MEMORY BOOK
1996 2016
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2016 DIA MOND SPONSORS
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2016 PLATINUM SPONSORS
2016 GOLD SPONSORS
2016 SILVER SPONSORS
2016 WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGR A M SPONSOR
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Table of Contents
20th Anniversary Committee Members
What is Toronto CREW ?
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President’s Message 2016
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Susan Vertes Dutton (Chair) Carmela Corrado (Vice Chair)
The Beginnings of Toronto CREW
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Milestones 12 Past Presidents 1996 to 2015
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Kim Lanthier (Board Liaison) Tara Piurko (Board Liaison)
Merrill Fung Andrea Kraus
Leadership 38 Networking 39
Vivian Kwok Claire Lavoie Christi-Ann Litavski
Professional Development 40 Mentoring and Advancement
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Alison Macintosh Marilyn Mekler Deborah Menashy
Community and Philanthropy
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Who Makes Up Toronto Crew
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Alicia Vera
What is Toronto CREW? Toronto CREW was initiated and founded by Danny Klempfner. Danny had the initial vision and contact with CREW Network and invited Anne Morash, Francine Baker-Sigal and Virginia Beauchamp to collaborate with her and determine how to best launch Toronto CREW. Jointly, these founding members invited other high ranking women in the commercial real estate business to form Toronto CREW’s first Board, planned Toronto CREW’s first event, created the by-laws, and the rest is history. Since its beginnings Toronto CREW is committed to providing high quality networking and leadership opportunities to assist in furthering the careers of each of our members.
Mission We are dedicated to empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers. Through committee participation, informative events and social networking opportunities, our members are a constant source of inspiration and support to one another.
20th Anniversary As co-chairs of the 20th Anniversary Committee, Carmela and I are really excited to be part of a celebration which recognizes the impact and leadership women have contributed to the commercial real estate industry and to community service through their membership in Toronto CREW. We have been joined by an amazing committee: Tara Piurko (Board Liaison), Claire Lavoie, Alicia Vera, Andrea Kraus, Christi-Ann Litavski, Marilyn Mekler, Merrill Fung, Vivian Kwok, Kim Lanthier (Board Liaison), Debrah Menashy, and Alison Macintosh, who volunteered their time and their creative insight to come up with a terrific agenda for 2016. Together
we have planned and created a Past Presidents Reunion Dinner, a Memory Book and the Platinum Gala. We could not have done this without our wonderful team and we want to thank each and every one of them! To kick off our planning, we first had to come up with a theme. We found that platinum is the modern symbol for a 20th anniversary. What a perfect metaphor! Platinum is a rare and precious metal. It is lustrous, strong and yet malleable, highly unreactive and stable even at high temperatures. These are all characteristics we would use to describe any successful woman in the commercial real estate industry and certainly the members of Toronto CREW! Over the last year and a half, our committee has had the privilege of reminiscing through 20 years of pictures and stories for this Memory Book, and of meetings with Past Presidents, the Inaugural Board, the current Board of Directors and many of our members. We have heard so many stories of friendships made and business deals done. Through it all, the uniqueness of our organization was summed up by one of our past presidents who said, “Toronto CREW is personal”. As we set out this year to celebrate and honour 20 years of empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers, we hope you will join us in honouring the “platinum” qualities in all of us.
Susan Vertes Dutton (Chair)
Carmela Corrado (Vice Chair)
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Sharon Addison, Current President – 2016 Partner McLean & Kerr LLP Sharon Addison is a member of the Litigation practice group at McLean & Kerr. She is presently a member of the firm’s Management and Recruitment Committees. Sharon has acted for private and public corporations, banks and entrepreneurs. She has considerable expertise and experience with commercial landlord and tenant matters, construction issues, mortgage remedies, general commercial litigation, and employment disputes. Sharon has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Divisional Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court of P.E.I. She has delivered numerous presentations on commercial litigation law, creditor remedies and commercial landlord and tenant issues, and has contributed articles to the Leasing Law Column of the Shopping Centre Newsletter.
I am honoured to be taking on the role of President of Toronto CREW in 2016. Having been a member for several years, I have witnessed the growth of this organization both in size and in what it offers to its members. Over the past 20 years, Toronto CREW has provided leadership, networking and personal growth opportunities to our members which have each assisted in developing and advancing their careers within the commercial real estate community. From our REAL Jobs Day program which educates high school students of the various career opportunities in commercial real estate, to the scholarships awarded to young university students in commercial real estate programs, to the Mentorship Program for young women starting their careers in commercial real estate, to the mid-range professionals participating in the Women’s Leadership Development Program, to the numerous opportunities within Toronto CREW for our members to hold leadership roles, Toronto CREW has strived and succeeded in providing knowledge, connections and support to women in this industry. In the next chapter, Toronto CREW’s focus will be dedicated to empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers. The existing programs will continue, as they have been successful in helping us reach our goal, but we will introduce new, focused programs to ensure that all women, at all stages in their careers, stay engaged and continue to thrive within this industry. The ultimate strength and success of Toronto CREW comes from the relationships that are developed and the inspiration that is so willingly provided by and to its members. I look forward to the future of Toronto CREW.
