvement project in the Valley in some capacity. This is a reflection of all the exceptional people working with the Ecora team.