Download The Keith Beedie Story - Beedie Group

96
THE KEITH
BEEDIE STORY
THE KINGSWAY OFFICE
When Keith rebuilt the Beedie Construction headquarters on Kingsway in 1956, it wasn’t just an offi ce he
was creating. He was laying the foundation for an entire business. Perhaps that was why it was hard for Keith
to consider moving into new offi ces once Beedie Construction had outgrown the space.
When the offi ce was completed, three-quarters of the building was taken up by Keith’s workshop. The
work space enabled him to do custom cabinetry and other fi nishing items for the homes he was building.
Despite the square footage the workshop occupied, there was still empty offi ce space, which Keith
rented to other businesses. As time passed and the company expanded, the workshop shrank and Beedie
employees gradually took over tenant-occupied spaces. To make more room, the carport was enclosed
and converted into offi ces. Soon, the whole building was given over to Beedie Construction, and before
long, the existing space was too cramped.
Numerous renovations over the years have extended the life of the building, including the construction of
a second fl oor. “I believe we renovated seven times,” says Keith. “I lost track of how often we reconfi gured
the space, changed the interior around, shuffl ed departments or altered the outside.” The growing business
meant more people needed to be hired, each requiring some place to work in the offi ce. The building, which had
started at 3,000 square feet, had ballooned into a 7,000-square-foot, two-storey structure.
Clients and sub-trades with whom Keith has worked all share stories about meetings and Christmas parties
in the increasingly tight quarters. But Keith couldn’t be convinced to look for a new offi ce. “I never did think
we’d outgrown it,” says Keith. “Although, I did have to admit that seven parking spots for 43 people was tough
to make work.”
Ryan Beedie, on the other hand, knew that the time had come to consider a new location when Keith proposed
that the cramped accounting department move to new digs down the street. After years of creative space
maximization and innovative renovations, the curtain fi nally closed on 5367 Kingsway.
Th e Beedie Group’s former offi ces
at 5367 Kingsway in Burnaby.
PART 2: BUILT TO LAST
CHAPTER 8: IF IT WASNʼ T FOR BAD LUCK, Iʼ D HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL …
“Keith is proud to be in Burnaby. I don’t think he wants to leave his
roots behind. It’s admirable.”
—KELLY McKNIGHT, RBC ROYAL BANK
At the same time as he was moving into the new company headquarters,
Keith was fi nishing work on the last house in Central Park Garden
Village for the Watson family. Everything was done, except for the
fi nal touches. As he had with all the homes in the subdivision, Keith
off ered to add wood planters by the front door for
an extra charge. Watson had paid for everything but
the planters. “He asked if I wanted cash or a cheque
and I said cash would be fi ne,” says Keith. “I put the
$25 he gave me into my pocket and forgot all about
it.” Watson and his wife, who worked for the Canada
Revenue Agency, noticed the cash going into Keith’s
pocket and it started them thinking. “In those days,
the CRA would give you a 10 percent share of any
money they seized from tips about evasion,” says Keith.
“Th ey took a complete stab in the dark and reported
me.” Keith had no idea he was under investigation.
Months later when Keith arrived at his offi ce, he walked in to see a
frantic Lola. “A horrible-looking little man with a moustache just like
Hitler’s was sitting behind my desk grinning,” says Keith. “I asked him
what the hell he thought he was doing. He said, ‘I’m here from the CRA
and I’m looking at your accounts.’ I could tell right away he was the
zealous type of person who loves to go aft er the smallest infraction. I
saw him sitting there behind my desk, smug as all get-out, and decided
I wasn’t going to be pushed around.”
An RCMP offi cer was standing guard at the door and several men were
fi lling boxes with papers and ledgers. Th e phone was ringing, with an
upset Lee at the other end, asking what to do as the house was being
raided, too. Keith quickly took measure of the situation, telling Lee to
ask to see a warrant. He hung up and asked the same question of the
tax men in the offi ce. Th ey pulled out the warrant and asked, “You are
Beedie, correct?” Keith grabbed the paperwork and saw that the address
listed was for the temporary offi ce he had used in the motel down the
street. He showed the police sergeant the error. “Th e RCMP offi cer
smiled and said, ‘Get out, you guys.’ He was happy to throw them out on
their ears.” Th e investigators had to drop what they had and leave.
“A horrible-looking little man
with a moustache just like
Hitlerʼs was sitting behind
my desk grinning …”
97