Growth

Recently I have been trying to push the boundaries of what I know and move into an area of development much larger in scope and size compared to what I have traditionally been doing.

It's been hard slogging. On many occassions I did not believe I could do it. I must have "almost" given up a half dozen times. I'm still not out of the woods yet. But I do feel as though a major hurdle has been overcome. I feel as though I am achieving this next level and moving myself and my growth in the direction it needs to be.

Without getting into too much of the philosophy behind all of this - let's just say that unlike the majority of subjects out there, the nature and source of information on this particular area of development is extremely limited and typically comes only from actually living the experience. So what is it that I'm trying to do? Well.... I can't really reveal the details until we have shovels in the ground, so to speak - but I'll try and give an example of the growth I'm trying to undertake.

To date, I have mostly undertaken small to medium sized commercial projects - car washes, strip centers, plazas and the like. The majority of my focus has been on 1 to 2 year developmental projects. Typically in the sub $5,000,000 CDN range. A few projects have been loftier reaching in to the $20,000,000 range, but as yet this size of development has not come to fruition.

The growth I am trying to reach is into this $20-25,000,000 range. However, this range has been strangely elusive to me. What I have come to realize in the last several months is that I must reach still higher to achieve even this level of development. The developmental goals I am now focused on are of the $60-100,000,000 range and would take place over 5 to 7 years. Thus, I achieve my $20,000,000 developmental goals but on a recurring basis inplace of as a one time project.

And the thing that helps to cement that I am on the right track - since I have opened my mind to such a project and all that is required, I have come across 2 separate sites in the two communities I had in mind to pursue. In addition, information is coming as to better communities to focus on (out of the two we focused on, one is an ideal hot spot and the other we will have to develop into one), and potential clients are supplying the information to us as well as assisting with the design.

As soon as I opened myself to the ideas presenting themselves a myriad of options become available and the deals piece themselves together with the layout and schedules almost appearing on the pages. When the student is ready, the teacher shall appear - and sometimes the teacher is what is already within you.

Here's to tomorrow, and all the promise it holds.

Where to Begin?

It's been quite a journey til now.
These last few months have seemed like years in terms of growth and knowledge.

First the updates:

Fort Car Wash: Phase One Renovations complete. Phase Two Truck Bay Expansion drawings complete. Development permit has some hiccups, but after a meeting or two, we should have a path forward on this issue.

Edson Car Wash: Up and running. After several months worth of gremlins, the troubles seem to have stemmed from an incorrectly installed CPU and have since been corrected.

Urban Market: On hold until I clone myself.

West Edmonton Industrial Strip Center: On hold until Spring 2007.

There are a host of other developments in the final stages of analysis moving towards becoming full fledged projects.

Edmonton Area Staged Project: A multi-phased project in a nearby Edmonton locality. The first two stages center around 30 unit multi-family apartment style condominium complexes. The final stage creates a medical based strip center. This project is expected to last 3-4 years. More info as it comes together.

Edmonton Area Industrial Project: Another multi-phased project in a nearby Edmonton locality. Several sites are being chosen which would allow for some commercial applications - Gas Bar, Car/ Truck Wash, Truck Stop, Motel, Restaurant, and Miscellaneous CRU; in addition to the primary goal of establishing an industrial complex. This project is expected to last 5-6 years.

Edmonton Area Land Development: Again, a multi-phased project involving the development of raw land to a planned community consisting of rural acreages, commercial, residential, and multi-family style areas.

Industrial and Truck Wash Development: Several communities in Northern Alberta are being researched for a new Industrial and Truck Wash development. Two front runners are located significantly far from Edmonton (3-5 hours driving time). Careful consideration needs to be placed on this development, solely from the travel perspective.

Here's to tomorrow and the tremendous planning involved in just one of these projects.