Tegan is a seasoned civil engineer who has broad experience overseeing how buildings come together from multiple perspectives, be they from that of the designer, architect, contractor or supplier, all the way to the client.

Tegan has a background in structural engineering and project management for mixed use, commercial and residential projects. Before forming RedBrick in 2012, Tegan was a project manager with ProCura Real Estate Services.

Recently Tegan co-founded Homestead, a new co-working space in Edmonton’s downtown. This is where RedBrick’s offices are located, as well as where Tegan continues to contribute to the business and entrepreneurial community in Alberta.

In 2010, Avenue Magazine named Tegan one of its Top 40 Under 40. She currently serves as the Past President of IDEA, the Infill Development in Edmonton Association, formed in 2013 to promote and advocate for high quality infill development in Edmonton.

Tegan’s Vision

What’s compelling me to do this?

I love building things and finally realizing the outcome of all my efforts. For me, buildings, structures, tell a story about communities. In a sense they’re the foundation, along with the people who live there, of what makes a community great. What kinds of people live here and how welcoming is it to newcomers and even the people who already call it home? I believe there’s not enough good development happening here in Edmonton, that a gap exists, and I want to fill that gap. And by doing that, I hope to contribute to making Edmonton an even richer and more vibrant community than it already is. I believe I know Edmonton, the city, as it exists right now, and its future potential. All the time I’ve spent in the community volunteering and working with Edmonton’s leaders has given me real insight. And then having a young family creates a real drive to make Edmonton this incredible city that stands as a model of innovation and inclusiveness. And I know me, Tegan, the person. I have a track record of getting things done and working closely with the community. I have a real desire to contribute and, with my skill set, I know I can help make things happen.

What makes me the best person to do it?

For some people, my path to becoming a business owner, an entrepreneur, may sound strange, but it really speaks of the type of person I am. For about the first decade of my career, I worked for other leading development companies and spent a lot of time observing, watching and listening. I was so fortunate to have a front seat to see how other developers do things and how new building developments come together. From that reflective, thoughtful perspective, I formed my own opinions and also began to visualize and plan what could be done differently and often better in terms of new developments. Then take all the volunteer and community work that I’ve done in Edmonton, along with listening and hearing what people want, and I have a strong picture of how new building developments can contribute and further make our city great. I know how a building needs to come together, and just as important, I know how it needs to be integrated into the community. I am not a person who quickly makes assumptions and jumps to conclusions. I take time to process and figure out how everyone can benefit. My original plan before I went into engineering was to become an architect. I have a good eye for design and a real need to be creative. I’ve been a professional photographer now for more than 10 years and before that I painted. By using both sides of my brain, I think it makes me a better developer.

What problem am I solving?

As a developer I want to go after the lack of affordable housing in our city and the lack of integrated housing where people of different ages and incomes live together. I think it’s a sign of a healthy building and ultimately a healthy community when you embrace everyone. That goes for students, seniors, low income and family housing. In fact, I believe we would solve many of our ongoing infrastructure problems if we adopted more of an inclusive approach. For example, right now our city has a problem of many new communities being developed where new families are locating and they need recreational facilities and schools. But in 20 years, when those children have left home and parents are looking to downsize, what happens with all that infrastructure? A more integrated housing approach reduces the likelihood of this occurring.

Who will benefit from what I’m doing?

Good developments benefit communities and the cities where they’re located. In Edmonton, we’re still young and really just starting to explore what different housing developments can do for the city. The types of developments I want to build will make Edmonton an even better community and the impact will be experienced at many different levels: the people who live in my developments, taxpayers because of the increased density and infrastructure, politicians will be able to take credit for their vision and support and city administration of course as a partner throughout the project. The sign that my company and the different people, organizations and partners involved have really achieved something is when these developments become a model that spread to other cities and communities across Canada and elsewhere.

What is special and important about what I’m doing?

At the heart of my business is inclusivity – inclusivity in housing which then becomes inclusivity in communities. When you look around and see what’s happening in Canada and elsewhere, a lot of it comes down to lack of inclusiveness. Not everyone feels welcome in our cities and neighbourhoods. Through the type of developments I build, I hope to break down those barriers.

When people feel there is a housing product available for them in the community, then they become part of the community. The same goes for seniors. When seniors are ready to downsize, but can’t find available housing in the community where they raised their children, we convey a strong message. By developing more inclusive communities, we’re giving our seniors’ options and everyone benefits.

What do my potential clients want?

They want to know they can trust me completely to manage and give them the perfect home that for most of them is the most expensive purchase they’ll ever make in their lives. There’s an expectation that I will think of everything so that when it’s delivered to them, it works perfectly without them even thinking about it. They want a home they can be proud of: it’s well designed and the layout is efficient. They want it to work without even thinking about it. Things like good lighting, access to the outdoors, operable windows so that people have a level of control over space and ability to enjoy outdoors and, whenever possible, rooftop patios.

What are their values and beliefs?

I look for clients and partners who have similar values and beliefs to mine. We need to agree that I won’t build crap, but robust buildings with a focus on quality. Even when budgets change, there’s still a focus on the overall vision, balanced with making money. In fact, if there were any budget constraints associated with a project, then I would reduce some amenities, not the R value. Up to this point, potential clients have verbally supported my perspective – my business is still young. They feel I’m honest, sometimes brutally honest, but they know they can rely on me to make the tough decisions and keep them informed. The entire development process depends on trust from the investors who invest in these projects, two-way trust with people buying the building and the same with suppliers and contractors. In Edmonton, there’s not a lack of infill, but a lack of quality infill. I know that if we meet clients’ needs and build valuable and quality products, then more work will come our way.

What will clients say to others about the service I provide?

“Tegan Martin-Drysdale provides outstanding customer service. She’s responsible, trustworthy and delivers an excellent quality product. You can always tell a RedBrick home from others because they stand out and just have that unique look. For me, RedBrick and Tegan are what immediately comes to mind when I think of great housing developments, just as I do the same with Apple and computers. I am constantly telling people about the great work she does and recommending her to friends and family. “