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New Member Recruitment Event at Montecito
Past Presidents’ Reunion Dinner January 20, 2016
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20 Years Ago Toronto CREW Was Established In 1996, Danny Klempfner brought Toronto CREW to Toronto. Founding members were: • Francine Baker-Sigal • Virginia Beauchamp • Danny Klempfner • Anne Morash These founders brought in the following inaugural members: • Susan Brisby • Sheila Botting • Janis Duncan • Susan MacLaurin • Trish Wardrop Together, they created the first Toronto CREW Board of Directors.
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Susan Brisby: “The Inaugural Members, as a group, and individuals, made a huge impression on me. At the time I had some strong male mentors, but knew very few women in the business. I remember in my very first meeting, my sheer delight in talking to a group of successful women in real estate. I didn’t realize I was missing female companionship in business until I found it.” Danny Klempfner: “One of the greatest milestones in my career has been the creation of this formidable organization. The fact that Toronto CREW has not only thrived, but been a great success as well as a vehicle for promoting career success for so many women in the commercial real estate industry makes me extremely proud. But probably the greatest personal rewards that I have received from Toronto CREW, other than the business connections and creation of life long bonds with remarkable women who I would never otherwise have met, is the ability to mentor young women and encourage them to seek out commercial real estate industry as a sustainable career path.”
Virginia Beauchamp: “I recall the early meetings with a growing group of accomplished and knowledgeable women from diverse sectors of the Toronto commercial real estate scene excited about the idea of bringing the CREW concept to Toronto, the first in Canada.”
Susan MacLaurin: “The best memories are thinking about the very fine and fun people who made a commitment to get CREW started in Canada. Many of those talented and committed people have become dear friends and we support each other to this very day in all aspects of our lives.” Francine Baker - Sigal: “I am extremely proud that Toronto CREW has become such an important and influential organization for those in the commercial real estate industry. Little did I know how far-reaching the organization would be nor did I expect it to be. At the time, I believed that it would be a small group devoted to social networking events only and the fact that it has continued, grown and morphed into more than just a social group is extremely rewarding. As a memorable achievement, I count being in charge of the preparation, negotiation and execution of the group’s first set of legal organizing documents as one of the milestones of my career. These documents, including the first set of Bylaws, set in motion the manner in which Toronto CREW would exist and carry on business.” Anne Morash: “It is remarkable how a nugget of a local idea grew to be so credible, so influential and so meaningful in the lives of so many women - and now across Canada. Twenty years ago we started Toronto CREW as representatives from various disciplines in commercial real estate and today we continue to support one another not only professionally, but also personally.”
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MILES 1ST GOLF TOURNAMENT
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED
1997
2006
1996 FOUNDING YEAR 1st Cocktail Reception Networking Event
2004
HOSTED THE 2004 CREW NETWORK CONVENTION
1ST CREW CAREER DAY 60 Students
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2007
TORONTO CREW FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED MENTORSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED INTRODUCED TWO LEGACY SCHOLARSHIPS 181 members
TONES TORONTO CREW HAS RAISED MORE THAN $1 MILLION to fund women focused charities in Toronto, and our Foundation and Community Outreach 1ST CANADIAN programs CREW CONFERENCE
HELD IN TORONTO
with 224 attendees at the keynote luncheon
TWO REAL JOBS DAYS 175 students in total
2012
2009
2011
15TH ANNIVERSARY 110 students in REAL Jobs Day
TORONTO CREW
20TH
ANNIVERSARY
2016 2015
243 MEMBERS Women’s Leadership Development Program launched
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Danny Klempfner, Past President – 1996, 1997, 1998 & 2002 President S&H Realty Corporation An accomplished deal-maker with a lifelong passion for retail, Danny established S&H Realty Corporation in 1984 to actively help her clients achieve their real estate and revenue generation goals. One of Danny’s most notable achievements is her pioneering work in developing retail and revenue generation initiatives for healthcare facilities. Since 1999, she has worked to create and implement effective retail strategies at more than 45 hospitals throughout Canada. As the founding President of Toronto CREW, Danny helped open opportunities for women in the commercial real estate industry. She has actively participated in many of Toronto CREW’s committees, sat on the Board of Directors for the organization’s first nine years, acted as Co-Chair of the 2004 CREW Network Toronto Convention, and has worked every year for almost a decade with young women in the annual mentorship and scholarship programs.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as Founding Member of Toronto CREW?
The keynote speaker at the CREW Seattle Convention in 1995, a friend, connected me with Tina Essegian from San Francisco, who was responsible for starting new CREW chapters. Tina advised me how to form a Board of Directors and create by-laws for Toronto CREW. I formed the first Board of Toronto CREW and together we planned our first event. We knew we were onto something as 55+ women attended and the response and interest was overwhelming from the Toronto commercial real estate community. I served as Toronto CREW’s President from 1996-1998 and was President again in 2002. In our first year we had four events, which attracted about 50-55 women each. Membership has steadily grown since. Originally the idea was to support the career aspirations of senior women in the commercial real estate industry and focus on how to climb the corporate ladder. Our events were on topics such as the glass ceiling, and wage parity for women and our goal was to establish a sustainable organization that would continue to facilitate career aspirations for women in various sectors within the commercial real estate industry. Our attention during the early days was not focused on philanthropy until Lisa Lafave created and raised the funds to implement the Mentorship, Scholarship and Real Jobs Day programs, all of which were implemented when Mary Mowbray became the President of Toronto CREW.
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations?
