Celebrating 75 years: Genstar builds on the past with a vision for the future

Genstar Development Co. is celebrating 75 years of community building and land development, a milestone that has seen the company transition through several iterations across the continent, starting in Winnipeg with humble beginnings as a family-run business.

“It’s really a milestone that reflects the vision, dedication and talent of so many people who’ve shaped this company over the decades,” says Paul Boskovich, president of Genstar Development Co.

Genstar was founded in Winnipeg in 1950 by four brothers in the Simkin family, who started out in the coal business and later segued into development, eventually building a construction and land empire and rebranding as BACM Industries in 1961. In 1968, the Simkins sold the company to Genstar Corp., which went through a few ownership changes over the decades, eventually morphing into a publicly traded company. In the 1970s, the company held 25,000 acres of land, more than double its closest competitor, and growth was fuelled by acquisitions across Canada and the United States.

In 2001, a management buyout transitioned the company back into an independent and private entity. Today, Genstar Development Co. operates in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Atlanta and throughout southern California, with its head office in San Diego, Calif.

In Alberta, Genstar has been the impetus behind several landmark communities, including a handful that have incorporated “firsts” in the land development sphere, beginning with Calgary’s first golf community of Willow Park, and then Canada’s first lake community located in southeast Calgary — Lake Bonavista in 1968, a community spread across 1,400 acres of land, 3,000 homes with a 50-acre man-made lake at its core.

To date, Genstar has developed more than 20 per cent of Calgary and this year alone will deliver 1,650 lots and 3.3 million square feet of industrial development across North America.

“There are so many significant things that have happened in the past, but it is really about the future. We’ve been able to move this story through all of its iterations and different cities, and are now able to take that and create a new chapter, which leverages the company’s legacy while putting us in a position that is favourable for the future,” says Boskovich.

The company’s newest community development projects in Calgary include Rangeview Springs in the southeast, Lewisburg in the northwest quadrant and a budding community also in the southeast, close to Mahogany that is currently in the planning stages.  

Gracing lands homesteaded in the late 1880s by the Lewis family, the 100-acre community of Lewisburg launched in the spring of 2025 with a vision to embrace individuality and culture, while fostering a sense of community — attributes inherent in the diverse architecture and development plan.

In Edmonton, the company has moved swiftly to build upon its strong foundation, recently acquiring several land holdings on the west side of the city, while also continuing to develop a spate of highly successful projects including Riverside in St. Albert and Crystallina Nera in north Edmonton. In Sherwood Park, just east of Edmonton proper, Genstar has a long history of development — Boskovich says that close to 25 per cent of Strathcona County has been developed by Genstar — including the community of Aspen Trails, which features a 50-acre urban village, parks, playgrounds and a link to heritage trail systems with protected creeks and lush urban forests.

As for what buyers are wanting these days when it comes to both homes and communities, Boskovich is succinct: “They are wanting whatever they can afford.”

“When I first came into the industry 15 years ago, we were starting to move into more entry-level housing and greater diversity in housing types. That trend has continued, and we seem to be continually trying to build a new mousetrap that can address the issue of affordability.”

That’s why excitement is circling around Genstar’s latest focus: highly amenitized, multi-family apartment-style purpose-built rental projects designed to foster and build a strong sense of community within the context of a larger community.

Atlas, the company’s prototype, located in Calgary’s northwest community of Carrington, launched in the spring of 2025 and Boskovich says that the recipe has been very successful. “It’s a vertical community. There’s a lot of people who want to live in a high-quality home with good value amenities, but they don’t want to commit to home ownership yet.”

Designed by NORR Architecture, the 432-unit project is comprised of four, six-storey buildings that frame an interior landscaped courtyard that houses a stand-alone 5,400-sq.-ft. amenity centre in the middle. Access is included in the rent and it offers a fully equipped gym, a media room, a kitchen and lounge area, an outdoor patio, and a pet recreation zone. Other amenity spaces, including a co-working space, a kids’ playroom and a games’ room, are located within the residential buildings. Atlas offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes with high-quality finishes.

Building on Atlas, Genstar has another two purpose-built rental projects underway, totalling 432 units with an additional 2,600 rental units in the pipeline across North America, focusing on Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and San Diego.

Genstar’s CEO, Frank Thomas, said during the company’s 75 ^th anniversary celebration event held at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in Calgary in early October that going forward the company’s vision remains clear — “to be the very best that we can be, to build communities that are envied, while forever chasing new challenges.”

Boskovich agrees. “We’re trying to listen to the tea leaves and then adjust and then refine. It’s always an exercise in trying to figure out where the puck is going. Together all of our projects give us a diversified foundation — balancing the legacy of master-planned communities with a growing portfolio of income-producing assets.”

But Boskovich stresses that it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the numbers. “It’s about the people. It’s about families finding homes. It’s about communities taking root.”