Southwest Properties is proud to be named as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for 2011.
As one of the nation’s few private businesses to achieve this designation, the Halifaxbased company is among a group of companies that grew by 12 per cent, generated over $5 billion in combined revenue and employed over 20,000 Canadians. “While Best Managed Companies recognize uncertainty on the economic horizon, their focus has been squarely on growing their businesses and identifying new income streams,” said John Hughes, Deloitte partner, Private Company Services and national leader of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Program. “They grew through targeted spending in the form of acquisitions, enhancing their infrastructure and on product and service innovation.”
Southwest’s roots go back 60 years, when Simon Spatz began an apartment rental company in Halifax. Since then, the family business has remained headquartered in the city of its origin as it expanded into other segments of development including commercial, hotel, retail and condominiums. Southwest’s holdings span coast to coast in Canada and into the southern United States.
“Receiving this honour is great recognition of our values, our accomplishments and our culture,” said Jim Spatz, Chairman and CEO of Southwest. “I am fortunate to work with a very talented team at Southwest who possess the ability to pursue opportunities quickly and the expertise to both create wonderful new projects, as well as turn underperforming buildings into new, dynamic spaces that are sustainable, attractive and successful. These strengths have led us both into new kinds of real estate, and as well, new geography and allowed us to grow significantly over the past several years.” Southwest bases its success on its values of honesty, integrity and respect, and through those values has created a loyal base of residents and clients by offering high quality spaces. A dedicated group of customer focused employees with an entrepreneurial attitude is the driver of the company’s success.
Landmark projects include Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, which twice received the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Maple Leaf Award as the best shopping centre redevelopment in Canada in its size category; Bishop’s Landing in Halifax, the largest mixed-use and multi-unit development on the Halifax waterfront, which gained international recognition as the winner of the Waterfront Centre of Washington, DC’s 2002 Excellence on the Waterfront Award for “Best Mixed Use Project”; and Atlantic Place in St. John’s, the largest office building in Newfoundland.
Southwest is committed to environmentally sustainable development and is nearing completion of The Grainery on South Bland Street, the first LEED certified multi-unit residential building in Atlantic Canada.
The 50 Best Managed Companies award program is jointly sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post and the Queens School of Business. Organizations are selected through a rigorous, independent process that evaluates their management capabilities and practices for one of four levels of awards – Best Managed winner (one of the 50 new winners selected each year), Requalified member (repeat winners who retain the designation for two additional years), Gold Standard member (winners who retain the designation for 4 – 6 consecutive years) and Platinum Club members (winners who maintain the designation for six consecutive years).
For more information, visit www.canadas50best.com and www.southwest.ca.
– 30 –
Contact:
Gordon Laing, President
422-3320
gordon.laing@southwest.ca