Dreams, Diversity and Designs
Our first Community Hero article is on Reuben Butterfield, of MicroBrand. He is responsible for the HeroWork Contractor Directory, which lists our contractors, designers, graphic artists, and all other service-oriented sponsors.
The Journey
Executive Director Paul Latour realised that there needed to be a co-ordinated listing of all those contractors and suppliers who have worked and donated to the HeroWork projects. By having a Directory, Greater Victorians could see who contributed, and hopefully support those caring, community-minded companies. Enter Reuben, and his company MicroBrand.
Given to frequent smiles and an easy laugh, he has been an excellent fit with the HeroWork team. His journey to get here is a most interesting tale. He’s trekked his way across the country, starting from Southern Alberta, then heading east to the bright lights of Toronto. At some point during his time living in the Centre of the Universe, he decided to head to the West Coast, in pursuit of the youthful quest of “living in a driftwood hut and baking bread in a whalebone oven”. While that idea didn’t exactly pan out as dreamed, he’s had a host of other great experiences, with time spent working and learning in the restaurant industry and the irrigation consulting industry; in parallel to developing a passion for graphic design, web work, and marketing. Diversity just might be his middle name, which Reuben feels brings a unique perspective and skill set to his work today.
The Connection
Community projects have always been a part of MicroBrand, but Reuben likes to take a different route; he looks to find a need in the the community, figure out how he can contribute, and go after that. He says, “It’s about finding great projects to support, and integrating MicroBrand into the process”.
His connection with HeroWork began when he started seeing our bumper stickers around town – mostly on the rear of vehicles. He liked the look of the logo from a design perspective. After checking on what HeroWork was about, he contacted Paul, and so the HeroWork-MicroBrand relationship began.
Reuben likes the grassroots approach, and being a small business owner himself, he understands the frustrations and pain points of small business. He volunteers for the “feel-good value” of doing community projects. Which is where he found a similarity with HeroWork – volunteers working together for the common good.
The Motivation
His perspective on volunteering with HeroWork is focused on helping all the way down the ladder: he and MicroBrand help HeroWork and the volunteers involved in a Radical Renovation, this in turn helps the organisation benefiting from the project, which helps the groups and people that the organisation helps, and on it goes. A veritable renovation ladder of pay-it-forward!
Reuben Butterfield thinks the partnership with HeroWork is a “fantastic one”, and sees this as a long-term, ongoing partnership. We feel the same, and are grateful to have such talent as another Local Hero.