Toronto CREW has a diversity of membership that very few commercial real estate organizations offer. Our philanthropic and career mentoring programs which lead to women’s success in the commercial real estate industry have no equal in the commercial real estate industry in Toronto. In addition, our golf tournament has been an amazing success over the years and provided us with a strategic direction into philanthropic work. Finally, our affiliation with CREW Network allows our members to network and collaborate across the North American continent. In 2007, the Toronto CREW Board of Directors created the Danny Klempfner Legacy Scholarship in recognition of Danny’s efforts and contribution to the creation and ongoing success of the organization. The Danny Klempfner Legacy Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding young woman in a university real estate study program.
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Janis Duncan, Past President – 1999 & 2000 Founder More Than An Occasion Corporate Event Planning Janis is the founder of More Than an Occasion, an event planning company that focuses on empowering organizations to engage their employees in team building activities which foster a winning culture. Previously, as a Vice President in Cushman & Wakefield’s Office Leasing Division, Janis was one of Toronto’s top female commercial brokers focusing on major tenants in the Greater Toronto Area. Janis was an inaugural member of Toronto CREW and served on the Board for five years, two as President. In addition, she was a founding member and past chair of Gateway Canada, a volunteer women’s organization within Cushman & Wakefield whose mandate is to promote an environment of opportunity for attracting, retaining and advancing professional women.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President?
There were several Toronto CREW inaugural members who encouraged me to pursue a leadership role within Toronto CREW as President and subsequent Board positions. In addition, while not directly related to Toronto CREW, the President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield asked me to launch a national women’s networking organization within Cushman. My experience on the Toronto CREW Board equipped me with the skill set to undertake the latter.
If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be?
1. Membership retention 2. Revisit mandate 3. More events focusing on needs of all members (ie leadership training).
What challenges do you foresee for Toronto CREW and what proactive steps do you think the organization should take?
As with every organization, membership retention is an issue. I suggested at one of the meetings that perhaps Toronto CREW should revisit its mandate and focus via events on what more seasoned members want, ie leadership (Board) training and more philanthropic work.
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Victoria Joly, Past President – 2001 Partner & Broker of Record Distinctive Real Estate Advisors Inc. Victoria founded Distinctive Advisors in 2014 as a full service residential real estate organization specializing in exceptional properties in Toronto. She holds a Real Estate Broker’s License and a Mortgage Broker’s license as well as the credentials of a Partner in a global investment banking firm, supported by years of domestic bank management experience and perspective. With this unique set of skills and 25 years of successful commercial real estate experience, Victoria is more than qualified to make complex transactions seem simple, employ a truly advanced marketing and sale process, engineer an offering process that is engineered to minimize execution risk, and provide the highest return on the client’s valuable time. She has extensive transaction experience within the commercial real estate industry in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Germany and Hong Kong, and has executed some of the most significant and complex commercial real estate transactions in Canada.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW?
One of the defining Toronto CREW moments for me was back in 2004, through a collaborative effort with Marta Lewycky and Danny Klempfner, the Co-Chairs of the 2004 CREW Network Convention being hosted in Toronto, on a strategy to raise the minimum required US$150,000 in net new sponsorship dollars. The goal of securing a Convention Partner level sponsor was achieved through an in-person presentation given by Marta, Danny and myself to Janice Fukakusa, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Royal Bank of Canada. The articulated motivation expressed by RBC to our joint presentation was “any organization that can bring together a retail specialist, lawyer and investment banker from different firms to pitch a business opportunity is impressive and important to our firm”. If you were to do a 30-second promotional video, what would you say about Toronto CREW? For the past 20+ years, Toronto CREW has been at the forefront in championing the success and developing more leaders in the commercial real estate industry than any other professional women’s networking group. The Toronto CREW organization just seems to get better and better every year. The Toronto CREW membership packs plenty of collective power which provides both institutional and small businesses leverage through affording them access to industry expertise, innovative business practices and winning business strategies. The Victoria Joly Legacy Scholarship was created by Toronto CREW in 2007, and is awarded annually to an outstanding young woman in her final year of university study in a real estate program.
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Denise MacDonald, Past President - 2003 Chief Financial Officer Hangar9 Retail Operations Denise manages all financial and operational aspects of a successful entrepreneurial women’s clothing retailer with locations in Toronto and London, Ontario. Her primary challenge is to transition the organization effectively through changing demographics and a shift to increased online shopping by means of greater emphasis on the service component and changes in the product mix. Prior to joining Hangar9, Denise held positions as Director of Asset Management with Dundee Realty, Director of Leasing with Manulife Financial, Manager of Special Loans with Manulife Financial, and Vice-President of a Strategic Consulting Group with CBRE. Denise holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW?
During my tenure, we moved from an operating Board to a Strategic Board with fewer board members but more power concentrated at the Committee level. It took some time to make the transition smoothly however, in the end this made the Board a more effective vehicle.
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and make it unique from other organizations? The events were always professionally organized and well attended.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? Why and how did this person influence your life? Danny Klempner was so passionate about the organization. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Membership 2. Philanthropy 3. Events
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Karen Weaver, Past President - 2004 Certified Public Accountant, ICD.D, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer D+H Corporation Karen has more than 30 years of financial management experience with large and mid-sized organizations in Canada and the United States. Prior to joining D+H, Ms. Weaver spent more than 10 years at First Capital Realty as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer when the company grew from $1.6 to $8.3 billion in value. Prior to that, she held several senior management roles, including Chief Financial Officer at Brookfield Properties - Canada, Chief Financial Officer at Gentra Inc., and progressive roles with KPMG in Oakland, New York and Seattle. Ms. Weaver is a Certified Public Accountant who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor in Business Administration from the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She is a member of the Board of Directors for MCAN Corporation and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ontario Science Centre. Ms. Weaver also completed the Directors Education Program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and is a certified director.
