Media Kit: Reliance Properties’ $7-million gift launches THE BIG IDEA
Reliance Properties’ $7-million gift launches Emily Carr University’s capital campaign
Vancouver, CAN, May 2, 2014 | Real estate developer Reliance Properties announces a $7-million donation which publicly launches Emily Carr University’s capital campaign, THE BIG IDEA. This contribution sets a new standard for philanthropy – it is the largest gift ever given to an arts-only University in Canada. It represents the largest financial donation ever given to Emily Carr University. The donation will help build the Libby Leshgold Gallery and the Reliance Lecture Theatre at Emily Carr’s new campus at Great Northern Way.
Both the Reliance Lecture Theatre and the Libby Leshgold Gallery will be spaces that contribute to expanding Emily Carr’s tradition of opening the institution to the public. These spaces will facilitate events, programs and exhibitions that serve to enhance academic curriculum, strengthen the city’s social fabric and shape its residents’ urban experience. Future generations of artists, designers, and media practitioners will enjoy new facilities in which to observe, learn, dialogue and present. The Libby Leshgold Gallery and the Reliance Lecture Theatre will be unique cultural intersections that attract exciting exhibitions and facilitate collaborations from local, national and international visionaries.
“Like Reliance Properties, Emily Carr is growing because they take a creative and transformative approach to building their legacy,” says Jon Stovell, President of Reliance Properties. “Both organizations accomplish big things that others their size might not because they courageously challenge themselves to think more creatively. It’s this emphasis on the value of creativity that sets this institution and their graduates apart.”
“We are grateful to Reliance Properties for this remarkable commitment. This gift demonstrates our shared belief in the transformative power of creativity, and it signals an historic moment,” says Dr. Ron Burnett, President + Vice Chancellor of Emily Carr University. “The arts and industry are coming into alignment – we are collaborating precisely at this intersection – where creativity and business innovation meet in service of community, culture and economy.”
At the heart of THE BIG IDEA capital campaign is the belief that creativity is our greatest natural resource. The campaign launches publicly today and will raise $25 million for Emily Carr University to build a new state-of-the-art campus for 21st century learning in art, design and media at Great Northern Way. The Campaign Cabinet consists of the following distinguished group of philanthropists, innovators and industry leaders:
HONORARY CO–CHAIRS
- Michael Audain, Chairman, Polygon Homes Ltd.
- Peter Brown, Founder + Honorary Chairman, Canaccord Financial
- Simon Chang, Founder, Simon Chang Fashion, Alumnus
CAMPAIGN CABINET
- Dylan Brown, Animator
- Miro Cernetig, Owner, Catalytico — ideas in motion
- Douglas Coupland, Author + Artist, Alumnus
- Glenn Entis, Co–Founder + Former Senior Advisor, Vanedge Capital
- Harry Jaako, President, Discovery Capital Management Corporation
- Rick Mischel, Senior Vice–President, Satellite Production, Sony Pictures Imageworks
- John S. Montalbano, CEO, RBC Global Asset Management
- Michael O’Brian, President, Nairbo Investments Inc.
- Bob Rennie, Founder + CEO, Rennie Marketing Systems
- Sheree Waterson, President + Chief Product Officer, Nasty Gal
CAMPAIGN EXECUTIVE
- John C. Kerr, Chancellor, Emily Carr University
- Evaleen Jaager Roy, Chair of the Board of Governors, Emily Carr University
- Dr. Ron Burnett, President + Vice Chancellor, Emily Carr University
- George Pedersen, Former Chair of the Board of Governors, Emily Carr University
- Donald Shumka, President, Emily Carr Foundation Board
- Broek Bosma, Associate Vice-President, Advancement + Alumni Affairs, Emily Carr University
Media Relations
Reliance Properties
Ross Sullivan
Partner, Peak Communicators
o: 604-689-5559
m: 604-802-7139
Emily Carr University
Karin Watson
Media Relations + Communications
o: 604.630.4566
m:604-809-9033
Reliance Properties
Burrard Gateway
A 54-Storey Tower residential tower is the centerpiece of a three-tower mixed-use development at Burrard and Drake. Developed by Reliance Properties and Jim Pattison Developments.
West Pender Place
Named the Best Urban hi-rise by the Urban Development Institute, West Pender Place has become an icon on the Coal Harbour skyline.
Railtown Studios
Artists’ Live / Work studios, with artist specific amenities, including a woodshop, a metalshop and practice and rehearsal spaces.
Burns Block
At 18 West Hastings, the Burns Block transformed a derelict building into Vancouver’s first Micro-Loft residences.
The ARC
Artists’ Live / Work studios, with artist specific amenities, including a woodshop, a metalshop and practice and rehearsal spaces.
55 Water Street
Live / Work studio residences in the heart of Gastown.
Press Conference Images
Press Conference Platform Party Profiles
Jon Stovell has been involved in the real estate investment and development industry for more than 25 years. For the past eighteen years he has served as General Manager and now President for Reliance Properties Ltd., a privately owned Vancouver company that has been active in the development, ownership and management of a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate for over 50 years.
