Back with another Canadian Real Estate Forums webinar, Aaron and Adam welcome Blair Welch in this episode. He co-founded Slate Asset Management in 2005, which currently has $6.2 billion of assets under management in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

 

Blair explains the three key areas that Slate looks at when considering the purchase of an asset. He gets into how his company’s culture was built, how it is being kept in place despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s distancing requirements, and the role of diversity.

 

Topics covered include:
• The work ethic that was instilled in Blair thanks to his family’s farming background.
• Blair’s work history, including his involvement with First National.
• How great minds have survived past recessions.
• Slate’s philosophy on real estate in three important points.
• A challenging deal that Blair turned to his father for advice about.
• Working together as siblings.
• Being cautious of how you leverage your assets.
• The work culture at Slate and how it is being maintained during the pandemic.
• The Slate Opportunity Fund and the current strategy behind it.
• Other Slate funds and why Blair considers himself a thematic investor.
• Logistics versus retail as it relates to Slate’s grocery store assets.
• Dealing with issues in the United States.
• How Slate decided which international markets to enter.
• Slate’s approach towards diversity.
• COVID-19’s effect on office space in Canada.