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations? The members are the anchors and the energy! They are what makes it successful. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? Victoria Joly and Danny Klempfner. These two dynamic women are role models for passion, commitment, energy, achievement and excitement. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Membership 2. Events and speakers 3. Success of the members in their careers What do you believe is the most important aspect in retaining and building Toronto CREW’s membership? Showing how women can be more confident connected, knowledgeable and successful by joining.
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Mary Mowbray, Past President - 2005 Senior Vice President, Retail Group Colliers International Canada Mary leads Colliers Retail Group in the Greater Toronto Area, having joined Colliers in 1991. She has worked with international, national, regional and independent retailers and has a strong understanding of every major retail market in Canada. Mary’s success is based on her ability to fully understand her clients’ businesses and objectives, beyond their immediate real estate needs. She brings a strategic perspective and extensive market knowledge to her clients’ real estate requirements. Mary has a deep commitment to girls and women, evident in her work and philanthropic activities. In 2006, she helped found Toronto CREW’s mentorship program and later worked to develop a mentoring program for Colliers’ Toronto offices, which was later rolled out to all Colliers’ offices. Mary served on the board of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Canada’s national public foundation for women and girls, for nine years. She is a past co-chair of CWF’s board and currently chairs the foundation’s Public Engagement Committee. Mary also serves on Colliers’ North American Retail Leadership Committee. What did you want to achieve when you were President? Generally, I wanted to see more young women stay in the commercial real estate industry and develop successful careers. Practically, the organization was transitioning from an operational board to a strategic board. What goals did you accomplish? We successfully transitioned to a more strategic board and a highly developed committee structure. And, a result was that the enhanced committee structure provided a lot more opportunities for women to engage with Toronto CREW – to get to know other members, to develop practical skills and leadership experience, to raise their profile in the industry, and to have fun. What are the next steps that you think are required to be taken to ensure continued success? After twenty years, Toronto CREW needs to be able to engage and connect with an increasingly broad range of potential members. We need to continue to offer the best programs for young women but we also need to offer programming for seasoned professionals who may wonder what they can still get from belonging. Our programs and programming need to be relevant to a broad constituency. Do you see any challenges ahead? Some women may not see the need of an organization to promote women. And, I think there is still a lack of awareness of the opportunities for women in our industry and not enough understanding of how successful women can be in the commercial real estate industry.
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Marta Lewycky, Past President – 2006 Vice President, Legal Affairs First Capital Realty Inc. Marta Lewycky joined First Capital Realty in 2005, having previously been a partner at McCarthyTétrault LLP. Her experience covers a wide range including the acquisition, development, construction, financing, leasing and franchising of commercial, industrial, retail, mixed use, and hospitality properties. Marta is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education and industry conferences, including ICSC, Canadian Bar Association, Federated Press, Law Society of Upper Canada and CREW Network. She has taught the LSUC Bar Admission Course and is a former columnist for The Toronto Star. She was Co-Chair of the 2007 RealLeasing conference, and is currently Chair of the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? I can easily say that the most memorable achievement was our success in bringing the first CREW Network Convention outside of the USA to Toronto in 2004. As Convention Co-Chair with Danny Klempfner, we embarked on a quest to showcase the City of Toronto and its commercial real estate community for all our American CREW colleagues. Victoria Joly was director on the CREW Network Board that same year, and together the three of us, with our Committee Chairs,organized and hosted the Convention to great success! Among some of the programme highlights: Toronto’s then mayor, David Miller, was our luncheon guest speaker and wowed the audience; and Janice Fukakusa, CFO of RBC, our lead Convention sponsor, led a general session introducing RBC to the audience. All in all, a rewarding and memorable experience that put Toronto CREW on the map for all our CREW colleagues! What challenges do you foresee for Toronto CREW and what proactive steps do you think the organization should take? At this stage, Toronto CREW needs to determine its next big audacious goal – where does it see itself 20 years from now? In this competitive market, what will set Toronto CREW apart from other commercial real estate organizations? Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? I can’t name just one – Victoria Joly and Danny Klempfner both have had a tremendous impact on me as Toronto CREW President. Each played an integral part in my involvement in Toronto CREW, starting as a member, then as Toronto CREW Programme Committee Co-Chair (with Delee Fromm), then as the CREW Network Convention Co-Chair and eventually as President. Their wisdom and guidance exceeded all of my expectations, and formed a lifelong friendship. Toronto CREW owes a great deal to these two phenomenal women.
