Throughout his 50-year career, David Podmore, OBC, Co-Founder and Chair of Concert Properties, has established a remarkable legacy in Canada’s real estate industry. Yet, beyond his professional achievements, lies a legacy of philanthropy and providing in-kind services to organizations in need—endeavours undertaken not for personal acclaim, but out of a genuine desire to give back to communities and people across Canada.
This commitment to giving back is evident in David’s involvement in charitable initiatives. In addition to holding over 20 volunteer positions related to community service, his efforts have raised well over a quarter of a billion dollars for the causes he champions, touching the lives of so many across Canada.
As past chair of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, he played an instrumental role in raising over $160 million for the hospital's redevelopment, making it one of the world's top pediatric hospitals. And as chair of BCIT’s INSPIRE campaign, he has helped raise over $100 million to support education and campus infrastructure.
Furthermore, 30 years ago, David established the Concert Properties annual charity golf tournament, in collaboration with industry partners. This tournament, along with other fundraising initiatives, has seen Concert Properties contribute over $12 million to trades training and education across Canada.
Under David’s stewardship, Concert Properties has become synonymous with philanthropy, supporting and funding causes that include youth homelessness, cancer research, annual food drives and much more.
Beyond fundraising efforts, and as part of David’s vision, Concert Properties has also donated development and project management services to various projects in-kind. These projects include the redevelopment of the St. James Cottage Hospice for the terminally ill, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Child Care and the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Association's Burn Fund Centre.
One of David’s well-known in-kind contributions, outside of Concert Properties, can be seen on the shores of False Creek, where Vancouver’s BC Place stands—an iconic multi-purpose stadium that has become a symbol of the city’s identity. While David worked on the landmark’s original development in the 1980s, by the early 2000s the Government of BC sought to revitalize the stadium and expand the Vancouver Convention Centre.
With both projects facing a multitude of issues, former Premier Gordon Campbell called upon David, and he famously accepted the challenge of managing the projects for a fee of a single dollar. His leadership led to a remarkable $563 million refurbishment of BC Place, featuring the world's largest cable-supported retractable roof. Simultaneously, the Vancouver Convention Centre West was delivered on time, as one of North America's largest and the world's first Double LEED® Platinum Convention Centre.
Similarly, David took on a volunteer role he was confident would positively impact the City of Vancouver and helped secure the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games for Vancouver and Whistler. David led the successful and historic "Vote Yes" Olympic plebiscite. Alongside Co-Founder, Jack Poole, and several colleagues who all volunteered their time, David then led the team’s successful bid for the Games, in cooperation with the Olympic committee, and oversaw the planning of over $600 million in new infrastructure. The Olympics had an enormous impact on British Columbia, both socially and economically, boosting GDP by $2.3 billion, creating 45,000 jobs and generating $1.1 billion worth of contracts for BC-based companies.
"My father believed in giving back to the community, and Jack Poole did as well,” says David. “When we set out to create Concert Properties, it wasn't just about delivering returns for our shareholders; we wanted to make a meaningful impact on the communities we were a part of. Giving back became a cornerstone of our work, written into our shareholder’s agreement as one of our founding principles."
As David prepares to retire this September, he will leave behind a legacy that goes far beyond real estate. His profound impact on communities and individuals will continue to resonate for years to come, shaping a legacy of compassion, generosity and community building.