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Harold Green. Chairman of Verdiroc Construction
Company and Principal of Greenwin Property Management, was inducted
into the Hall of Fame recently by the Greater Toronto Home Builders'
Association (GTHBA).
The induction recognizes Mr. Green's lifetime achievement to
housing in Canada including his ongoing contributions to innovation
in high-rise construction and his lasting work in labor relations
for equitable working conditions and benefits for construction
laborers.
Mr. Green learned the construction biz quite literally from
the ground up, having taken up bricklayer's tools following
in his father's footsteps. After receiving his award, Mr. Green
spoke of his current company, Verdiroc, which he started to
give his three sons "a business they could step into ...if they
so wanted." He said that is indeed what they did want and joked
that "today I more or less work for them. I'm still waiting
for my first raise."
Greenwin Construction was founded in 1948 by Harold's father,
Lipa Green. Mr. Green managed Greenwin's construction division
from 1952 to 1978, where he was later joined by his sons Eric,
Cary and Kevin. Verdiroc's many condominium developments include
Castle Hill, The Ports. Aurora Highlands, The Orion and the
Braxton.
This was the first of a number of awards Mr. Green will receive
this year in recognition of a lifetime of service to the construction
industry and community causes. A few days after being inducted
into the Hall of Fame, he was honored by Mount Sinai Hospital
for his active involvement on the executive committee and as
an honorary director of the hospital board, and supervision
of more than 30 building projects. In June, he and his wife
Miriam will be awarded the Canada-Israel Children's Peace Prize
for their support of social and recreational complexes in Israel,
which benefit more than 200,000 children a year.
Letters recommending his induction into the GTHBA Hall of Fame
included one from a union official who noted that Mr. Green
"could write a book about the many significant contributions
he made for the advancement of the housing industry."
The former head of a major Toronto-based developer, who has
known Green for more than 30 years, praised his high levels
of integrity, maturity and understanding and especially his
construction skills.
"People outside of our industry have not experienced our apprehensions
when the economy goes into a deep freeze," said Mr. Green. "Or
the tensions when dealing with financial institutions, or the
agonizing and time consuming process of grinding approvals through
the bureaucratic levels. It's a tough business, but I wouldn't
be any place else."
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