Gord Scraper
With 30+ years of real estate experience and a 360° industry perspective, Gord has built his reputation on astute business acumen, resourceful strategy, and strong negotiation skills. He is one of very few professionals in Canada with focused commercial real estate experience, in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and British Columbia.
Gord’s career began in corporate finance and transitioned to sales and leasing with Canada’s largest commercial real estate brokerage firm, becoming one of four partners in Royal LePage Saskatchewan.
Gord’s career took him to Toronto after joining a team assembled by BCE Development to develop, lease and manage Toronto’s BCE Place, now known as Brookfield Place and often referred to as the premier office complex in Canada. During this exciting period Gord gained experience working with senior management in a publicly traded company. Immediately preceding relocating to Vancouver, Gord was overseeing the leasing of this landmark 51 and 47 story, 2.5 million square foot complex.
This invaluable experience was followed by two first-to-market business endeavours. In 1990 Gord co-founded Pierce Scraper Limited, the first exclusive tenant representation firm in Vancouver, which was sold to a national commercial real estate brokerage firm in 1996. He then established Scraper Corporate which continues providing independent real estate advisory services today. In April 2002, ahead of the renewable energy climate change curve, Scraper co-founded NorAmera BioEnergy, which developed a 25 million litre-per-annum wheat-based ethanol plant in Saskatchewan. As Chairman and CEO, Gord raised $25 million via private capital, federal and provincial government programs and senior debt. He negotiated the pre-sale of 100% of the ethanol production to Federated Co-op & PetroCanada and sold the company ahead of the financial downturn in 2008.
Next Gord joined Brandt Properties in Regina to oversee the launch of their third party real estate development arm. As VP Development, Gord was responsible for building an experienced real estate and facilities team to develop and manage the real estate and investment interests within the privately held Brandt Group of Companies. At that time Brandt had 1800 employees and its industrial real estate portfolio wass comprised of 1.1 million sq. ft. situated on more than 400 acres in 8 provinces. During his 2.5 years with Brandt, in addition to overseeing the day to day operations of the buildings located in 8 provinces, he oversaw the development of a 50,000 sq. ft. head office manufacturing and distribution centre in Winnipeg for a non-Brandt company alongside an extensive retrofit of a 35,000 sq. ft. office building and 93,000 sq. ft. warehouse upgrade in Regina. He was also involved in the design meetings for a high-rise office tower and a 60,000 sq. ft. John Deere dealership located on 13 acres in Saskatoon.
Gord is currently overseeing the development management and leasing of a 75 acre site in Regina northwest known as Capital Crossing, on behalf of Cornerstone Holdings Ltd., whose controlling principal also owns the Capital Automotive Group comprised of industry leading GMC Cadillac and Ford Lincoln dealerships in Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. The mixed use development will ultimately be comprised of retail, hotel, office and residential buildings. To date the lands have been subdivided into 10 city blocks, individually re-zoned and 7 buildings have been constructed including two multi-tenant buildings plus dedicated buildings for Bank of Montreal, A&W, Tim Hortons, Old Fashion Foods, Sherwood Co-op Gas Bar, Carwash & C store. One block was sold to Brightwater Senior Care and a 136 bed facility has been constructed and now occupied.
The ability to recognize market need and opportunity has enabled Gord to build business success across industry sectors. Most importantly, he understands the business distinctions that exist across diverse Canadian markets, having lived and worked in Saskatchewan, Ontario and BC.
Gord holds a Real Estate Broker’s License in both BC and Saskatchewan, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (Distinction) from the University of Regina, and has previously held the Canadian Securities and Options Trading Licenses. He is a member of the Vancouver Club, the Seymour Golf & Country Club, and a former Director of the Neil Squire Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of severely physically disabled persons.