‘He's one of the major players'

Winnipeg Free Press

a day ago

At the time of the sign's placement, rail cars rumbled overhead and vehicles zoomed by.
Steps away, Blue Cross Park was void of a Winnipeg Goldeyes game, but cars still dotted its lot. Pedestrians took to sidewalks, maybe headed to East Exchange District restaurants like Carnaval Brazilian BBQ or Clay Oven for lunch.
Monte Nathanson viewed a different scene when surveying Lombard Avenue for development.
His company turned parking stalls and rundown warehouses into office space before the Goldeyes arrived and apartments appeared.
'It's the sort of investment that is still having ripple effects,' said David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ.
The latest ripple effect: a street name change. Right by an intersection with Waterfront Drive, a blue sign denoting 'Honourary Monte Nathanson Way' is placed above Lombard Avenue's marker.
'It marks somebody who was a pioneer at investing in the East Exchange,' Pensato said. 'He's one of the major players, without question.'
United Equities Group, the company Nathanson founded, is behind a slew of Lombard Avenue developments that preceded major government attention around Waterfront Drive.
Its first project in the area — 93 Lombard Ave. — started with a warehouse in shambles. Sinking floor, corroded plumbing and dilapidated loading dock were present, Nathanson's daughter Sherryl Steinberg said.
'That's not what (Nathanson) saw,' she continued. 'He saw a stately, dignified building that could become the launch pad for a revitalized area.'
'It marks somebody who was a pioneer at investing in the East Exchange. He's one of the major players, without question.'– David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ
And so, the five-storey brick structure was transformed into office space in the late 1970s. It was initially created in 1906 by Minnesota-based Crane & Ordway Company, acting as a distribution centre for wares like pipe valves and fittings.
Once construction finished, Nathanson toured his friend Richard Kroft, a former senator, through the space.
'There was so much flair and so much style and so much imagination,' Kroft recalled.
United Equities Group also tackled 111 Lombard Ave., an old Kemp Manufacturing Company facility. The 122-year-old building now houses organizations like the Manitoba Jobs and Skills Development Centre.
Finally, in 2001, United Equities Group built 200 Waterfront Dr. The three buildings collectively cover 300,000 sq. ft., according to Warren Greenspoon.
Greenspoon took the reins from Nathanson around 2008. United Equities Group's president — and Nathanson's son-in-law — wanted to honour Nathanson following the patriarch's 2024 death.
'I knew how hard he worked to do all this,' Greenspoon said.
He contacted area Coun. Vivian Santos. The honorific street naming resulted.
The name covers the public right of way running between 93 Lombard Ave. and 111 Lombard Ave., intersecting with Westbrook Street.
'Monte left his mark not only in our skyline but in the very soul of our downtown.'– Coun. Vivian Santos
'Monte left his mark not only in our skyline but in the very soul of our downtown,' Santos (Point Douglas) said in a speech Tuesday. 'His work helped build the cultural and economic vibrancy we're all enjoying today.'
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Apartment towers, trendy restaurants and tourist attractions are now within walking distance. (The City of Winnipeg and CentreVenture Development Corporation led a strategy to revitalize the district over the past decades.)
United Equities Group continues developing elsewhere. It's overseen Winnipeg shopping centres and sites in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
It counts 800,000 sq. ft. under its jurisdiction and is working on its biggest project yet — a West St. Paul division it's co-developing with Exemplar Developments. Four hundred houses have been built in Meadowlands; a grand total of 2,000 is slated. Costco and McDonald's are booked for the neighbourhood.
Nathanson started in real estate with a loan from his father and a 5,000-sq.-ft. build, by his daughter's account. Greenspoon credits the family member for teaching him 'everything.'
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Gabrielle PichéReporter
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
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