ICYMI ULI Toronto

Simply put, there is no more recognizable name in Canadian municipal law than Jane Pepino, founder of Aird & Berlis’ Municipal and Land Use Planning Group. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Jane has shaped many of the most consequential city building developments in the Toronto Region. Decorated for her professional and philanthropic leadership, Jane is the 2020 recipient of the NAIOP Greater Toronto Community Service Award, the Canadian Urban Institute’s David Crombie Award, the Jewish Women International of Toronto, Woman of the Year Award, and Member of the Order of Canada – to name a select few. In the tradition of ULI Toronto’s annual Fireside Chats, Jane will offer an unvarnished perspective of over four decades of real estate development and her journey as a pioneering legal giant in our industry in a candid one on one interview with her colleague—and long time friend, Steven Zakem, Managing Partner at Aird & Berlis.

A special Spring Meeting edition of ULI Toronto’s 12th annual Fireside Chat took place in 2020 with Gary Berman, President & Chief Executive Officer, Director, Tricon. Since joining Tricon in 2002, Mr. Berman has built on the company’s 30+ year history of innovation and continuous improvement to help transform Tricon from a private provider of equity and mezzanine capital to the for-sale housing industry to a publicly listed, residential real estate company with a clear focus on rental housing in North America. Tricon is the third-largest public owner of single-family rental homes in the U.S. and recently acquired a major portfolio of multi-family properties in the U.S. sunbelt. The Selby, the first of Tricon’s purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto, was FRPO’s Residential Development of the Year in 2019. Mr. Berman is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Board of Governors of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School, where he was designated a Baker Scholar and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University.

ULI Toronto was pleased to host its 11th annual Fireside Chat with Geoff Smith, the President and CEO of EllisDon on the evening of February 20th, 2019. Over 350 attendees joined together that evening to learn more about EllisDon’s humble beginnings, the importance of company culture and leadership, and Smith’s insights into the future state of the industry. EllisDon is an employee-owned, $4 billion-a-year construction services company that has grown exponentially from its modest origins in London, Ontario. Founded by two brothers in 1951, Don Smith (Geoff’s father) and David Ellis Smith, the company’s first project was a small London, Ontario schoolhouse.

ULI hosted its 10th annual Fireside Chat with Peter Gilgan, Founder, and CEO of Mattamy Homes, the largest privately-owned homebuilder in North America, with a 40-year history of operations across Canada and the United States. One of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, Peter was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013 in recognition of his innovative leadership in Canada’s construction industry and for his philanthropic support of initiatives in health care, education, and athletics. In establishing Mattamy Homes, Peter studied home design concepts from all over North America, particularly that of a growing movement named New Urbanism. It called for homes to be more individual in character, designed into friendlier communities, infused with integrated green space, and with consideration given to people over cars. The success of this approach continues today.  Join us for an exclusive evening with Peter, in conversation with Mary Federau, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Mattamy Homes.

ULI Toronto’s 9th Annual Fireside Chat brought with it a unique theme this year, with the organization choosing to host three successful and highly regarded professionals in their respective fields whose common affiliation at a basic level is their last names. The three “Diamonds” invited to be interviewed during this year’s event were A.J. Diamond (Jack) of Diamond Schmitt Architects, Dr. Sara Diamond (Sara) President of OCAD University, and Stephen Diamond (Stephen) of Diamond Corp.

Ken Greenberg of Greenberg Consultants conducted the interview with Will Fleissig. Greenberg is a favourite of ULI Toronto and a wonderful interviewer with a great presence. On stage, the two gabbed about Fleissig’s move to the city and what a successful waterfront means to him during ULI Toronto’s 8th Annual Fireside Chat.