Let’s start off with your name and your role here at fabric?

My name is Alli Jewell and my role is Director of Accounting at fabric living.

You’ve played a key role in setting up fabric’s accounting and investor portals and processes. How have these improvements made things more efficient for both the fabric team and our investors?

Acumatica is our accounting software. Getting that set up has made it much more efficient for reviewing invoices, managing approval and payment processes and analysing data. Conventional accounting methods rely heavily on paper records, often requiring time-consuming searches for invoices and contracts during budget and cost analysis. By adopting a cloud-based accounting solution, we can access data instantly, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing staffing requirements.

Juniper Square is fabric’s investor portal, which allows all of our investors to see their contributions, distributions, investor reports, subscription agreement, tax information etc. Investors and their administrators can log in from anywhere to get the most up to date information and see historical data. It also allows us to easily send through confidential tax information that you would otherwise need to mail. With the click of a button it’s done, instead of mailing individual tax receipts to every single investor for every single project.

Both programs make our accounting operations more efficient, which helps save us time and keep our accounting and finance team lean.

What is it about real estate projects that gets you most excited or inspired?

I just love how tangible real estate is.

Living in Vancouver, a beautiful city with high housing demand, makes real estate development especially important.

You’ve joked that many people might find your role boring—but you definitely don’t. What is it about accounting that you find NOTBORING?

Building on what I find inspiring, while accounting can sometimes be routine—and what some might consider “boring”—our efficient and timely processes allow me to understand both the current and future state of our projects and management company. This insight enables our team to make informed, timely decisions that keep projects moving forward and ensure the financial viability of the organization. In reality, this work is anything but boring.

What do you think makes the culture at fabric unique?

Obviously, the people are a big part of it, but I would highlight the investment in personal growth through initiatives like our “book club.” Together, we select a book and discuss a few chapters each week. We’ve explored books such as The Speed of Trust, The Four Agreements, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. These books have encouraged me to learn more about myself, build confidence in voicing my opinions, trust both myself and my teammates, and work on not taking things personally. What makes this initiative truly unique is seeing each team member not only reading these books, but actively living the lessons learned each day, whilst supporting one another in the process.

Outside of the office, how do you like to spend your weekends?

I have young kids and working full time means I don’t see them as often as I would like. I love getting this quality time with them on the weekends and taking them to their activities. I especially love spending time with them in the Summer near the water. I grew up in Bermuda, so that’s how I spent my free time. Watching my kids enjoy it as much as I do makes me so happy.  

The office snack drawer is a fabric favourite … What’s your go-to office treat?

That is an easy one. Coke Zero and sour patch kids.