Beedie, one of Western Canada’s largest industrial and residential developers, marks a massive milestone in 2019. It is now 65 years since Keith Beedie began his company based out of a small concrete building in Marpole. Keith originally started off building single-family homes and Beedie has grown over the years to include extensive industrial and residential developments.
Today, Beedie is a single name that represents much more than a construction company. Beedie now stands for the building of more than 25-million square feet of completed industrial space, the development of large scale master-planned communities; a private investment arm; and almost a hundred million dollars pledged to philanthropy. Beedie means a commitment to community, with the engagement of our employees who commit countless hours volunteering. Beedie means building for good.
“I think about what has happened in these 65 years,” says company president Ryan Beedie. “There was my dad, building homes in Burnaby and then North Vancouver in the fifties, building the Prize Home for the PNE in the early sixties, then adopting never before seen ‘tilt-up’ construction for industrial buildings – which is the industry standard now – to where we are today, with industrial, residential, and mixed-use development: we’ve come a long way in 65 years.”
And while “then and now” is one thing to consider, Beedie is also looking to the future, with the recently-launched Beedie Luminaries, a fund to assist to capable, but fiscally-challenged, students to continue in higher education. The charity is funded with a $50-million personal contribution from Ryan himself.
Beedie’s philanthropy over the years has benefited a variety of causes, such as the BC Children’s Hospital, the Lions Gate Hospital acute tower, Ronald McDonald House, the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University and the Ryan Beedie Leadership Award, to name but a few.
“Without a doubt, the principal factor in the steady growth and success of Beedie in all its endeavours has been our people,” says Ryan. “Our employees are dedicated, and the company is dedicated to them. We also couldn’t do what we do without our ‘extended family’ – the consultants, tradespeople, municipal staff, affiliates, purchasers, tenants and others we work with. Thank you for being a part of our story.”
