At Olympic International, our core values are at the centre of everything we do. They guide our decisions, shape our culture, and inspire us to create meaningful impact. In this interview, we dive into what our values represent and how they have evolved into the central force behind our mission.
At Olympic International, our core values are more than statements on a wall. They’re the foundation of how we do business, how we make decisions, how we treat one another, and how we show up for our customers, suppliers, and teams.
To bring those values into sharper focus, we sat down with Dana Merritt, our CEO, to talk about what the values mean on a practical level and how they continue to guide the company through growth and complexity.
Defining the Foundation
For Dana, the values are essential for creating clarity, not just for leadership, but for everyone in the company. “They’re the guiding principles,” she said. “They help people understand how we work and what we expect from each other.”
Each value—Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Entrepreneurialism, and Partnership—stands on their own, but they’re deeply interconnected.
Caring at Every Level
Caring is expressed in how people support each other internally and how they commit to doing meaningful work. Dana described it as a value that touches everything:
“We care about the people here, their wellbeing, their ability to thrive. We care about how the work affects the families connected to our team. That care extends to our customers, our suppliers, everyone across the board.”
Excellence as a Daily Practice
Rather than defining Excellence as a finish line, Dana sees it as a continual effort: “You do your best every day. You make thoughtful decisions. And when things go wrong, we come from ‘nothing is wrong’ and instead what actions do we need to take to get back on track and then we learn and improve.”
She emphasized that excellence shows up in small moments—choosing quality, being proactive, putting in the time to get something right and not just in the big achievements.
Integrity: Doing the Right Thing
Integrity is one of the values Dana personally identifies with most.
“It’s about doing the right thing, even when it’s uncomfortable. If something goes wrong, we own it. We don’t waste time on blame, we focus on resolving it.”
Integrity links back to our Company purpose: “Having buildings work” is about the integrity of systems we work with.
Entrepreneurialism Is Openness
“Olympic’s entrepreneurial spirit goes beyond growing new business. It’s about staying open to new ideas, tools, and ways of doing things.” Dana said. “Being entrepreneurial means looking for better ways to work, listening for opportunities, and being willing to explore them.”
She recalled Olympic’s early move to bring European heat pump technology to British Columbia, a step that required not only market insight but also deep investment in training, service, and support infrastructure. “Innovation can’t exist without accountability,” she said. “We don’t introduce something we can’t support.”
Partnership at the Core
According to Dana, Partnership might be the most visible value on a daily basis. “It shows up in the way our teams work together, the way we interact with suppliers and clients, and the way we approach challenges.”
The Evolution of Values
These values weren’t created from scratch, they were drawn from the company’s culture and history. Dana credits Olympics’ long history that has developed the foundation that Olympic was built on. “Olympic has always believed in win-win relationships and long-term thinking. The values were always there, even if they weren’t written down.”
When Dana stepped into leadership, she led a company-wide process to articulate what already existed. Through focus groups and reflection, the team identified the traits and actions that made us proud – identifying our shared values.
Looking Ahead
As the business grows, Dana expects the values will adapt slightly in how they’re communicated but not in what they mean. “Different leaders might frame them differently, but the essence won’t change. They’re fundamental.”
More than that, she believes values are what will allow Olympic to grow andcontinue to bring systems and products needed in our market
“They’re not a nice-to-have. They’re how we protect what makes Olympic special, and how we keep building it, together.”