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Carolyn Laidley Arn, Past President - 2007 Vice President, Sales Representative Lennard Commercial Realty Carolyn served as President of Toronto CREW in 2007, and made a career change that same year. She obtained her real estate license after 14 years in the commercial office construction industry, and 8 years as a practicing professional interior designer and hasn’t looked back since! Carolyn’s wealth of knowledge and experience enables her to successfully complete a range of transactions in office, retail, investment and industrial, working with buyers and sellers as well as tenants and landlords. Carolyn has a knack for multi-tasking, and is consistently one of the top three “dealmakers” (in terms of number of deals) at Lennard.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? 2007 was a very big year for Toronto CREW: 1. The organization became incorporated and a new website was launched. 2. The Toronto CREW Foundation was formally established. 3. The Toronto CREW Golf tournament raised over $85k for community outreach, corporate sponsorship raised over $63,000. 4. Membership reached an all time high of 181 members, with 87% retention. 5. The mentorship program was launched; we held a REAL Jobs day, and introduced two legacy scholarships. 6. The entire leadership team met quarterly, to ensure harmonious relations between groups and for the first time, all leadership was offered a subsidy to attend a CREW Convention to enrich their leadership skills. If you were to do a 30-second promotional video, what would you say about Toronto CREW? Toronto CREW is a local chapter of a 9,000 member organization located in over 70 centres across North America. CREW Network is dedicated to advancing the achievements of women in the commercial real estate industry. It’s a great organization to be involved with and a terrific place to connect the dots!
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Andrea Kraus, Past President - 2008 Senior Vice President, Sales Representative Lennard Commercial Realty, Brokerage Andrea has spent 27 years as an Office Leasing Specialist focusing on small and mediumsized tenancies in the Toronto Midtown and Downtown markets. She has extensive experience in commercial real estate investment with both owner-users and tenants. As a building owner and manager herself, she brings practical, hands-on knowledge in handling office lease negotiations and detailed lease issues. She has managed exclusive listing assignments of close to 2 million square feet on behalf of a number of Toronto’s top landlords.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? I was very happy to initiate a Canadian wide CREW conference, enabling an opportunity for all members to meet fellow CREW members and build relationships, personally and professionally. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? Alison Chave was the President in Montreal when I was President in Toronto, and we continuously shared ideas. Her way of thinking impacted mine very positively. In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations? Other than we are WOMEN, I think it took many years to get companies to buy in and support us, and we built a fabulous reputation out there. It has only grown stronger with time; we now need to keep leading the way, not be relegated to being just another organization in the real estate industry. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Re-evaluate having service members vs members directly in the commercial real estate industry. Evaluate the percentage ratio. 2. Be creative and make a statement in the industry 3. Try to engage inactive members
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Jane Helmstadter, Past President - 2009 Partner, Co-Head of Commercial Real Estate Bennett Jones LLP Jane Helmstadter acts for a broad range of private and institutional real estate developers, investors and owners in Canadian, cross-border and international commercial transactions. Jane acts on the acquisition, disposition and financing of all types of real property, including office buildings, retail property, industrial property, multi-family residential developments and seniors housing. She negotiates property and asset management contracts for owners of real estate and acts for both landlords and tenants in drafting and negotiating commercial leases and land leases. Jane represents clients in structuring and forming Canadian and crossborder partnerships and joint ventures. Jane shares her real estate knowledge as a regular speaker at RealLeasing, and has also spoken at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions for the Law Society of Upper Canada, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) law update and private CLE sessions.
If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Take programs to the next level. We need more content. 2. Figure out how to engage senior women and keep them engaged. 3. Put together a women on corporate boards program (similar to the leadership program). What do you believe is the most important aspect in retaining and building Toronto CREW’s membership? Programs and philanthropic committees - they form the backbone for networking. What challenges do you foresee for Toronto CREW and what proactive steps do you think the organization should take? One of the biggest challenges is holding on to senior women members. They seem to drift off. This is something that needs to be a focus of all committees and of the Board.
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Barbara Bees, Past President - 2010 Director, QRC West Allied Properties REIT A real estate executive with extensive experience in commercial property management and currently working with Allied Properties on launching its first Class A LEED Gold property. Previously managed a national portfolio of shopping centres totaling 10 million sq.ft., assisted with the facility layout and design of the new retail space for Union Station revitalization project and led a 1.2 million sq. ft. Class A mixed use property through a two year $85 million renovation and system upgrade. Chair of Yonge Dundas Business Improvement Association, married for 36 years and have one beautiful daughter. Honours BA from University of Western Ontario.
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations? I think the fact that like minded women have an organization that is welcoming and nurturing, that provides members with an opportunity to network, learn, and grow thorough their participation in various committees and events at a local and international level. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? I think Karen Weaver did as she recognized the need to take Toronto CREW to the next level of leadership by initiating the process to transitioning the Board from one of “doers� to those of providing leadership guidance to committees. She laid the foundation work for our current structure. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Remain financially sound 2. Continue to re-invest in our members 3. Continue to raise our profile within the commercail real estate community
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Ann Waeger CREW Networking
Mayoral Debate
Donated $10,000 to the Women in Skilled Trades program at The Centre for Skills Development & Training
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Megan McGowan, Past President - 2011 Senior Vice President, Retail Leasing S & H Realty Corporation Megan McGowan is a retail real estate consulting and leasing professional dedicated to increasing cash flow and asset value for her clients. Her clients have included landlords and developers (Canadian Tire, Crombie REIT, GPM, Westmont Hospitality/Fairmont Hotels, Northam Realty, Brad-Jay Investments/Southdown Builders) who she assists to maximize the financial potential and the merchandising profile of their projects. Megan is bilingual (English/French), has a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University, is a licensed real estate professional with the Real Estate Council of Ontario, and holds memberships with the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) and Toronto Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations? The personal touch that Toronto CREW has is the differentiating factor. Our members go out of their way to help one another - that’s definitely not like other commercial real estate organizations. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? For me it has to have been Danny Klempfner. Danny urged me to consider being president when I had already said ‘no’ a few times. As she rightly pointed out, you’ll never know how you might grow unless you do it. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Knowledge - keep educating the members about new trends, new projects, new building systems and anything else that is going on in CRE. 2. Connections - networking is always important. CREW does a good job of making it fun too. 3. Support - from the mentorship program to the new leadership development program, and the buddy system for new members, that is what CREW is about.
