Photo: Ellen Crystal
When Inis Leblanc asked Pete Auld if he could help with a new Squamish ReBuild sign she was planning to install on the Highway, she thought he was going to answer a few questions.
Little did she know he would spearhead the whole project , using his connections to get discounts, hire employees, and work for 200 hours through the summer hear to install the sign.
In labour and material costs, Auld contributed about $36,000, including approx. 200 hours of his time.
He hasn’t charged Inis anything for any of this.
“This is just incredible generosity from one man in terms of both money and time,” Inis says.
“Without him, I would have no clue how to build and install this sign.”
Getting a sign up on the highway was part of the business plan Inis wrote last year for her business, Squamish ReBuild. But she had no idea what it would entail to bring the plan to reality.
She thought of Pete Auld, who has operated a local fabricating business, S2S, and has known her since 2004. He told her he would help her, but Inis had no idea he would go out of the way to do so.
After coming up with a rough concept, Auld went around shopping for material, but told the businesses why he needed the material. He managed to get discounts from several businesses, who also wanted to pitch in to help Inis.
Cardinal Concrete, Triton, Blackmount, Blone Blond Creative, SKC Engineering, Black Tusk Cranes, Paradide Fabricating, Greg Gardner Motor, Howe Sound Equipment were some of the businesses that pitched in to help.
“I told them this was for a good cause,” Auld said, smiling.
It took Auld about one month, from doing the groundworks to actually installing the signs on the Highway.
Once the sign was complete and the costs were tallied, Inis realised Auld had contributed close to $36,000 in labour and material costs. She asked him if they could work out a payment plan, but he has refused.
As for Auld, he says he helped because he believed in the idea behind Squamish ReBuild.
“I knew this was for a good cause and the entire community would benefit from this,” he says.
Since the sign went up, Inis says there has been an increase in the number of people coming to the store. If it wasn’t for the generosity of Pete and all the businesses, there would have been no sign, she says.
“Pete is a really generous person and it’s a fantastic example of real community in action,” she says.
