NEWS / PRESS RELEASES

June 12, 2015. – Yahoo Finance Canada – The Roundhouse at Bayview Place Approved for Redevelopment

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VICTORIA, BC–(Marketwired – June 12, 2015) – Focus Equities Inc., the master developers of the 20 acre Bayview Place site, are pleased to announce that Victoria City Council, at public hearing Thursday June 11, approved the redevelopment of a Canadian National Historic Site, The Roundhouse at Bayview Place.

 

The Roundhouse at Bayview Place will realize the restoration of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo (E&N) historic 1913 Roundhouse, Car Shop and Stores buildings. Three new retail buildings will be added to the site along with eight repurposed box cars, one dedicated to performing arts and special events, the others offering local retail, food and beverage.

 

Envisioned to be a unique retail destination and a community gathering place featuring grocery, craft beer, local food, specialty retailers and artisans, The Roundhouse at Bayview Place is also approved as a craft beer and distillery manufacturing zone in the Car Shop, a first for Victoria.

 

“The plan for the Roundhouse at Bayview Place is a shared community vision to see the brownfield National Historic Site revitalized into a vibrant gathering place, states Patricia A. Mariash of Focus Equities Inc. “Approval of this application helps ensure the preservation of these nationally significant heritage buildings for generations to come.”

 

The approval is a culmination of many years of careful planning and design by owners Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. and Patricia A. Mariash of Focus Equities Inc., and a key milestone and catalyst for the ongoing master development of the 20 acre Bayview Place community.

 

Timing is critical,” states Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr., “we’re moving on all fronts. Along with our commitment to rail heritage restoration, a third tower will get underway at Bayview Place this summer and our senior’s site is also approved. With 1.5 million square feet of density on our 20 acre site, the culmination of these important components sets the table for additional residential development.”

 

BACKGROUNDER

About Bayview Place:
Bayview Place is a 20 acre urban neighbourhood located on the Inner Harbour of Victoria, British Columbia. The development vision is to create a vibrant, complete community incorporating a mix of uses to welcome residents of all ages and to serve as a focus of community gathering and retail activity for the local Victoria West neighbourhood. The property is characterized by its hilltop location adjacent to the waterfront of Victoria’s Inner Harbour and by the historic landmark formed by the Esquimalt & Nanaimo (E&N) Railway Roundhouse buildings.

 

About Focus Equities:
Focus Equities, a Canadian corporation, provides development, investment and project finances in real estate, infrastructure and natural resources. Founded over 40 years ago, Focus Equities and its associated companies (“Focus”) have developed, purchased, or sold more than 15 million square feet of real estate and more than 15,000 residential/condominium units in North America.

 

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Contact:
Media Contact
Karina Perkins
Director of Marketing
250-508-3441
LINK TO THE ARTICLE

June 11, 2015. – Calgary Herald – Revved for sales: Meadows Mile to offer wide selection of high-end sports cars

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Calgary’s luxury car market will soon be the envy of passionate high-end car buyers across North America. 

 

Opening this month is one of the first exotic and super-car dealerships in Canada outside of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

 

Yet the Lamborghini Calgary dealership, which will also feature brands such as Lotus and Swedish supercars by Koenigsegg, represents just one of a handful of luxury makers to showcase their brands at the newly constructed Meadows Mile perched near Blackfoot and Deerfoot trails in the city. 

 

“It’s unique to North America because nobody has tried to put that many high-end auto brands in one location,” says Ken Mariash, president of Focus Equities, the developer behind the luxury auto mall. 

 

For the Calgary development company, Meadows Mile represents the end of a major, multi-decade project — one that transformed a 161-hectare parcel of land into one of the city’s go-to shopping destinations. 

 

Initially, the last portion of the land had been zoned for high-rise condos and other high-density development. 

 

“But when the 2008-09 recession came along it didn’t make sense, so we thought this would appeal to the market to offer these sites to other businesses,” Mariash says. And high-end automakers such as Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Maserati and Ferrari were the perfect fit — even amidst challenging economic times. 

 

“There’s such depth in the marketplace here,” he says, adding Calgary is home to several firms with multi-billion-dollar balance sheets.

 

“There are just so many high-net-worth individuals in Calgary who are not affected that much by downturns — not to mention everyone knows the industry has its ups and downs.”

