Living in Vancouver*, people are often surprised to hear that I work for a company based in Ottawa—yes, even in the age of digital-first work models. However, we at Spruce have fully embraced the hybrid work model, allowing for flexibility for our core team in Ottawa and providing the opportunity to extend our presence out west.
‘Spruce West’ was established in 2022 with two team members: myself as Director of Brand Development and Art Director Christopher McCluskey, who re-located from Ottawa to Vancouver. As it just so happens, Chris and I used to work together at an agency in Toronto, so we have an established work relationship and friendship which has helped to foster a solid foundation for our west coast presence. Plus, we’re in a band together!
The most common question I get is around working on EST hours while living in the PST time zone. Yes, it means earlier mornings, but it also means earlier afternoons, which means extra time to spend outside, go to appointments, take a class or head to band practice! To me, this is part of hybrid working and something I appreciate about Spruce’s approach to it—the flexibility to create work-life harmony.
Despite being 3,500 km apart, and in different time zones, we lean into the many ways technology allows us to stay connected. We utilize platforms like Zoom, Basecamp and Dropbox to collaborate on projects, and our Monday Stand-up is not simply a function of productivity and transparency but treated as a moment to share about our weekends, and express gratitude for team members in the week prior.
This practice has allowed us to maintain the Spruce culture—or “Sprulture”—that has been developed over the last 10 years and continues to grow. Embedded in this is a desire to create authentic connections within the team by finding time to get to know each other beyond the day-to-day work. As an extension of that, we have an annual Spruce meet-up in Ottawa to allow for good old fashioned real-life moments for both work and play (last year we went head-to-head at The Orange Monkey Bar & Billiards… Paul won.)
Spruce West has also been an opportunity for us to consider how we can grow. We have been fortunate enough to partner with some incredible west coast clients, like:
- Woodward and Co. Lawyers LLP, a law firm that works exclusively with Indigenous governments and organizations.
- BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS), a non-profit organization that provides programing, resources and services to early childhood educators, support service professionals, and Indigenous children and families.
- RaceRocks, a woman-led, Indigenous-owned training modernization company.
As we look ahead, we’re particularly excited by opportunities to collaborate with values-aligned clients that operate within our sectors: city building, human development, Indigenous priorities, and sustainability.
To that end, we see and appreciate the similarities and differences between Ottawa and Vancouver, and celebrate all that comes with that. For example, both share a strong arts and culture scene, led more and more by diverse voices. And both cities are navigating the challenges of aging populations, housing insecurity, and public health crises like the opioid epidemic—and have incredible organizations and community members that are working to create sustainable solutions. We also continue to be amazed by people in both cities who are invested in long-term solutions to climate change and the energy crisis, embedding Indigenous knowledge and leadership along the way.
Ottawa and Vancouver are places that Spruce calls home, and where we continue to support our vision of helping to create the communities we want to live in: diverse, just, equitable, sustainable, vibrant, prosperous and committed to collectively reaching our potential.
While we informally and affectionately call our two locations ‘Spruce West’ and ‘Spruce East’, there is no mistaking that we are intentionally a small, united team focussed on one thing: helping the good grow. We are excited to continue working with clients and partners in Ottawa, Vancouver and beyond.
* We’d like to acknowledge that Vancouver is situated on the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Amanda McMillan is the Director of Brand Development at Spruce. You can often find her exploring East Vancouver or on a forest walk with her rescue dog, Ru. You can reach her at amanda@sprucecreative.ca or connect on LinkedIn.