I asked Doug how he sees his business – and real estate developers/holding companies generally; ‘how’s business?’ over the next quarter?
… very strong. Though, I’ve never been able to predict when we’ll have a soft spot. Looking back, 2000 and 2008, were just blips.
And over the next five years?
… Our industry is changing – less fragmented. Low interest rates are making things possible that would not otherwise be … I see barriers to entry – fewer players. The City of Calgary is reducing suburban growth. They are forcing new growth in mixed use as urban vs. suburban growth. Over the long haul I don’t believe the notion that suburban growth doesn’t pay for the city. For Ronmor, we’ve been partnering on developments – we do the commercial and someone else does the residential. Going forward, we are going to be doing it all ourselves. That’s new and not yet widely known.
What qualities distinguish your preferred colleagues, collaborators and suppliers?
… transparency, truth, quality. Are they competitive? Reasonable prices – everybody should win.
What distinguishes you that causes people to choose Doug Porozni, why do they do business with you, why have they hired you, over your competitors?
… I do what I said I would do. I don’t try to oversell myself. Word of mouth.
How would you describe your leadership style?
...I’m not a micro-manager, but probably too serious. We don’t have a lot of down time.
What do you lose sleep over, what do you worry about?
… I sleep. I’m concerned our city’s policies contribute to Calgary pricing ourselves out of the market to some degree, especially for young families starting out – and we are losing them to other jurisdictions. As long as we are uncompetitive, other communities are going to eat our lunch.
Who or what influenced you most – that has made a difference in your life, or that was a major turning point?
… Jon Love and Bill Yurko were great mentors, and my current partners – Mark Zivot and Lorne Papirny, have taught me a lot. I’ve learned a lot from younger people – we can learn a lot from them. Business heroes/influencers, Armand Hammer, Ray Kroc. Dale Carnegie. On the negative side, I learned a lot from our fight with the Southerns when we were developing Silverado.
Work life balance, do you have it?
… Yes. I’d like to golf more and travel more. We have two grown children, two grandchildren. Time at our place in Maui (6-8 weeks a year) and our place in Invermere. We go to Europe every second year.
For fun?
… I’ve been involved in the K-100 running group for 22 years. Wake boarding. Wind surfing. Skiing. Golf.
What do you read?
… biographies, Business Week, Bloomberg. Non-fiction. History. I loved history in university.
His ride?
… 2013 BMW M5.