Next up in our 10-year interview series is Heather — the heart of fabric culture and the glue that holds everything together. In her dynamic role supporting operations across every department, Heather is the steady force that keeps the whole machine running.
Let’s start off with who you are and what your role is at fabric?
I’m Heather, the Manager of Corporate Operations at fabric. A lot of what I do is focused on the day-to-day operations within our office. It’s quite a unique role because it gives me the ability to work with each of the departments within our business and it also allows me to drive our corporate culture which I feel is what really makes us unique in the industry.
You wear many hats in your role at fabric and seem to be able to balance it all quite well. What sort of personality traits of yours do you think help with that?
Our team is quite lean and dynamic. Everybody within each of our departments has an incredibly large
resume of expertise. You could say that I am more of a generalist – a Jill of all trades! I’ve found a lot
of success in being adaptable. I need to be able to jump into a lot of different things and tackle all
sorts of challenges, so I fill the gaps where I can and am always on my toes. Communication is key.
When you do work across different departments, you have to be able to speak to the language that
they use and so being able to communicate effectively across these different departments allows me
to do my job effectively and create real synergy for the company.
You play a key role in shaping fabric’s culture and making sure team milestones are recognized and celebrated. What’s something recent the team has done to build culture or foster team bonding?
At the beginning of this year we introduced something called the fabric Fika. This is a way of life for the Swedes and I’ve incorporated it into our fabric culture as a casual way to get the office together on a regular basis. While it is scheduled in the calendar so that the team knows when it is happening, it gives us an organic way to step back from all the to-do lists and connect on a more social and personal level.
What do you find attracts employees to come into the office instead of working from home and what helps maintain a smooth-running office with a strong, positive culture?
As an office we have this, I like to call it a cool, calm, collected, casual vibe where we are easy-going
and yet we still uphold the pragmatic, business culture and acumen.
Can you tell me about a cause that is near and dear to the fabric team and some of the recent fundraising initiatives you’ve organized to support?
A couple years ago we got connected with the battered women support services (BWSS.) They’re a
grassroots, small organization that’s been around forever. A lot of their focus is on providing advocacy and support services for gender-based violence. They have been able to create various platforms to help build awareness around what they do and of course provide services for those in need. We have been able to support them over the last couple of years and raise over $16,000 for their Sweat to Support challenge that they do every summer. I love a good competitive challenge and so do a lot of people in the office. So, we rallied together to sweat for a cause and raise funds to help BWSS continue to do what they do and give them the resources that they need to continuously provide support and services for those in need.
I know you love to check out the newest restaurants + cafes in town. Which one stood out to you recently?
So, Italian food is the way to my heart. I’ve recently discovered Elio on Cambie. They have great
interiors, a very welcoming and warm environment and great service too – not to mention negroni
options for days. There’s something for everybody.
Outside of the office, what is something that you have been working towards lately?
FONDO BABY! At the beginning of this year, I decided to take on road cycling very seriously. I leaned in so hard that I bought a new bike and signed up for two Fondos this summer! I’ve been clocking a lot of kms and getting after a good physical challenge on the road.