 

For an exotic automaker like Lamborghini, opening a dealership was an easy decision. 

 

“We’ve been looking for a showroom and facility in the Calgary market for a number of years, so this location is the culmination of those efforts,” says Michael Menchelli, general sales manager for Lamborghini Calgary.

 

The licensed Canadian dealer of the famous Italian brand is based in Vancouver and the new Calgary store represents a response to growing demand for the luxury sports cars on the Prairies.

 

“Probably, 30 per cent of our business at the Vancouver dealership is from the Alberta market,” he says. 

 

“Our Alberta buyers are very passionate about their cars.”

 

The new two-storey location will be a full-service automotive dealer that will feature about 28 sports cars at any given time, including a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster with a price tag exceeding $500,000.

 

But that won’t be its most pricey offering. It will also offer the Koenigsegg brand — a first for Canada. 

 

“The base price tag for this type of car is about $2.2 million.”

 

While it’s unlikely Koenigsegg will be on the dealership’s show floors on a regular basis, Menchelli wouldn’t be surprised if a few are purchased by special order in the coming months in Calgary because of the breadth of the luxury car market here.

LINK TO THE ARTICLE

Feb. 20, 2015. – OTTAWA CITIZEN – LeBreton proponents speak about their bids — cautiously

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The Ottawa Senators’ bid for LeBreton Flats will include public and civic uses — in addition to a new arena, as well as residential and commercial development — and will rely heavily on transit to move game-goers.

 

“It’s safe to say we’re going to have a lot fewer dedicated parking spaces than we have now,” Senators president Cyril Leeder told the Citizen on Thursday. “It’s really an urban plan. The reason this site is appealing is that it has the transit focus, and we really want to make use of the transit.”

 

The hockey franchise is the lead partner in RendezVous LeBreton Group, one of the four shortlisted bidders announced by the National Capital Commission this week.

 

Some proponents are starting to speak — cautiously — about the projects they’re proposing for LeBreton. Part of the reticence is simply that it’s very early in the game and bidders are just beginning to formulate their plans. As well, the shortlisted teams don’t want to show their hands during the steep competition for LeBreton.

 

But there has also been some confusion about what bidders are allowed to say, because of NCC rules that state bidders could be disqualified if they publicly speak about details of their projects. However, according to Leeder, the NCC is now saying that the request for proposals (RFP) document to be released in the next few weeks will include new, clearer confidentiality guidelines.

 

“I’m hopeful that the RFP will allow us to get into public consultations,” said Leeder.

 

But for now, like other shortlisted proponents, RendezVous is releasing few details about its plans. Leeder wouldn’t even confirm what other companies are partnering with the Senators, other than to say there are two teams working on the project: one made up for developers to construct “an urban plan with a transit focus”, and another to concentrate on the sports and entertainment facility.

 

The sports organization is not intending to ask taxpayers to underwrite any of its plans.

 

“I think the economics have changed a lot on those projects,” said Leeder. “Teams have figured out how to finance them without the taxpayers having to pay for them” referencing a new arena in Edmonton being paid for by the Oilers and related real estate.

 

Financial viability is where another successfully shortlisted bidder believes it has an advantage.

 

Focus Equities’ bid raised eyebrows with its promise to bring the headquarters of an international organization to Ottawa.

 

“Everyone’s interested in who the tenant is,” said David Fullbrook, the Victoria company’s director of acquisitions and development, adding that the firm has had discussion with an organization looking for a location in Ottawa.

 

“But I would suggest the more important question is, ‘Can you get it done?’”

 

“You’re going to find there are only so many tools in the developer’s tool kit,” says Fullbrook. “In certain economic environments, some of those don’t work … The approach to LeBreton, a lot of people likely are just throwing a lot of concepts at it. But whether those concepts are legitimate is going to be determined on what are the financial drivers of the approach.”

 

Focus Equities is owned by Ken Mariash and specializes in large land development. The company has about 1,000 acres of development underway, according to Fullbrook, including the Bayview Place community in Victoria. Fullbrook also pointed out that the site is contaminated and it’s still unclear what it will cost to remediate the lands and who’s paying for what. The company has been involved in the Ottawa market for the last decade, but declined to name any specific projects.

