Key takeaways
- Kevin Halliday’s Shed Talks podcast began as casual conversations in his backyard shed about building businesses in Calgary.
- Allison Grafton founded Rockwood Custom Homes in 2009 and has won five consecutive Deloitte Best Managed Company awards.
- Shane Wenzel leads the Shane Homes Group of Companies, the family business his father Cal started in 1979, and is focused on succession and digitization.
- Olympic synchronized swimmer Michelle Cameron Coulter runs Inspiring Possibilities, a company born from a family project delivering gifts to children in Mexico.
Kevin Halliday didn’t set out to become a podcast host—he just wanted real conversations about building businesses in Calgary. What started as casual talks in his backyard shed has grown into Shed Talks, a platform where entrepreneurs, innovators and industry leaders share the unfiltered stories behind their success.
The format is simple: no studio polish, no corporate speak—just honest dialogue about what it takes to grow and scale in this city. Halliday sits down with the people shaping Calgary’s business landscape, one conversation at a time.
From the shed to the page, here’s what three of his guests are building—homes, legacies and possibilities.
Allison Grafton
Rockwood Custom Homes
Allison Grafton entered the construction industry in 2009 with a clear mission: disrupt it. As a client who’d built homes before, she experienced firsthand the lack of accountability and transparency plaguing residential building. Armed with an investment banking background and three young kids, she founded Rockwood Custom Homes to integrate what she calls “the devil’s triangle”— builder, architect, designer—under one roof, putting clients at the center instead of leaving them stranded.
Fifteen years later, Rockwood specializes in world-class luxury homes and Grafton has earned five consecutive Deloitte Best Managed Company awards— the only private, bespoke custom home builder in Canada to achieve gold status. Her approach remains unchanged: radical honesty, financial stewardship and building on time and on budget. “You can’t have life balance,” she admits, “but take exceptional care of yourself because you can be there for so many when you take care of you.”
Shane Wenzel
Shane Homes Group of Companies
Shane Wenzel learned construction the hard way—laying patio blocks at 14 while his friends enjoyed summer vacation. Thirty-four years later, he leads the family business his father Cal started in 1979, which has grown from picking up straggler lots in Edgemont into the Shane Homes Group of Companies— spanning single family, multifamily, land development and investments across Calgary.
His focus? Succession planning for the next generation and pushing the industry forward through digitization. “This generation has the greatest opportunity of any generation in the last 40, 45 years,” says Wenzel, who believes the wave of retiring construction veterans creates unprecedented room for innovation and growth in a city desperately needing housing solutions.
Michelle Cameron Coulter
Inspiring Possibilities
Michelle Cameron Coulter failed her first level of swimming four times. Years later, she stood on an Olympic podium as a synchronized swimmer—then spent the next decade battling an eating disorder triggered by a coach’s careless comment. The turning point came when she realized her three young children were watching her self-destruction.
Today, Coulter runs Inspiring Possibilities, a company born from a family crisis that became a miracle. When financial hardship hit and a fight broke out in her car’s backseat, her ten-year-old daughter proposed bringing toys to kids in Mexico. Six weeks later, seventy children from twenty-two schools hand-delivered packages to three thousand kids in orphanages. The company’s foundation: nap, snack, play, celebrate—and surround yourself with people who lift you up. “We’re capable of so much more when we let go of what we think needs to be perfect,” she says.
To hear the full conversations with Shane, Allison and Michelle, visit Shed Talks wherever you listen to podcasts or at KevinHalliday.com
Frequently asked questions
What is Shed Talks?
Shed Talks is a podcast hosted by Kevin Halliday that started in his backyard shed, featuring candid conversations with Calgary entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Who founded Rockwood Custom Homes?
Allison Grafton founded Rockwood Custom Homes in 2009 to bring the builder, architect and designer under one roof.
Where can I listen to the full conversations?
The full interviews with Allison Grafton, Shane Wenzel and Michelle Cameron Coulter are on Shed Talks, available on podcast platforms and at KevinHalliday.com.
The BRAND magazine team is a creative powerhouse of strategic thinkers, journalists, and marketing experts dedicated to exploring the intersection of business, lifestyle, and innovation. By collaborating with industry leaders and visionary entrepreneurs, the team delivers high-impact storytelling and design that spotlights professional excellence, fosters community connections, and shapes the evolving narrative of the modern business landscape.
