Royal LePage opens new office on Southview Drive

By Collin Gallant on October 6, 2017.

Medicine Hat News

After years of planning and nine months of major construction, Bob Kalista says he’s finally transformed what was once a carwash on the outskirts of Medicine Hat into a family home for his 48 real estate agents.

The newly expanded offices of Royal LePage Community Real Estate at 1202 Southview Drive were opened to the public and clients with a grand re-opening on Thursday afternoon.

More than 200 were expected to attend the soiree.

“I do everything by gut, because if you do math there’s hardly ever a right time,” said Kalista, franchise owner.

“We’re the largest office in the city and we’ve had employees who have been here for 26 years. It’s our new home.”

The building that originally stood as a 2,500 square-foot carwash was converted to a one-storey office decades ago. It now measures 8,400 square feet, following work that began last winter.

That’s room enough to accommodate related lending and insurance divisions, said Kalista, at the location near 13th Avenue SE.

Most notable from the street is a second storey, new exterior and a sloped west-sidewall designed to accommodate a nearby powerline.

Inside, new finishes hide a completely new mechanical and heating system.

The expansion added 10 offices on the top floor, bringing the total to 39 workspaces. There is a completely remodelled lobby, and the top floor features a brand new conference room, as well as rooftop patio.

Jim Morris, Royal LePage’s western regional manager, attended the event.

“It’s a trend in most offices that agents prefer to work at home when they are not out with clients,” said Morris, based in Vancouver. “Here, it seems, people really enjoy coming in to work.”

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