 

The company’s bid includes a promise of “cultural venues,” but Fullbrook wouldn’t say what those might be.

 

“Our approach going forward will be to begin the process again of looking at how this piece of land could be utilized in such a way as to be of benefit to the community,” he said. “Our focus is more on communities rather than buildings. Neighbourhoods outlast the buildings that start them.”

 

Focus Equities’ team includes internationally renowned architect Jan Gehl — famous for designing walkable, people-friendly communities — and Dialog, a Vancouver design firm that specializes in, among other thing, arts and culture institutions.

 

In addition to Senators and Focus Equities, there are two other teams on the shortlist.

 

Claridge Homes, which built the first phase of LeBreton, is proposing indoor and outdoor concert venues and other “cultural venues.” And Gatineau home builder Devcore Group — in partnership with Montreal developer Broccolini — envisions multiple cultural institutions built around a “grande allée.” (Broccolini’s Ottawa projects include Telus House, Cathedral Hill condos, and the Maplesoft Cancer Centre.) All the bids include residential and commercial real estate components.

 

The final proposals are due in November and are expected to be released by early 2016, when the public will be able to view and comment on them.

LINK TO THE ARTICLE

Mar. 5, 2014. – For Immediate Release – Focus Equities and United Nations Association In Canada (UNA-Canada) come together for International Women’s Day to acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements in Canada and around the world. 

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Focus Equities and United Nations Association In Canada (UNA-Canada) come together for International Women’s Day to acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements in Canada and around the world.

 

OTTAWA – March 5, 2014. The United Nations Association In Canada (UNA-Canada), will host the second annual Patricia and Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. Global Issues Dialogue on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Together, Focus Equities and UNA-Canada are working to convene distinguished global thought-leaders from academia, government, civil society and the private sector to explore critical issues to Canada and the world.

“International Women’s Day is a chance for us to come together as global citizens to recognize and celebrate historic global improvements in women’s lives. It is also a day to remind us of the millions of women and girls around the world who still struggle under the weight of poverty and inequality, and to pursue further action for positive change. Equality for women is progress for all. As business leaders, it is an honour to be bringing together Canadians around this vital issue,” said Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr.

The Patricia and Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. Global Issues Dialogue features a keynote presentation from Corinne Woods, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. This campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments accountable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and leads the outreach to citizens and stakeholders to get their voices and concerns to feed into the Post-2015 global development agenda.

“The Patricia and Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. Global Issues Dialogue has become a foundational element of UNA- Canada’s work to reach and engage Canadians,” says Kathryn White, President and CEO, United Nations Association In Canada, “The investment of Focus Equities in support for and shaping of the annual Patricia and Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. Dialogue is measure of a significant and on-going corporate social responsibility commitment. We are pleased to partner with Focus Equities in building a better world, in growing global citizens.”

Building a stronger, more sustainable global community is a passion for both Patricia and Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. “It is our hope that by bringing together some of the brightest minds on a sustained and annual basis through the Dialogue, we can contribute innovatively towards a global future that is more prosperous, sustainable and secure for generations to come,” says Kenneth W. Mariash Sr., Founder, Focus Equities.

 

 

Backgrounder

 

About Focus Equities:

Focus Equities, a Canadian corporation, provides development, investment and project finances in real estate, infrastructure and mining. Founded over 35 years ago by a Canadian entrepreneur Kenneth W. Mariash Sr., Focus Equities and its associated companies (“Focus”) have developed, purchased, or sold more than 15 million square feet of real estate and more than 10,000 residential/condominium units in North America. Focus Equities is currently developing over $5 billion USD of projects in North America and has a long track record of successful innovative financial structures.

 

About Kenneth W. Mariash Sr., Founder, Focus Equities:

Kenneth W. Mariash Sr., working alongside wife and partner Patricia Mariash, is regarded as one of the most visionary developers in North America and has transformed millions of square feet into profitable commercial and residential ventures. With his baccalaureate degrees in mathematics, science, business, accounting and architecture, plus an MBA and 40 years of building construction, real estate development and investing, Mariash’s experience is key to the success of his large-scale projects. The distinctive aesthetic vision he brings to each of his projects is evidence of his prior training as an architect and artist.

