The New Face of Shift REI

How we’re adapting to serve you better

Modern life moves fast, and if you’re not ready to move with it, you’ll get left behind. That’s why we’re constantly striving to make changes to serve our clients better.

Five years ago, we created Shift REI to serve the Davis Auto Group as it grew and accumulated properties. We’re happy to say through those formative years, we were able to simplify ownership structures and increase profits from all our real estate holdings.

However, as more and more clients outside Davis Auto Group joined with Shift REI, things naturally began to change. New goals, viewpoints and dreams integrated with ours, leading to a choice between doubling down on our original vision and remaining a small holding company, or ‘levelling up’ and finding a new way to deliver for a rapidly diversifying client base.

The move to level up

The choice was a simple one for us: we’ve decided to push forward and better serve the communities we are part of. To accommodate this choice, we are focusing on three main strategies:

  • Diversification
  • Re-branding
  • Building a more functional website

But before we see where we’re going, let’s take a quick look back at where we’ve been.

Defined by our history in our communities

In late 2015, the partners got together to brainstorm a solution to a problem Davis Auto Group was experiencing. After years of growth through working with partners across Alberta, we’d obtained buildings in a variety of communities, each with a different ownership structure.

Though we were excited by the success we were seeing, the convoluted ownership structure had created a confusing labyrinth of legalities – one that could cause difficulty if left unaddressed.

The formation of Shift REI

So, in early 2016, we formed Shift REI in order to simplify the confusion and streamline the entire operation. By consolidating all our buildings under one business, and issuing shares to each of the owners, we were able to create a straightforward ownership structure that worked for everyone involved.

And, as we continued to grow, real estate investors outside our organization realized the benefits of joining our new business. They would sell their building to us for shares in Shift REI, which not only allowed us to grow, but also granted new shareholders more flexibility while maintaining the security of real estate ownership. 

For five years, we grew via word of mouth, offering that same flexibility to building owners who shared our business ethos: a well-kept building and a strong relationship with tenants. 

New priorities for today’s investors

These days, Shift REI stands on its own feet as a versatile business working closely with clients and communities. We currently feature 15 properties with a variety of tenants spread across Western Canada and are in the process of developing five more properties in Lethbridge and the surrounding area for commercial use.

To properly deal with this growth, we’ve carved out our first steps toward better serving our clientele – new and long-term alike.

Shift REI: A new face of success

The most obvious change we’ve made to Shift REI is our new brand and website. Together with a local developer, we’ve worked to build character that better: 

  • Illustrates our new mission in the community
  • Communicates who we are and what we offer to potential clients
  • Highlights both our current buildings and our future developments

Interested in Partnering With Us? 

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Diversification is key

As befitting our roots with the Davis Auto Group, our initial portfolio specialized in car dealerships and other auto-related properties. When we existed to simplify the Davis Auto Group’s holdings, this made sense. However, as we’ve graduated to become a property investment company, this was an element demanding change. 

So, within the past few years, we’ve focused on diversifying our holdings, both in regards to industry and city. This has allowed us to build an investment portfolio that offers more stable growth without subjecting our investors to industry valleys or spikes.

Looking to a brighter future

As an investment company, our main strength lies not in who we are today, but in the immense possibility for growth into the future.

Currently, we are working on some very exciting new projects in Southern Alberta, which will be featured on this blog in the coming weeks and months. 

As we continue to drive forward, we expect to regularly update our clients with new projects and new opportunities as our portfolio continues to grow and offer more and more returns.

Looking to our past, we can see consistent returns on a smaller, more dedicated portfolio, so we’re confident that as we continue to grow as an investment company and landlord, we will reap greater returns accordingly.

Join with us

We are always looking to expand our portfolio and add new shareholders. 

If you have a building restricting your independence, or want to find/build the perfect commercial space for your business, call Chet today.

Together, we can create a stable, high-return investment while we support and build the communities we operate in.