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ICSC Crew Networking Breakfast
Demystifying Public Sector Real Estate
Negotiating Your Leadership Success
Bonnie Brooks event
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Nancy Prenevost, Past President - 2012 Vice President, Legal, Real Estate Management Oxford Properties Group Nancy leads the Real Estate Management Legal team for Oxford comprised of over 35 legal professionals in Montreal, Toronto and Calgary and is responsible for the provision of legal services to Oxford’s extensive office, retail, industrial, hotel and residential portfolios in Canada. Prior to joining Oxford, Nancy practiced law at a major Toronto law firm and worked as in house counsel in a large financial institution. Nancy is a Past Co-Chair of the Policy and Practice Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, was Chair of the RealPac Leasing Committee that developed an industry standard office lease and has been a frequent speaker at the RealLeasing Conference and other industry conferences. Nancy has an International Baccalaureate, Lester B Pearson College of the Pacific, Bachelor of Arts, McGill University, Bachelor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, Master of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School.
In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and have made it unique from other organizations? Toronto CREW has evolved over the years from being grass roots to a more sophisticated strategic organization, but in doing so it has never lost its “heart“. What distinguishes Toronto CREW from other industry organizations is its sincere dedication to ensuring that its members value their membership – other organizations are indifferent or not as concerned that their membership is engaged. If you were to do a 30-second promotional video, what would you say about Toronto CREW? Toronto CREW is an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging the success of women in the commercial real estate industry. It provides amazing networking and professional development opportunities that are unparalleled in other organizations – connections made in Toronto CREW will last a lifetime which is a testament to the sincerity and quality of its members. What challenges do you foresee for Toronto CREW and what proactive steps do you think the organization should take? Toronto CREW’s biggest challenge is staying relevant and ensuring that what distinguishes it from other industry organizations is widely known by the industry and its membership and that it is valued by its members. Toronto CREW has programs dedicated to developing leaders and through its array of committees it offers opportunities for members to develop other leadership skills that are not as readily available in other industry organizations. Toronto CREW has a disciplined approach to strategic planning and ensuring that programming and committees are aligned with the vision of the organization – this is critical to its long term sustainability.
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Annual General Meeting
Sherry Cooper Economic Forecast Luncheon
Pan Am & Monde Condo Presentation at Story’s Bar on Duncan
Christmas Holiday Party
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Samantha Farrell, Past President - 2013 Vice President, Leasing Dream Office REIT Samantha has over twenty years of leasing experience primarily in the financial core of Toronto but also including the suburban GTA, Maritimes, Quebec and Southwestern Ontario markets. She is responsible for leading a team of seven leasing professionals and the leasing and marketing strategy of a 10 million square foot office portfolio spanning downtown and midtown Toronto, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Montreal and Quebec City. Her prior roles included leading teams for Whiterock REIT, Oxford Properties Group, a private developer and as a salesperson with an international real estate brokerage firm. Samantha is highly connected to the brokerage community and industry associations including NAIOP and CoreNet. Samantha is a graduate of York University.
What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? During my year as President we made significant strides in aligning our chapter with our four sister chapters in Canada. In Toronto I organized two visits with our US CREW liaisons which improved our connection to that 9,000 member organization and put our concerns on the larger agenda. I was proud of the growth of our membership, as well as our move to establish Dr. Avery Schenfeld as our keynote speaker for our annual economic forecast. It was a busy time for me professionally as I changed companies and went through a rebranding so I was also pleased in being able to juggle multiple demands on my time which often felt overwhelming! That feeling never lasted long given the strong Board and leadership we had, and continue to have, in place. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? It is difficult to name just one person as I have looked at a number of our senior leaders as role models based on their professionalism and presence including Danny Klempfner, Andrea Kraus and Anna Kennedy. If you were to set 3 top priorities for Toronto CREW, what would they be? 1. Establish a clear message to the industry about the benefit of membership and move away from the focus on support and networking. 2. Create a tiered approach to Programs perhaps establishing subcommittees and targeted events for various types of members (more established professionals need different programs than newer professionals). 3. Amend membership bylaws to allow membership without the constraint of a minimum number of years in the industry.