Kenneth W. Mariash Sr. is an active board member for the United Nations of Canada, and last year, along with his wife Patricia, partnered with the United Nations to launch The Patricia & Kenneth W. Mariash, Sr. Global Issues Dialogue. The objective of the annual event is to bring the best and brightest together and to develop a dialogue that fosters collaboration across all organizations and between all stakeholders.

 

About Patricia Mariash, Interior Architect/Owner, Focus Equities:

For more than 25 years, Patricia Mariash has been a real estate entrepreneur and commercial interior architect who has successfully completed thousands of prestigious corporate headquarters. Before becoming engaged in the commercial real estate development business, Patricia founded her own award-winning commercial interior architecture business. These projects encompassed more than 15 million square feet and represented some of the world’s most notable corporate headquarters throughout North America and Europe.

 

Event Details:

When: Thursday, March 6, 2014 11:30 AM – Registration

12:00-2:00 PM – Luncheon

Where: Ottawa Marriott Hotel 100 Kent Street Ottawa, Ontario

K1P 5R7

 

Press Opportunities: Media is welcomed, the only requirement is to sign-in at the registration desk. For more information, or to set up an interview, please contact:

 

Karina Perkins
Director of Marketing
Focus Equities – A Mariash Company (C) 250.508.3441

 

Michael Donovan
Managing and Creative Director ZGM Collaborative Marketing (P) 780.428.0411 ext. 101

Focus and UN International Women's Day News Release - Mar. 5, 2014.

Feb. 4, 2014. – For Immediate Release – Alberta First Nations to Partner in New Capital Region Clean Energy “Great Spirit” Power Project 

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Alberta First Nations to Partner in New Capital Region Clean Energy “Great Spirit” Power Project

 

Focus Equities and Paul First Nation submit proposal for 1,000 MW high-efficiency, gas-fired power plant to be developed just west of Edmonton.

 

Edmonton, Alberta/February 4, 2014 – Focus Equities Inc. and the Paul First Nation today announced that they have formally advised the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) of their intent to proceed with, and connect the proposed 1,000 MW Great Spirit Power Project to the Alberta grid. The new combined cycle, gas-fired power plant is proposed for the Paul First Nation’s industrial park, with construction of the facility to be completed in 2017.

 

The Paul First Nation and Focus Equities signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2013 to jointly develop this project on the Paul First Nation’s traditional territories. The partners are proceeding with their plan to permit, finance, construct, own and operate the proposed 1,000 MW high- efficiency, combined cycle plant, which will be fueled by clean burning natural gas.

 

Paul First Nation Chief Casey Bird stated, “As a Nation we are extremely pleased to join with our partner, Focus Equities, in the development of the Great Spirit Power Project. As a Nation that lives in the shadow of large, aging coal plants, we are proud to be a part of such an environmentally-friendly project that will provide social, health-related and economic benefits for our people, and other Treaty 6 Nations, at a time when Alberta First Nations are all striving for greater economic self-sufficiency and diversification, and real economic opportunity for participating First Nations.”

 

According to Jim Steele, Managing Director of Focus Equities, “The proposal provides for a highly efficient power plant, which will help meet Alberta’s growing energy needs with low cost power from clean-burning natural gas. Further, this innovative partnership is engineered to provide a meaningful ownership position for the Paul First Nation, a goal Chief Casey Bird and Council are to be commended for pursuing. We are proud to have the Paul First Nation as our primary partner on this venture and to be working closely together in advancing this project through the various development and regulatory approval phases.”

 

The Paul First Nation industrial park is located approximately 70 kilometers west of Edmonton, just south of the Yellowhead Highway near the hamlet of Duffield. The Nation’s traditional territories and historical and cultural presence encompass a large geographic area west of Edmonton.

 

Focus Equities is an Alberta-based company. Its affiliates have a long and successful history of large infrastructure projects in Alberta and elsewhere, including its ownership of the Aurum Energy Park, northeast of Edmonton. The key principals of Focus Equities have also developed billions of dollars of power projects worldwide.

 

For further information please contact:

Ironhead First Nations Partnership:

Shane Pospisil, Senior Principal, New West Opportunities Inc.

(780) 860-5100

 

Focus Equities:

Terence de Pentheny O’Kelly, Vice President of Energy, Focus Equities Inc.

(303) 815-6615

Great Spirit Power Project News Release - Feb. 4, 2014.