Always strive and prosper.
The Isle of Mann story provides context for the entrepreneurial culture that permeates our firm—it is one of challenge and opportunity, learning and growth, adapting and thriving. It is the story of how we defied odds and set standards through the relentless pursuit of a singular and continuous goal:
be better.
1994-2007
Something to Prove
IOM was founded by Dave Mann and Kau Chan Yong in 1994 with the establishment of Isle of Mann Development Corporation. Having achieved considerable success as a residential real estate broker, Dave was acutely aware of what appealed to modern-day families and applied a heightened sense of functionality to each of Isle of Mann’s home concepts.
Although a modest developer of single-family homes at first, IOM set out to disrupt the status quo by establishing new standards for design and quality. However, as immigrants from India and China, Dave and Kau Chan found that developing this reputation would prove difficult; the resounding consensus at the time was that immigrants lacked the sophistication and care to deliver a product of exceptional quality. Their personal and professional mission to overturn this sentiment would serve as the catalyst for Isle of Mann’s growth and success for the next decade.
In 1997, Dave and Kau Chan established Isle of Mann Construction Ltd. As our own general contractor, IOM could now take full control of the skilled labour and materials employed in our developments and ensure the Isle of Mann name was associated with only the highest standards of construction and home warranty service. By staying true to principled building practices and mindful design, our consistent success made way for stable growth. New opportunities in multi-family townhome developments allowed us to make our mark as a multiple Georgie Award winning builder, and we haven’t looked back since.
Through strategic acquisitions and patient development of key sites across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, IOM soon became known for creating vibrant neighbourhoods with homes characterized by careful attention to detail. Through hard work, creativity and perseverance, the business thrived.
KEY PROJECTS
The Magnolia, 2001
Consisting of 90 townhomes, The Magnolia was Isle of Mann’s first landmark project, receiving notable praise for design, construction and marketing as a multiple Georgie Award winner. It was a bold declaration that IOM had arrived as a serious player in the industry—and we were just getting started.
The Vineyard, 2003
The Vineyard included 57 single-family homes and was widely regarded as a new standard for residential design—we pioneered double-wide, shallow lot designs that would later be adopted by the City of Surrey’s Zoning Bylaw. IOM leveraged this experience into many more successful single-family home projects for the next decade.
LESSONS LEARNED
01
Demonstrate pride in your work by delivering quality product and service—customers will take notice.
02
Conduct yourself with integrity, poise, and professionalism—lasting partnerships will present themselves.
03
Work hard, sweat the details, and always trust your gut.
2008-2018
Challenge Accepted
By 2008, we had successfully completed many projects across BC’s Fraser Valley. We experienced considerable growth on multiple fronts, including attracting and developing key talent in various corporate disciplines, and entry into the Alberta market. Our increased infrastructure and sophistication as a firm allowed us to expand our scope and secure several high-profile commercial real estate projects. The departure from our core competency in residential development and construction was a challenge, but facilitated an inflection point in our trajectory as a firm. The opportunity prompted us to expand our expertise into developing well-designed and carefully constructed projects of all asset classes.
As we scaled up operations and diversified our real estate portfolio, we were careful not to overextend ourselves. Our prudent balance sheet served us well, while many developers of similar size fell victim to the fallout of the global financial crisis. This provided the market with confidence in our investment practices and facilitated growth into investment management services. Isle of Mann Capital Corporation was born and quickly became an attractive vehicle for portfolio managers and sophisticated investors alike, who could depend on our expertise to generate above-market returns that were secured by real assets. This investment provided fuel for a series of successful projects of increasingly larger scale that would elevate our profile as a leader among the Fraser Valley real estate community.
For Isle of Mann’s tremendous contributions to the real estate industry, Dave Mann was honoured as a Legend of Housing by the Greater Vancouver Home Builder’s Association in 2016. He and fellow inductees, Rich Ilich (President, Townline Homes) and Ron Toigo (CEO, Shato Holdings), were honoured by the GVHBA as “leaders who have revolutionized approaches to residential housing”.
KEY PROJECTS
Holiday Inn, 2010
IOM’s first major commercial project was the construction of a 73-room Holiday Inn hotel in Cloverdale. This represented a significant leap in scale and complexity for IOM as a commercial builder, and we learned a great deal.
Bear Creek Villa, 2013
Picking up on the lessons learned from the Holiday Inn project, IOM developed and constructed a full-service, 134-room assisted living retirement facility for a third-party operator. This solidified our status as a bona fide developer of large-scale residential and commercial projects.
LESSONS LEARNED
01
Seeking aggressive growth in real estate is a surefire way to lose your shirt. Do good work and organic growth will come.
02
Embrace challenges for what they truly are—opportunities. Work hard, smart, and creatively to capitalize on them.
03
In business, and in life, change is the only constant—adapt and don’t look back.
2019+
Isle of Mann Property Group
After 25 years of growth and success, Isle of Mann is practiced in rising to big challenges. While townhomes and low-rise condos remain a core business strategy for Isle of Mann, our scope has evolved to include mixed-use or otherwise large-scale projects and investments of all asset classes.
By advancing a progressive and responsible development agenda, it is our mission to make a lasting and positive impact on the socio-economic development of Metro Vancouver, and in select markets across Canada.
As a vertically integrated real estate organization, we have consolidated our investment, development, construction and management business lines under the Isle of Mann Property Group banner. This is part of a broader brand strategy that underscores the common values and principles across all divisions of IOM. As a result, our refined identity presents who we are and what we do with clarity, while articulating our ethos of hard work, integrity and care with simplicity and nuance.