Value is created when the vision is implemented. Our experience in this area is unmatched. Visionary leaders Ron Taylor and Geoff Harrison lead the Development Advisory Services group at Arcturus. In addition to our talented pool of Arcturus professionals across the country, we align ourselves with industry experts who provide full-service real estate solutions.
Ronald Taylor
Senior Vice President, Development Advisory Services
Ron leads a team that delivers a wide range of development advisory services to clients across North America and abroad. A high energy visionary, Ron applies 360° thinking to each project.
Over the past 25 years, Ron's experience covers some of the most exciting developments of our time including: Canary Wharf, London, England; Queen's Quay Terminal and First Canadian Place, Toronto; Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco; and Centro Santa Fe, Mexico City. His particular expertise in urban mixed-use, retail/entertainment properties and sustainable development strategies is a valued commodity. Many of these projects are centerpieces of urban re-development strategies and partnerships between the public and private sector.
Ron is currently the development advisor for the Halifax Seaport, a new arts and visitor district on the Halifax waterfront and recipient of the prestigious 'Brownie Award' in 2006 for the best large scale redevelopment in Canada. He is also advisor for the redevelopment of the John Street Roundhouse in Toronto and City West Kingston, a proposed adaptive re-use of a former 5,000 square metre Nortel factory and surrounding lands.
Ron has provided his expertise in urban re-development to several cities in Canada including Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was recently the development advisor to the City of Burlington for its award winning Downtown Waterfront revitalization. Many of these assignments have involved extensive stakeholder input benefiting from Ron's natural ability in leading focus groups, panels, charettes and public meetings. As part of the team that prepared the innovative master plan for the re-development of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, he was also instrumental in preparing a theatre district plan for Long Beach, California, a redevelopment plan for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Theatre District and a concept plan for a new Film/Media District on the waterfront in Toronto.
Ron's combined expertise in facility management and real estate development has made him a recognized expert in the urban redevelopment field. Yerba Buena Gardens is distinguished by having one of the largest concentrations of cultural institutions and retail in North America including an innovative children's park and is the home to North America's most successful convention facility, the Moscone Centre. He led the teams that created development plans for Exhibition Park in Toronto and the former World's Fair Park in Knoxville, a mixed-use development which is anchored by the Knoxville Convention Centre.
The arts and the cultural industries have been a contributing component of many of Ron's real estate projects. He was instrumental in pioneering the award winning Arts and Events program, a feature in many successful O&Y real estate developments and at Queen's Quay Terminal, launched one of Canada's first Arts Incubator projects which accommodated over 120 Canadian artists, designers and crafts persons.
Ron sits on several industry boards and committees and is currently the Chair of the Outreach Committee of the Toronto Branch of Urban Land Institute. Ron is a frequent speaker and panelist at conferences and symposiums.
Geoffrey J . Harrison
President and CEO
Geoff Harrison is responsible for the overall vision, leadership and management of Canada's leading independent third party real estate services organization.
Geoff brings 30 years of experience in all aspects of the real estate sector. He began his career with the Cadillac Fairview Corporation and served in a number of senior management positions including General Manager, Toronto Eaton Centre, the internationally acclaimed retail/mixed-use development; Vice President, Operations (Canada), where he held operational and administrative responsibilities for the company's shopping centre portfolio, which comprised over 23 million sf; and Senior Vice President, Leasing, Shopping Centres Group with strategic leasing responsibility for a portfolio comprising over 26 million sf of some of Canada's premiere Regional/Super Regional Shopping Centres.
He joined Counsel Corporation in 1989 to head up their real estate development company. In 1992, Counsel Management Services Inc., a real estate services company was created with Geoff as its President and CEO. In 1995 Counsel Management was acquired by O&Y Properties. At O&Y Properties, Geoff held the positions of President, Retail Group; Senior Vice President Real Estate, where he oversaw all leasing, operational and administrative areas for a portfolio of retail and office properties (including First Canadian Place, the tallest office building and premiere business address in Canada); and President, O&Y Enterprise, where he directed the activities of a 1200 employee workforce, delivering real estate services to a diverse client group representing over 100 million sf of office, retail, industrial and residential product across Canada.
The company was re-branded to Arcturus Realty Corporation in 2006 following a management buy-out of the company.
Geoff is active in a number of real estate industry organizations and is a frequent speaker at various conferences and events.