At Reliance, his work includes acquisitions, finance, civic approvals, construction and marketing. Jon has a broad base of expertise in portfolio management with an emphasis on urban renewal through restoration and renovation of heritage buildings, as well as the development of new strata and rental residential and specialty office and retail projects.
Under Jon’s leadership, Reliance has been recognized with awards for retention of heritage buildings, excellence in high-rise development and for the creation of innovative affordable housing in Gastown and the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. In 2013 Reliance was awarded “the Most Innovative Company in BC” award by BC Business Magazine for its Burns Block Micro-Lofts.
Dr. Ron Burnett, President + Vice-Chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, has been President of ECUAD since August 1996. Recent honours include the Order of Canada, the Chevalier des Arts et des Letters, a Knighthood of France, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the International Digital Media and Arts Association Outstanding Leadership Award. He has also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, was inducted into the Royal Academy of the Arts and was named the Canadian New Media Association Educator of the Year.
Dr. Burnett is a member of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) Representative Board and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) Board. Recently he was Chair of the Knowledge Network Board. Dr. Burnett has also been appointed Adjunct Professor at York University in Toronto, a Burda Scholar at Ben Gurion University in Israel and a William Evans Fellow at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Dr. Burnett has published three books, including the recent How Images Think with MIT Press, along with over 150 book chapters and journal articles. His second book, Cultures of Vision, was recently published in China. Dr. Burnett has been an educator and administrator for nearly 40 years, a strong advocate for post secondary education in Canada, a former professor and administrator at McGill University and the founder and editor of one of Canada’s first cultural studies and film journals. He has lectured around the word and is a sought after speaker.
Jake Kerr is Majority Owner and Managing Partner of Vancouver Professional Baseball LLP. Kerr, along with his partner, Jeff Mooney, acquired the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club in 2007. Prior to 2005, Jake, for 35 years, was Chairman and CEO of Lignum Limited, one of Canada’s largest private forest products companies. He was previously employed by the International Paper Company, New York, and was engaged in the advertising business at Botsford Advertising in San Francisco, California.
Jake is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia in recognition for his significant contributions to the province and the country. In October 2000, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby. He was educated at the University of British Columbia and received his MBA degree in Economics and Finance from the University of California at Berkeley. Jake is Chancellor of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, a Director of the Bank of Nova Scotia and Past Chair of the Vancouver Foundation. He is also a member of the Chief Executive Organization and Past Chairman of the International and B.C. Chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Evaleen Jaager Roy is Principal of Jaager Roy Advisory Inc., a Vancouver-based firm specializing in business strategy and HR. Evaleen has a 24 year track record in the corporate world, including a decade at Electronic Arts (EA), where she held three senior VP HR roles, leading teams in Europe, Asia and North America. As Head of HR for EA Europe, she helped lead a $1.5 billion, 24-country business unit based in London. She has also worked in the energy and auto sectors in the US and Canada. Currently Chair of the Board of Governors at Emily Carr, she is also past Chair at Simon Fraser University, the first alumnus to serve in this role. She serves on the Board of the YWCA and the Jack Austin Centre for Asia Studies at Simon Fraser University. Evaleen holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an Honors BBA from Simon Fraser University and was recognized as an Outstanding Alumnus from SFU in 2008. In 2012, Evaleen received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2011, she was awarded Business in Vancouver’s Influential Business Woman Award in recognition of her business and community contributions.
Cate Rimmer is Interim Curator at the Charles H. Scott Gallery where she has curated numerous group and solo exhibitions. She was the founding Director/Curator of Artspeak Gallery, Director of Truck Gallery and was a Curator in Residence at the Saidye Bronfman Centre in Montreal. Cate has published reviews, articles and catalogue texts. She received a diploma in Curatorial Studies from Emily Carr and graduated with a MLitt (with distinction) in Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.
Broek Bosma is responsible for overall leadership of the Advancement and Communications departments. Working with the University’s senior leadership team, he manages an integrated fundraising program, including for the University’s THE BIG IDEA Capital Campaign, Foundation Board and Alumni Association. Having joined Emily Carr in December 2011, Broek’s previous senior positions are in the cultural and healthcare sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Music from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Northern BC. Recent roles include Senior Campaign Director, Sunnybrook Foundation; Director of Development, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony; Director of Marketing and Development, Orchestra London Canada; and Director, Prince George Conservatory of Music. Broek’s past professional experience includes directorships on the boards of Performing Arts BC, Prince George and District Music Festival, BC Choral Federation and the BC Association of Community Music Schools.
Boilerplate
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our learning community merges research, critical theory and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award-winning creators and thought leaders who have enormous impact on both the cultural sector and economy. We engage students, industry, and society to continuously explore and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world. Emily Carr is building a state-of-the art campus for 21st century learning at Great Northern Way. The University will be at the centre of a new social, cultural, educational, and economic engine for British Columbia. Find out more at ecuad.ca.
Reliance Properties Ltd. is a privately owned Vancouver company that has been contributing to Vancouver’s architectural heritage for more than fifty years. From Coal Harbour luxury to award-winning heritage restorations and innovative Micro-Loft housing solutions, Reliance continues to create innovative residential and office developments designed to enhance the urban experience.