Homes by Avi’s Vered Amir: “Work hard, be yourself and be heard”

By Matthew Levine

(AJNews) – In 1974 Avi and Rachel Amir and their two small children immigrated from Israel to Calgary. Just two years later, Vered was born, and two years after that, Homes by Avi was founded. Vered Amir and her siblings grew up working in the business, and now, into adulthood, they are stepping up and playing executive roles in running the company today.

Vered is the youngest of three siblings and the only one born in Canada. Raised in a Jewish household that did not keep kosher, Vered learned the importance of cultural Jewish values. The Homes by Avi exec can recall various times her family lit the shabbat candles and the multiple visits to Israel to see her grandparents and extended family. In her youth, she attended Calgary Hebrew School until Junior High, where she made many friends. When she left for a public school, she felt as if she almost left the Jewish community. She found her way back when her children were young and attending Calgary Jewish Academy and now BBYO.

“Now, some of my best friends are in the Jewish Community,” said Vered. “I found myself back in the Jewish community once I had children.”

She emphasizes the importance of Jewish traditions as a gateway to family bonding. Vered loves celebrating holidays and sharing that cultural importance with her children.

“I am not by any means religious, but I am very proud to be Jewish and to maintain those traditions still.”

Vered fondly recounted what it was like to grow up at the same time that the family business was growing. She also explained that while Judaism did not directly impact her career path, the Jewish values instilled in her have taught her many lessons and shaped her into who she is today. These values, such as the importance of hard work, respect for others, and the value of family, have been instrumental in her personal and professional development.

“I love seeing women thrive, hands down, but can you do the job? As long as you can do the job and you’re really good at what you do, it really doesn’t matter what your gender is.”

“In our household growing up, it was all about contributing to the company… This is one of my dad’s favorite stories: When I was six years old, my dad took me to the job site, handed me a shovel, and we went down into a crawl space, and we were shoveling gravel. At six years old, my sister, brother, and I were always on a job site. If you wanted money, you had to work to earn it. If you wanted to spend time with my dad, you had to go to the job site… that’s just how it was.”

Into adulthood, Vered set out to work full-time for Homes by Avi as soon as possible. She had two children and took a ten-year break to pursue a career in makeup artistry. After COVID hit, she returned to her family’s business as the Director of Sponsorships and Community Engagement. Vered had to navigate balancing her work as a businesswoman and her life as a mother. Vered shared that as a mother, she feels the need to be there for her children and be around the house with them as much as possible, as that’s how she grew up. This has created an internal struggle for her as she spends as much time as possible on her important work for Homes by Avi.

“I can arrange my schedule. But it’s tough, and I won’t say it’s not. If you want to be at an executive level in a company, it’s a give and take… You only have so many hours in the day to make it work, so you try to be there for your kids, and you hope that they’ll see your drive and passion for your work.”

Vered attributes her work ethic not only to her father who started their business from the ground up, but to her mother as well.

“I saw my mom working her butt off in the house and for the business. She was always there for us for many years growing up, especially when we had nothing and my dad was starting… Hopefully, my kids see that same work ethic. I think it takes you far, and I don’t think they see a lack of love in the house because of it.”

Besides maternal instincts making work-life balance a daunting task, what does it take to be a businesswoman? Vered acknowledges that she works in a heavily male-dominated industry but points out that it is nice to see more and more women entering it. Although she does not feel her gender affects her career, she has tips for women trying to go down the same path. She takes a firm stance that the best-suited person for a job should be the best available candidate regardless of their gender.

“I love seeing women thrive, hands down, but can you do the job? As long as you can do the job and you’re really good at what you do, it really doesn’t matter what your gender is.”

She also notes that being yourself and having your voice heard is essential to succeeding as a businesswoman.

“When you try to be something that you’re not by replicating others’ masculinity, that’s not going to get you anywhere. What is empowering is being a woman and using the strength of femininity to express your voice and be heard.”

Matthew Levine is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.