MARCH 2026 “We’ve got great relationships with all our partners, and that means a lot to us,” he says. “We worked hard to build those relationships. When we started, we were just a few young guys and nobody had heard of us before. People were hesitant to work with us. But once folks saw the product, and they saw that we were easy to work, word travelled – and word travels pretty fast, especially in a smaller city like Halifax.” These days, established subcontractors and high quality vendors often approach Riva to collaborate. The secret, Matthew says, isn’t complicated: “Treat people as though you would want to be treated yourself. We’re easy to work with, and everybody wants the same thing: to build a beautiful product that the client is pleased with and that they’re proud to showcase.” As just one example of a strong subcontractor relationship, Matthew points to their relationship with Pevco Electric – a company known as one of the leading residential electrical contractors in the HRM Municipality. Over the last few years, Riva and Pevco have collaborated on a number of impactful projects, and Matthew believes their relationship has worked so well because they share the same values. Both companies believe in openness and honesty, they both prioritize meticulous organization, and they both believe in working collaboratively with all project stakeholders to ensure every detail is handled with care and precision. Riva Construction has also formed some similarly strong relationships with clients, and whatever direction the company grows, Matthew wants to continue doing that. “We’ve ended up being close friends with almost all of our clients,” he concludes. “We’ve got great relationships with them and that’s really important to us. We still get text messages and the odd call from clients that we finished building a home for years ago – and the calls aren’t about the home, they’re just calling saying ‘Merry Christmas?’ or ‘How have you been?’ or ‘What’s new?’” “And some of my favourite calls are, ‘Hey, I’ve got a friend that wants to build. We love you so much; we highly recommend you.’ We know there’s no better indicator of satisfaction than that. We know that means we’re doing something right.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=