What Certus Development does

Certus Developments Inc. is a Calgary-based, fully integrated commercial real estate development firm founded in 1994 by two partners, including Ron Ghitter. The company acquires, develops, leases, builds, and manages commercial properties across all quadrants of Calgary, offering services spanning site selection, lease negotiation, project management, concept development, and ongoing property management. Its portfolio comprises more than 25 named properties ranging from suburban neighbourhood shopping centres (Northland Plaza, Shoppes of South Trail, Midlake Plaza, Royal Oak Place) to urban mixed-use developments (Spider Site, Bannerman Block, Tigerstedt Block) and individual infill retail/restaurant assets spanning the Mission, Britannia, Beltline, Crescent Heights, and Chinatown neighbourhoods. Two larger assets (Royal Oak Park and Royal Oak Place) have been sold to Salthill Property Management, which now operates them on a managed-out basis.

The firm generates revenue through two streams: recurring rental income from leasing owned properties to a curated mix of national franchise tenants (Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Shoppers Drug Mart, The Keg, RBC, TD Canada Trust, Lululemon, Barry's Bootcamp, Pizza Hut) and locally-owned independent businesses (restaurants, salons, medical offices, specialty retail), plus professional services revenue from site selection, lease negotiation, project management, and concept development work for retailers and companies seeking commercial space. Go-to-market is direct: Certus handles all leasing and property management internally, with marketing supported by the company website, a Mailchimp newsletter, and the Instagram account @storefrontyyc. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated individually — no public pricing exists. Headcount is 11-50, the firm is privately held and founder/partner-owned, and there is no disclosed funding, external capital, or parent company.

Name

Certus Development

Legal name

Certus Developments Inc.

Website

https://certusdevelopments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certus Developments Inc. is a Calgary-based, fully integrated commercial real estate development firm founded in 1994 that develops, leases, builds, and manages retail, office, and mixed-use properties across Calgary, serving both national franchise tenants and locally-owned independent businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Property Development and Leasing: Certus acquires land and buildings, redevelops or builds commercial properties, and leases retail, office, and mixed-use spaces to tenants. Revenue is generated through lease agreements with tenants across food & beverage, retail, medical, services, and professional office segments.
2. Property Management Services: Certus leases, builds, and manages their buildings while also providing site selection, lease negotiation, project management, and concept development services to retailers and companies looking for commercial space assistance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Certus Developments is a fully integrated commercial real estate development firm that acquires, develops, leases, builds, and manages commercial properties across Calgary. The company offers a portfolio of shopping centres, mixed-use buildings, retail plazas, and office properties, and provides site selection, lease negotiation, project management, and ongoing property management services to retailers and companies seeking commercial space.

Product overview

Certus Development is a fully integrated real estate development firm offering end-to-end property solutions from concept to completion. The company creates destinations that people want to visit by actively curating each property's mix of tenants. Their portfolio comprises commercial property development services and a diverse portfolio of shopping centers, retail properties, and mixed-use developments across Calgary, including Northland Plaza (their first property acquired in 1994), Royal Oak Park (their largest at 9.5 acres), Shoppes at Sage Hill, Shoppes of South Trail, Midlake Plaza, Spider Site, Centre Street Plaza, Centre 1000, Tigerstedt Block, Bannerman Block, and various single-property retail and restaurant developments. Services include site selections, lease negotiations, project management, building management, and other related services for retailers and companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Property Development
• Property Management Services
• Site Selection and Lease Negotiation Services
• Northland Plaza Retail shopping centre located at 4820 Northland Drive NW in Calgary; Certus's first development property acquired in 1994, serving the NW quadrant with food, retail, medical, and financial services.
• Royal Oak Park Certus's largest property at 8650 112th Avenue NW, a 9.5-acre mixed-use commercial development in the Royal Vista Business Park serving the Royal Oak community.
• Royal Oak Place Retail development located at 8750 Country Hills Blvd NW; a 3.57-acre, 38,894 SF property now owned and managed by Salthill Property Management Inc.
• Shoppes of South Trail Upscale retail plaza located at 4600 130 Avenue SE in Calgary, offering 41,000 sq. ft. of restaurants, financial, and personal services; built in 2006.
• Shoppes at Sage Hill Retail centre located at 230 Sage Hill Blvd NW in Calgary's northwest quadrant offering retail stores, restaurants, and services; currently 90% leased.
• Midlake Plaza Shopping Centre Shopping centre located at 15425 Bannister Road SE at the intersection of Macleod Trail and Midlake Boulevard SE, serving Midnapore, Millrise, and surrounding communities.
• Spider Site Four-story mixed-use urban retail and medical office building at 3001 14th Street SW, home to Certus's headquarters as well as multiple retail, medical, and office tenants.
• Ghitter Block at Britannia Plaza Boutique retail building at 4915 Elbow Drive SW in Britannia, named after Certus co-founder Ron Ghitter, serving the community with services, restaurants, retail, medical, and office tenants.
• Bannerman Block Historic landmark building from 1911 located at 2306 4th Street SW in Mission, renovated in partnership with Lululemon and Barry's Bootcamp.
• Centre Street Plaza 6,400 sq. ft. retail plaza at 919 Centre Street N serving Rosedale, Crescent Heights, and Renfrew communities.
• Centre 1000 Mixed-use office and retail building at 1000 Centre Street NE in Crescent Heights featuring food, medical, and professional services tenants.
• 1020 Centre Street Renovated retail space at 1020 Centre Street N in Crescent Heights featuring restaurants and Spiritleaf Cannabis.
• Tigerstedt Block Certus's oldest free-standing building dating to 1952 at 920 Centre Street N, featuring an iconic neon sign and serving as a mixed-use multi-family residential and retail property.
• Centre Pointe Shops Retail centre at 1323 Centre Street N at the intersection of 13th Avenue, located along a major north-south traffic artery with future Green Line LRT connection.
• 10th Avenue House Mixed-use property at 815 10th Avenue SW in Calgary's Design District within the Beltline, featuring underground parking and proximity to a high daytime population.
• 1005 Centre Street New Centre Street development project at 1005 Centre Street N, currently pre-leasing for Spring 2027.
• 8th Street Food Co-op Retail conversion at 1436 8th Street SW featuring boutique storefronts including Noodle Box, Paros Souvla, and Chez Nguyễn Vietnamese Kitchen, developed jointly with MDC Properties.
• Bannerman Block (interior build-outs) Custom interior build-out and space reinvention services delivered at Bannerman Block for major tenants Lululemon and Barry's Bootcamp.

