Amsted is proud to be one of Ottawa’s premiere design and build firms and we have been around for more than 25 years. But despite being a leader in the field, here are six things you likely did not know about the company.
The name Amsted is an amalgamation of the first names of the company’s founders: SAM, STEVE & FRED. Only Steve Barkhouse, who is president, and his father, Fred, are still involved with the company.- The company’s headquarters are in a renovated (of course it’s renovated!) barn on the Barkhouse family farm.
- Amsted is the only company to have been named Renovator of the Year 6 times by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association.
- The heads of both Amsted (Steve Barkhouse) and our sister company Promus Ottawa (Kirk Haw) have been friends since they were 6 years old.
- Amsted was the first company to complete a LEED Platinum renovation. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a measure of a serious commitment to green building and living.)
- We really are one big family: 20% of the staff is related to one another!