Recorded at the Land & Development Conference in Toronto, Brian McCauley is our guest in this episode. He is the President and CEO of Concert Properties. He practiced architecture in Vancouver before joining Concert as a consultant and then realizing that he wanted to move into development.
Brian gives insight on projects that Concert has taken on, including his thoughts on affordable housing. We hear about why Concert focuses their efforts on Toronto and Vancouver, along with the culture of the company.
Topics covered include:
- Why Concert decided to acquire land during the 2011 recession.
- Large projects that Concert is currently working on.
- Concert’s approach to affordability.
- The most important mindset attribute to have towards affordable housing.
- Why Concert chooses certain locations.
- Interesting buildings that Concert built and manages.
- How reputation plays into acquiring deals.
- Addressing the consequences of high-density living.
- Concert’s commitment to build better communities.
- How Concert attracts and retains new talent.
- Redesigning Concert’s buildings to encourage a collaborative workspace.
- Projects getting sidelined in the Vancouver condo market.
This episode of Commercial Real Estate Podcast powered by First National was recorded live at the Land & Development Conference in Toronto as part of our Forum Series.
For more commercial real estate content, visit the First National Commercial Resource Centre.
More about our guest:
Since joining Concert in 1994, Brian has been involved with hands-on development management activities of Concert’s growing residential and income producing property portfolio.
In 2001, Brian guided Concert’s expansion in Ontario leading the development of assured rental housing in Toronto in joint venture with OMERS. Marking Concert’s 20th anniversary, Brian was named President on June 1, 2009.
In June 2017, Brian assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and oversees the operations of Concert’s real estate activities across Canada. Brian is Past Chair and current board member of the Urban Development Institute Pacific Region, a past director of BILD, and a current Board member of Junior Achievement BC.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download