About Us

We don’t just invest in real estate. We invest in real life.

Our strategy is guided by the belief that for a property to achieve its full potential, it must grow to provide greater value to tenants, neighbours and investors. Along the way, it can remain a great place to work and live.

Our mission is to deliver reliable returns by acquiring and developing undervalued, income-generating assets with the potential for transformation. Through deep relationships across the industry, we strive to identify the right opportunities and co-invest with partners who share our vision.

Our People

Pinny Kaufman
Chief Executive Officer

Pinny founded Plaza Partners in 2016 after serving as VP of Acquisitions at Plazacorp for seven years. At Plazacorp, he led the acquisition of prime GTA development sites representing over $1.5B of fully developed value. Pinny learned that not every opportunity fits a conventional mould and that value can be achieved by recognizing the true potential of a property. Plaza Partners was established to identify undervalued, income-generating properties with significant redevelopment potential. Since its creation, Pinny’s leadership has helped the company evolve into a full-service, end-to-end real estate development and management platform. Today, the portfolio consists of 14 properties with a value of over $400M and a development pipeline of approximately 4 million square feet.
In Pinny’s experience, the path to a successful project often begins with a simple conversation. Wherever possible, he works to reduce the gap between investors and management, fostering collaborative relationships with colleagues and partners. With a patient, long-term approach to investments, he believes that you don’t need to predict tomorrow if you have a clear understanding of today.

Ornella Richichi
Chief Development Officer

Ornella brings more than 25 years of real estate development experience to her role as Chief Development Officer. Before joining Plaza Partners, she held leadership positions with The Torgan Group and Smartcentres, and built a successful career as a developer from a practice as a professional planner. She is a committed mentor for women in the real estate industry, having served as Co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative. To Ornella, leadership means being objective in your perspectives, supportive of your colleagues, and willing to grow beyond your comfort zone.

Nick Dukesz
Chief Financial Officer

Nick joined Plaza Partners in 2019, bringing to the position eight years of experience in a range of real estate investment and financial roles. He oversees financial reporting, tax compliance and investor communications, as well as transaction structuring and modelling. Previously he was a member of the Scotiabank real estate investment banking team, advising public clients on mergers and acquisitions, equity raises, and corporate finance matters. Before that he worked in equity research at Canaccord Genuity covering the REIT sector, and as an accountant with KPMG. Nick is a CFA charterholder and holds the CPA, CA designation. In his rare moments of free time, Nick’s a family man, sports enthusiast and always up for a game of chess.

Yehuda Belzberg
Director of Asset Management

One of the founding members of the Plaza Partners team, Yehuda oversees aspects of the business ranging from acquisition to property management to leasing and development. Before Plaza Partners, he built an independent practice as a real estate appraiser, providing expert assessments on hundreds of residential and commercial properties. Yehuda is a Candidate Member Appraiser of the Appraisal Institute of Canada and is currently working towards a full designation. An avid cyclist and water skier, he understands the value of balance.

Nathan Seliger
Associate, Finance & Investments

Nathan brings a keen eye for detail along with the flexibility to learn new skills as the project requires. The core elements of his role include financial modeling, tracking investment performance, investor reporting, cash flow budgeting and forecasting, and accounting. Prior to joining Plaza Partners, Nathan worked for Europro, a real estate investment and management company, where he was responsible for a range of accounting duties as well as the management of several thousand parking spaces. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior college and is currently pursuing his CFA designation.

Yehuda Anhang
Associate, Asset Management

Yehuda’s role at Plaza Partners includes work on acquisitions and due diligence across projects, as well as analyzing sales data to maintain a clear understanding of fast-changing local markets. His contributions extend to oversight of property management and general office management. Before joining Plaza Partners, Yehuda founded and operated a successful small business in the recreation sector, where he honed key negotiation and operational skills. Yehuda holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Excelsior College.

Part of the
Plaza group of companies.
For several decades, Plazacorp has been investing in land, low-rise and high-rise development, and technology ventures that drive our innovation economy toward smarter cities and more livable communities.

Our Values

Opportunity

We strive to recognize and realize potential value in residential and commercial real estate.

Reliability

We seek assets that provide immediate value while evolving to achieve their full potential.

Flexibility

We adapt to the realities of the neighbourhoods in which we invest, and never take a one-size-fits-all approach to management or development.

Transparency

We are honest and open with our partners and believe in fostering deep relationships with all our stakeholders.