Real estate business launches
Susan Levinger (left), Benoit Loyer (centre), and Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer (right) make up the leadership team at Panorama. Courtesy Panorama
Quebec’s first Indigenous-owned commercial real estate agency officially launched this month, with former Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer at the forefront of the company in her new role as vice president of corporate affairs.
“It’s exciting times because for me it’s unknown, it’s a challenge, it’s innovative, and it’s really going into a place where there hasn’t really been any kind of representation from First Nations,” said Sky-Deer.
The organization, which is named Panorama, was formed by Benoit Loyer, who is Mi’kmaq from Listuguj. Loyer is a licensed real estate broker and agency executive and met Sky-Deer last summer at an event for Indigenous businesspeople.
The two had an instant connection and over the next several months began to brainstorm how they could work together, with Loyer pitching to her the concept of Panorama as a “360 approach of bringing First Nations experiences into the commercial real estate space.”
“I think we have a lot of the same shared values, and we really have a good team where we can bring that different experience into real estate,” Sky-Deer said. “What’s really exciting is that all of our First Nations people are starting to be involved in more projects where they’re doing partnerships and being collaborators and acquiring more buildings. We’re seeing more elevated and positive momentum that we’ve never seen our people doing before.”
Also joining the three-person leadership team is Susan Levinger, who will be serving as Panorama’s partner and commercial real estate broker. She had formerly worked with Loyer at Trillion, a commercial real estate agency he had also co-founded.
While not Indigenous, Levinger was paired with Loyer as part of the First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) economic reconciliation program earlier this year.
“I am very proud to contribute to the development of this Indigenous-owned real estate agency and to bring my expertise to provide a unique service within an agile structure that can compete with major international firms,” she said.
Panorama will offer services to support lease management, purchase and sale of properties, site analysis, portfolio optimization, and more. Sky-Deer said that while she doesn’t have experience in the world of commercial real estate, she’s ready to dive in headfirst, seeing her readiness to learn as an asset as the company starts its journey.
“I’ve always been a kind of bridge builder with connecting people and educating people about who we are, so I’m going to bring a different perspective and maybe even some of our teachings into the mix, especially how we think about the land, the next seven generations, and the impacts on our future,” she said.
“Not everything is about growing wealth, but it’s also about giving back and leaving a positive impact in communities.”
She said she’s excited to take on new challenges since vacating her role when she lost her seat in last summer’s election to new MCK grand chief Cody Diabo - since then she has also set up her own consulting firm, Sky-Deer Consulting.
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“Since I left politics, I’ve been branching out and trying things outside of my comfort zone, just learning along the way and growing as a person in my experiences and expanding my knowledge base,” she said. “This is just another venture and step in that direction, so I’m pretty excited about what it will be.”
