Jim Spatz
Jim Spatz is the Executive Chairman of Southwest Properties Limited, one of Atlantic Canada’s leading real estate developers. Southwest owns, operates and develops residential and commercial real estate in Atlantic Canada and extended stay accommodations across Canada.
Southwest has grown its property portfolio by constructing real estate assets from the ground up, as well as the acquisition and repurposing of real estate assets with major redevelopment potential. Southwest has accumulated an extensive and balanced portfolio of properties and investments, including more than 1,500 high quality apartments and condominium units situated in the best residential areas of Halifax, and nearly 700 hotel rooms in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Southwest redeveloped and owns Atlantic Place, the largest office building in Newfoundland. It is also the majority shareholder in Premiere Suites, with over 1,500 units. Premiere is Canada’s largest coast-to-coast provider of furnished extended-stay accommodations and is the fourth largest in North America. Southwest has four major multi-unit and mixed-use projects in the planning and construction phase in Halifax, which will double the size of its Halifax portfolio in the next several years.
Jim has led the company for the past 25 years. His first career was as a physician. Jim practiced Family and then Emergency Medicine for 15 years.
Along with his responsibilities in the office, Jim is actively involved in a number of community activities. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Halifax Port Authority and is a Life Director of Neptune Theatre. He is also a member of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee’s (CJPAC) Advisory Board. Jim is a founding partner and Fellow of the Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic, the mentorship and investment organization for technology start-up ventures in the region. Jim also served on the Board of Governors of Dalhousie University, Atlantic Canada’s largest university, from 2001 – 2015, and was their Board Chair from 2008 – 2014. Most recently Jim sat on the Board of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation and the National Executive Committee for the 2017 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, Canada’s most prestigious leadership development experience.
In 2007, Jim along with his late father, Simon, were inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame. In 2013, Jim received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his significant achievements and contributions to the community. In May 2015, Jim was named Atlantic Business Magazine’s CEO of the Year for Atlantic Canada. Jim is a member of WPO and CEO.