REAL ESTATE PROFILE
A Q&A with Jonathan Wener
Jonathan Wener, president and CEO of Canderel, was born and raised in Montreal. As a child he loved building junkyard forts and crafting complex structures out of plywood. He grew up to be one of Montreal’s most successful real-estate developers. He is also well-known for his philanthropic endeavours including Le Défi Canderel, the annual corporate fundraising event he started in 1989 to benefit cancer research. Wener brings boundless creativity to all of his projects and builds partnerships with extraordinary people. He believes that human synergy is the lifeblood of successful organizations. This year, Canderel celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Recently, Wener was named chancellor of his alma mater, Concordia University, and delivered an inspiring speech at the spring convocation. We got acquainted at his office, on Peel St., which is decorated with exquisite rugs, paintings and sculptures.
Question: Where did you go to school?
Answer: I graduated from West Hill High and then did a bachelor of commerce degree at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia). In those days, many professors came from industry. Instead of delivering lectures, they had us huddled in groups solving real workplace situations. This experiential model enabled us to learn from each other and allowed natural leadership traits to emerge. During my time at Sir George, I worked 40-hour weeks and paid my own tuition; I was active in university life and met my wife Susan there, on her first day.
How did you get into real-estate development?
Maxwell Cummings, one of Montreal’s real-estate icons, was married to my grandfather’s sister. He asked if I wanted to work for him, on construction sites in Calgary. I got myself a hard hat, a pair of steel-toed boots and headed west. He worked me hard. In just three years, between semesters of school, I progressed from labourer to “clerk of the works,” a site inspector of materials and workmanship. Upon my return to Montreal, I accepted a job with Trizec Corp. and later moved to First Quebec. By age 22, I was vice-president of leasing and development, and by 25 I was a full partner.
What happened next?
Later that year (1975), I launched Canderel. In 1980, I developed 2000 Peel in a joint-venture with First Quebec. Eugene Riesman was president of the firm and a mentor to me, like a second father. He asked me to buy out his portion of the venture. Throughout the 1980s Canderel developed close to 40 projects in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. In 1989, I foresaw a major industry correction and took preemptive action by downsizing. We weathered the storm and came out the other side as Montreal’s thirdlargest property manager. In 1999, after selling 60 per cent of our assets, we fell to No. 28. I wanted to re-vision and rebuild the company. It took 15 years but, just last year, we reclaimed the No. 3 spot.
What do you consider to be the crowning achievement of your career?
I have quite a few. One of my favourites is Bell Canada’s new global headquarters, on Nuns’ Island. It was a collaboration of hundreds of exceptional professionals and is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design). I am also extremely proud of Aura, at College Park, in Toronto. It was completed last year and, at 80 storeys, is Canada’s tallest condo structure.
What about current local projects?
La Tour des Canadiens, close to the Bell Centre, will be ready for occupancy in 2017. It will surely be another crowning achievement. At Canderel, we are known for our creativity and discipline; we brought both to this project. The 500 units sold out quickly to a mix of singles, young couples and empty nesters. Some will use their condos as principal residences and others as pied-à-terres. Phase 2 will be launched this fall.
What puts the spring in your step?
My workdays are 16 to 18 hours, with one-third of my time being devoted to community work. My brother-in-law describes me as “a glutton for life.” What I love most is formulating innovative creative processes. It’s pure joy.
What are your other passions?
My family is No. 1. We have three daughters and nine grandchildren. I manage to get everyone together a couple of times a year – usually at our country house.
I also enjoy travel, photography and collecting art. I have published a book of photo essays for each of my trips. My favourite depicts a recent one to Haiti. I turned 60 a few years ago, and took the whole family to Italy.
Each day I kept thanking my kids until one of them asked: “Dad, why are you thanking us? You invited us on this trip.” I smiled big and replied: “True, but I am spending your inheritance.”
My workdays are 16 to 18 hours, with onethird of my time being devoted to community work. ... What I love most is formulating innovative creative processes. It’s pure joy.