Take a look around at some of the commercial and industrial buildings in Richmond and it can serve as a detailed company history for this year’s winner of the Hall of Fame award in the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards — RCG Group.
Established in 1964 by Harvey Goodwyn, who was born in Vancouver and raised in Richmond, the draftsman used his knowledge of developing to multi-family homes and steel fabrication to begin defining his hometown with numerous buildings that included Brighouse Industrial Park.
“We feel a very strong connection to Richmond, having been based here, but also having benefitted from the growth over the decades,” said one of Harvey’s sons, Harold Goodwyn, who started in the family business in 1990 and today is managing director of RCG Group, which manages and develops commercial property.
“My dad built a series of buildings over his career,” Goodwyn said, adding the one which remains prominent for him is the former site of Douglas (later known as Kwantlen) College on Elmbridge Way, that was developed in the early 1970s and is still in use today as a provincial court house. “Forty-five years later, the building is still very functional.”
And that attribute of longevity extends to the present with a collection of properties the company plans to re-habilitate instead of re-develop in the City Centre area.
“We see that as an opportunity to retain employment in the city centre to contribute in a green way,” Goodwyn said. “To be able to deliver enduring products and services that not only offer value to our clients, but have some inherent appeal, as well, is what I strive for and what motivates us.”
RCG remains committed to Richmond and is headquartered on Cedarbridge Way.
, such as the original site of Douglas College (left). Photo by Rob Newell/Special to the News
