Rivergrove, a bustling community north of Chief Peguis Trail on Main Street in Northeast Winnipeg, needed a strong neighborhood shopping centre with national tenants. When Sobeys opened, it was ahead of its time. Since then, thousands of residents have moved into new homes and condos around it.

Finally, after an early tease, it looks like the nice weather is here to stay! With all the snow gone and warmer nights ahead, we are excited to be able to perform a number of repairs and inspections at our properties. Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure your commercial property is ready for spring:

In 2004 the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) was moved to recognize the unique achievements of the commercial practitioners across the country by creating the Canadian Commercial Council of Realtors - Merit Award to be handed out annually. If my math is correct, so far that’s twelve annual awards…out of those twelve awards, Winnipeg has won FIVE of them (2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2016).

What should I keep in mind when investing in commercial real estate?

On April 21, 2015, I had the honour of speaking at the Winnipeg Squash Club Luncheon. It had been a while since I was at the Club, so it was really nice to see some friendly faces. The 90+ attendees heard me speak about many topics, including Shindico’s current pipeline and plans for the future. Here’s a short excerpt from the luncheon.

If you recently bought a home or an apartment block, did the reality of the first mortgage payment sap your strength? Take comfort that low mortgage rates are helping to build equity and personal wealth more rapidly for Canadian borrowers than any time since at least 1951.

When sisters, Carole Solmundson and Lyn Chercoe, went into business 22 years ago, they never expected to make such an impact in the community. They came from an entrepreneurial family, so you can say that business ran through their veins. They purchased Birchwood Art Gallery on Portage Avenue in 1993. It was a family partnership.

Often times, people look at property management as a necessary evil – that is, something that has to get done but something that they do not want to do themselves. As a result, more often than not, property owners will hire professional property management firms to manage their asset(s). But what differentiates a great property manager from a good property manager? Below are five traits that ALL great property managers must possess in order to thrive in their industry.

Tanja Nonkovic-Toljusic is a registered nurse, mother of two little girls, a beautiful wife, an avid baker, accomplished businesswoman and my very dear friend. When Tanja first approached Sandy and I in the spring of 2012 to appeal to Shindico for help to find a space for her bakery, she brought along a sample of her wares for us to taste. The banana-chocolate cake we were privileged to sample that day three years ago remains one of my most flavourful, bakery experiences I’ve enjoyed to date.

Manitoba’s economy is expected to grow over the next few years to become one of the strongest in the country. It’s our time to shine, Friendly Manitoba! Although our province’s economic boom hasn’t been as meteoric as others’ (with some values doubling and tripling in a very short period), we still know how to get the most out of our stable diversified growing economy – with well planned real estate.

From May 17 – 20, Shindico will be attending The Global Retail Real Estate Convention (RECon) at the Las Vegas Convention Centre and WestGate Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s expected to draw over 34,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors. Shindico is the only Canadian member of the Retail Brokers Network (RBN) attending the conference.

Clearspring Centre in Steinbach, Manitoba was packed with eager shoppers on March 26, as the new 23,000 square foot Winners department store opened its doors. John Pearson and I were invited to attend the official grand opening of Steinbach’s first Winners location. When we arrived at the mall, you could feel the energy and the excitement of the approximate 300 residents that turned out for the ribbon cutting ceremony.