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Economic Review and Forecast
Elvira Kurt event
Faceless Communication
Recruitment Event at Veriity
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Tara Piurko, Past President - 2014 Partner Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Tara has been practicing commercial real estate law since 2002. Her main areas of expertise include land development, real property assessment and taxation, and municipal law issues. Tara represents real estate owners with property assessments, payments in lieu of taxes, property tax recharges and rent determination matters. She provides strategic advice to public and private developers on development project approvals. She also negotiates and prepares official plan and zoning bylaw amendments and a variety of planning related agreements. In addition, Tara negotiates settlements with municipalities, community groups, and other interested parties regarding proposed developments and other municipal law matters. Tara has appeared before the Ontario Assessment Review Board, the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Disputes Advisory Panel, the Ontario Municipal Board, committees of adjustment and council on various municipal and land development matters. What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? During my tenure as President-Elect and President of Toronto CREW, our Chapter successfully implemented the “One Ask” sponsorship program combining our Golf and Corporate Sponsorship campaigns. The Board also started the process to initiate the Women’s Leadership Development Program for our more seasoned members which was rolled out in Q3 of 2015. It has been a great success. In 2016, I become the second Canadian member to be elected to the International Board of CREW Network. In your opinion, which aspects of Toronto CREW worked well and contributed to its success thus far and make it unique from other organizations? What makes Toronto CREW unique in terms of a professional industry organization was clarified to me in three words: “We Are Personal”. This summary statement resonates with me and clarified an undertone that I felt, but had not yet defined, since I joined in 2007. We believe in relationships as the foundation to our success. We act as mentors for one another in the sense that we are actively engaged in the success of our partners in this organization. We are not out for ourselves but we are out for each other and that makes us different. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? I would not have become President of Toronto CREW were it not for the encouragement and sponsorship of Nancy Prenevost, a fellow Toronto CREW Past President. Nancy is the reason I became a member of Toronto CREW and the reason I became fully engaged from the moment I joined our Chapter.
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Christmas Celebrations at Valdez
Handwriting at Far Niente
Economic Review and Outlook
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Kim Lanthier, Past President – 2015 Vice President of Property Accounting Oxford Properties Group Kim is the Vice President, Property Accounting for Oxford Properties Group, the global real estate investment arm of OMERs Pension Plan. Kim leads a team of approximately 65 accounting professionals who are responsible for all property and portfolio accounting for all properties in Canada which are property managed by Oxford. The Oxford portfolio spans the Office, Retail, Industrial and Multi-family Residential sectors. Prior to joining Oxford, Kim was the V.P. Finance for Dun & Bradstreet, responsible for financial operations in Canada and Latin America. Kim also spent two years in the UK heading the Finance team for Dun & Bradstreet UK and Ireland. Before becoming President of Toronto CREW, Kim has acted as Treasurer and has been a member of the Foundation, Governance, Sponsorship, Nominating and Scholarship Committees. Kim is a CPA, CA and received her Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University degree from Queen’s University. What were some of your most memorable achievements as President of Toronto CREW? The Board embarked on an update to the three year strategic plan which resulted in a revised mission statement. The Strategic plan has us focusing on our branding, our programs and our membership categories. Action plans were developed around these areas of focus and implementation is underway. In the fall, we launched a new Women’s Leadership Development Program which has received fantastic feedback after its first year. Tied into our 20th Anniversary celebration, we created an event for Past Presidents, inaugural members and current Board members which will become an annual event. Our membership, sponsorship and member engagement has been growing each year. We also updated and standardized all Committee Mandates and the Leadership Manual for Board Members. We continued to have a Canadian Delegates meeting at each of the three CREW Network Leadership Summits. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact or influence on you as Toronto CREW President? Every Past President that I have met has been supportive but I have learned a great deal from watching and talking to two particular Past Presidents who came before me - Nancy Prenevost and Tara Piurko. If you were to do a 30-second promotional video, what would you say about Toronto CREW?
Toronto CREW is an amazing organization dedicated to empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers. We have programs to educate high school girls on commercial real estate (CRE) careers, scholarships for university girls in CRE, and mentorship programs for new women in CRE. We provide opportunities for members to learn and develop through our educational programs, our Women’s Leadership Development Program, by being on a Committee, chairing a Committee, and by being on the Board and potentially being the President. Toronto CREW provides a forum for women to advance within the commercial real estate industry with the support and guidance of its members.
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Annual General Meeting
Co-Working and Collaboration in Toronto
Panel Discussion at Rotman School of Management
Panel Discussion at Rotman School of Management
Annual General Meeting
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Women’s Leadership Development Program
On April 27, 2015 the Board of Directors of Toronto CREW announced the launch of the newly created “Women’s Leadership Development Program” (WLDP). Anna Kennedy and Dimple Mehta are Co-Chairs for the inaugural launch of the 2015-2016 class, supported by their exceptional committee. The program, which is facilitated by Executive Coach Ellen Malcolmson, has been designed for experienced women who are aspiring to develop into executive leadership roles within the commercial real estate industry by providing them with the opportunity to develop their strengths and to receive formal education on selected leadership skills. This program is intended to assist with building confidence and the development of authentic leadership styles. Participants will develop a strong grounding in their own unique skills, capabilities and values. Sessions are spread over a six month period. The program includes an individual leadership assessment, group seminars on key leadership skills and concepts, and the opportunity to interact with and learn from industry peers and recognized leaders. The positive response to the program indicates that this educational development program is of great interest to the membership and will be a strong addition to Toronto CREW’s existing menu of offerings. This program stays true to Toronto CREW’s mission of empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers. The WLDP 2015-2016 began with a kick-off event on October 20, 2015. In the spring of 2016, upon completion of the program, 12 successful participants have engaged in a formal graduation ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments.
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Networking 101 (2014) - Toronto CREW featured a Networking 101: Make Your Value Visible event where a panel featuring Sharon Addison, Brad Jones, Jamie Petch and Toni Rossi taught how to network and present oneself.