Quantifiable outcome

• Northland Plaza was Certus's first property acquired in 1994 with a single RBC commitment, growing into a successful neighbourhood centre.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers37 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MDC PropertiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertus partnered with MDC Properties on the 8th Street Southwest project (1436 8th Street SW), converting a single-tenant large-format restaurant into boutique storefronts. MDC Properties and Certus jointly reimagined and developed the property, sharing investment and development responsibilities.
• Salthill Property Management Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAfter selling Royal Oak Park and Royal Oak Place, Certus transitioned property management to Salthill Property Management Inc. Salthill now owns and manages these properties on an ongoing basis, with Certus having built them originally.
• McKinley Burkhart (architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spider Site (3001 14th Street SW) was designed by McKinley Burkhart. The four-story mixed-use building represents a collaborative design partnership between Certus and the architectural firm.
• LululemonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertus partnered with Lululemon at Bannerman Block (2306 4th Street SW) to reinvent the interior space of the historic 1911 building. Lululemon was a major tenant at the location before relocating to a larger space in 2026.
• Canadian Immigrant Women's Association (CIWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIWA leads SMILES Childcare Centre, a tenant at Certus's 1410 1st Street SE property. This partnership represents Certus's commitment to community-focused tenants and accessible services. CIWA creates career pathways for immigrant women trained in early childhood education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Morguard Corporation: Canadian real estate investment and management company with diversified portfolio of retail, office, industrial, and multi-residential properties across North America. Comparable as a vertically integrated commercial real estate owner-operator, though at materially larger scale.
• Allied Properties REIT: Canadian REIT focused on urban office and retail workspace in major Canadian cities including Calgary. Allied's mixed-use urban properties (e.g., similar to Spider Site, Bannerman Block in Mission) and tenant curation approach overlap with Certus's urban holdings.
• Crombie REIT: Canadian REIT with retail and office mixed-use properties anchored by Empire Company (Sobeys, Safeway) and other national tenants. Comparable to Certus in tenant mix strategy and shopping centre asset class, though operates at larger scale.
• First Capital REIT: Canadian REIT focused on grocery-anchored and open-format retail properties across Canada. Owns and operates shopping centres comparable to Certus's neighbourhood plaza portfolio, though at much larger scale and with publicly-listed capital structure.
• RioCan REIT: Largest Canadian REIT with retail-focused portfolio of shopping centres across Canada. RioCan's urban and suburban retail properties overlap with Certus's asset types at significantly larger scale and with institutional capital access.

Direct peers

• Remington Development Corporation: Calgary-based commercial real estate developer focused on retail, office, and mixed-use properties across Western Canada. Remington operates a comparable integrated development platform in the same Calgary market, building shopping centres, business parks, and urban mixed-use assets similar to Certus's portfolio.
• Anthem Properties: Vancouver-based commercial real estate developer with portfolio spanning retail, mixed-use, and office assets across Western Canada including Calgary. Anthem's integrated acquisition-development-management model and curated community-focused approach closely mirrors Certus's value proposition.
• Triovest Realty Investments: Calgary-headquartered commercial real estate investment and management firm with a portfolio of office, retail, and industrial properties across Western Canada. Triovest is the most direct regional peer, operating in the same geography with similar asset classes and integrated ownership/management model.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/storefrontyyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certus-properties

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certus Development