In today’s episode, Mariah and Ryan chat with Hani Barzagar, Founder and President of HIBCO and First General Edmonton. After arriving as immigrants to Canada, Hani and his siblings moved from small town Halifax to Edmonton, where he began work in the construction industry as a subcontractor. Along with his brothers, Hani founded HIBCO Construction, and expanded through the acquisition of First General Edmonton. Hani shares with Ryan and Mariah what community means to him. They speak about Hani’s passion for revitalizing inner-city communities in support of small businesses, affordable housing and cultural diversity. In particular, along Church Street near McCauley, and mature neighborhoods like Norwood and Crestwood. Ryan and Mariah also learn about Hani’s work with small and large-scale restoration projects. Listen to the full episode for more details about Hani’s experience with the Fort McMurray and Northern BC Wildfires, his involvement with IDEA, and his hopes for the Zoning Bylaw Renewal project.

Hani originally started his career as a carpenter working in restoration and disaster-related projects for various companies . His passion and drive encouraged him to bring together like-minded individuals to create HIBCO Construction in 2009, a company focused on both restoration as well as full-service construction services for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. In 2021, Hani acquired his second company, First General, which augments his team’s restoration capacity. The two companies now employ over 150 people.  

He believes that collaboration can help to reduce the red tape and financial barriers that are limiting infill development. Hani is passionate about improving the connections between neighborhood residents and infill builders and developers; he believes that we need to work together to build empathy and understanding on both sides.