Barb Stegemann, Author and Social Business Innovator
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Effective Business Communications June 17, 2015 On June 17, 2015, Toronto CREW provided an invaluable experience for mentees to learn about Effective Business Communication. The mentees were taught the importance of effective communication (how to build and establish credibility, learn the language of business, establish & own your power of influence, as well as career and skill advancement), and barriers to effective communication.
Our Economic Outlook luncheon, held annually, is one of Toronto CREW’s signature events, drawing a large attendance of both members and non-members. Our speaker for the past several years has been Dr. Avery Shenfeld, Managing Director and Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets Inc. Dr. Shenfeld is a four-time winner of the Dow Jones Market Watch forecasting award, and is consistently ranked as one of the top Canadian economists by institutional investors.
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REAL JOBS DAY - On October 14, 2015 Toronto CREW organized the 11th Annual REAL Jobs Day, where 120 female students from grades 11 and 12 participated in a one-day event to learn about careers in the commercial real estate industry. An added benefit to this interactive program was to meet and network with senior executive women working in fields such as Urban Planning, Asset and Property Management, Brokerage and Leasing, Law, Development, Property Valuation and Appraisal, Engineering and Architecture.
Mentorship Program - Toronto CREW aims to introduce and help young women into the commercial real Estate industry. The mentorship program is a free program for women who have been in the industry for less than 5 years. Through the program, these young women are matched up with Mentors who are well known and respected in their fields.
Scholarship Program - Toronto CREW launched a Scholarship program in 2006 for female students enrolled in a degree program specializing in commercial real estate. Scholarship recipients participate in a range of Toronto CREW functions and events, which allows them the opportunity to network with some of the industry’s top executives across a range of commercreal estate disciplines. Toronto CREW’s current institutional partners are University of Guelph, Queen’s University, School of Urban Regional Planning; York University, Schulich School of Business, and Ryerson University.
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2004 - Emerald Hills Golf Club
2010 - Emerald Hills Golf Club
2014 - Angus Glen Golf Club
The first Toronto CREW Golf Classic raised $5,000 for the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Since inception, our golf day has raised more than $1 million. These funds have supported the Toronto CREW Foundation from which we have supported a number of charities including Habitat for Humanity, Women in Skilled Trades, YWCA, Interpreter Services Toronto and many others. It also funds our philanthropic activities which include Real Jobs Day, Toronto CREW Mentorship Program and Toronto CREW Scholarship Program. 2003 - Emerald Hills Golf Club
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Congratulations Danny!
Congratulations to Toronto CREW for 20 outstanding years!
We are proud and happy to see the growth and success of toronto CrEW – which you set in motion. May the high goals and ideals which led you to found this special organization continue to inspire you and inspire everyone lucky enough to know you in the years ahead. Warm regards, Megan Mcgowan
lawrence Mosselson
Donna ing
From your friends at Bennett Jones Toronto CREW, congratulations on two decades of leadership support in Canadian and North American Real Estate.
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KingSett Capital is proud to support the work of Toronto CREW.
Congratulations to Toronto CREW on its 20 years of dedication to empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers.
Relationships, Flexibility, Execution. KingSett Capital owns interests in over $8 billion of assets and is Canada’s leading private equity real estate investment business co-investing with institutional and high net worth clients using active management to create premium risk weighted returns.
416.687.6700 | kingsettcapital.com
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On behalf of Yardi, Congratulations on 20 years of Success!
Congratulations to Toronto CREW for reaching your 20th Anniversary!
marsh.ca
Marsh Canada congratulates Toronto CREW on its 20th Anniversary
Copyright Š 2016 Marsh LLC. All rights reserved. USDG19538
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Markham, one of the fastest growing and most diverse cities in the GTA with 350,000 people, is Canada’s High Tech Capital anchored by 1000 high tech and life sciences companies and 400 corporate head offices
McLean & Kerr LLP congratulates Toronto CREW on 20 years of success, achievement and inspiration.
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From all of us at RDM, we are proud to salute Toronto CREW for developing women in Real Estate for the last 20 years and creating leaders for the future.
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Congratulations Toronto CREW for supporting and inspiring the commercial real estate industry for over two decades. First Capital Realty Inc. [TSX: FCR] is one of Canada’s largest owners, developers and managers of grocery anchored, urban properties where people live and shop for everyday life. The Company currently owns interests in 158 properties.
First Capital Realty | 85 Hanna Avenue, Suite 400 | Toronto, Ontario, M6K 3S3 | Tel: 416.504.4114
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Congratulations Toronto CREW as you celebrate your 20 years of hard work and dedication to women in the commercial real estate industry!
Congratulations Oxford is pleased to congratulate Toronto CREW on 20 years of developing and empowering women in real estate. Oxford Properties Group is a global platform for real estate Investment, Development and Management, with 2,000 employees and over $40 billion of assets under management.
www.oxfordproperties.com
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Toronto CREW
To the past successes, today’s accomplishments and tomorrow’s achievements
Wishing Toronto CREW many more years of Success, Empowering Women and Lifelong Friendships.
CONGRATULATIONS!
CONGRATULATIONS TO TORONTO CREW FOR 20 EXCEPTIONAL YEARS!
CONGRATULATIONS TORONTO CREW
kirshdesign.com
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OUR MISSION Dedicated to empowering women to excel, influence and lead throughout their commercial real estate careers.
www.torontocrew.org
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