Our History
The origins of Madison Group date back to 1967 when, as teenagers, founding shareholders Sam Grippo, Sam Joe and Ray Nakatsu purchased acreage in Mission, BC, setting the stage for a career in identifying valuable investment opportunities, taking some calculated risks and having a long-term view to create value.
The Madison Group was unofficially formed in 1973 with the purchase of
‘The Madison’, a multifamily apartment building on Vancouver’s West Side. Additional partners were brought into the Group throughout the 1970s, and then in 1976, the Group was officially formed upon purchasing its first operating business, Armature Electric. Armature is still owned by the group to this day, and the industrial division in which Armature sits spans 10 companies with over 600 employees across Canada.
Image Credit:
Madison Pacific’s building at 1190 Homer St. in 1920 and today. Presently the building is home to tenants such as Apple and The Cactus Club
In 1980, Madison made its first foray into the publishing business with the purchase of College Printers Ltd. Throughout the 80’s the Group would go on to win the contract to print the Globe and Mail and buy The Real Estate Weekly, as well as various other print publications. The Real Estate Weekly would later be digitized into REW.ca, the hugely popular real estate marketplace that the Group maintains an interest in today.
The 1990s would see significant growth in the industrial, publishing and real estate divisions of the business.
Madison Pacific Properties was started as a publicly listed real estate company in 1997. Over the coming decade, Madison Pacific would develop more than one million square feet of industrial property in Greater Vancouver.
In 1998, the publishing assets of Madison were taken public via Glacier Media, a TSX-listed company with assets across business information, data and community media. Today, Glacier controls such assets as REW.ca, Environmental Risk Information Services, The Victoria Times Colonist and Business In Vancouver, among many others.
Purpose
Taking an entrepreneurial approach to building valuable businesses that create jobs and rewarding careers for our people, contribute to communities where we operate while rewarding shareholders with strong growth in sustainable value as our lasting legacy for future generations.
Vision
To be one of the most highly respected, innovative and successful groups in our chosen markets.
Values
Live our values founded in a partnership culture where we strive to leave the Madison Group in a better place than where we found it:
- Integrity and respect
- Act like owners & entrepreneurs
- Team approach in all we do
- Unselfish leadership that leads by example
- Value creation through innovation and creativity
- Encourage and support our people to grow professionally and take some risks
Who are we?
Meet
Our Team
Head Office
Madison Venture Corporation
389 W 6th Ave
Vancouver, BC
V5J 1L1