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The Heartbeat of Canada ICI

In many ways, the history of the Edmonton office is also the history of Canada ICI on the whole. After all, the company originated in Edmonton in 1993, back when Canada ICI was a single downtown office in Scotia Place. Today, of course, the company is spread out across the country, but its heart and soul are still in Edmonton.

“Edmonton is the hub, and it’s the testing ground for implementing new ideas,” says Managing Partner Brandon Kot. “A lot of the prominent players in each of our offices were trained and started working in the Edmonton office.” Edmonton is also the home of Canada ICI’s corporate offices, along with accounting and administration.

From the early days at Scotia Place, to the move to the 124th Street office in the late 2000s, and most recently to Canada ICI’s current Edmonton location at Manulife Place — there’s been a lot of change over the years, and the Edmonton branch was at the center of it all.

Of course, the biggest change of all came in 2002, when Canada ICI was acquired by MCAP, one of the nation’s largest mortgage finance institutions. However, it wasn’t long until Dale Klein purchased the company back from MCAP in 2006, which brought Canada ICI back together. This was a pivotal period, as Dale reset the strategy, then grew the company quickly across Canada. As of 2023, Canada ICI is privately owned by several internal stakeholders.

In many ways, Edmonton might seem an odd place to start a leading Canadian mortgage origination firm, but there are major benefits when starting with a physical location in the west. “The real advantage of being based out of Edmonton is that we’re the regional market leader in this industry,” Brandon says.

 

We’re a conduit for investors out east. Early on, we became the group out here that a lot of eastern-based funds rely on.

Brandon goes on to explain how Edmonton uniquely contributes to the ICI identity: “The company takes its cues in terms of culture from Edmonton. There is a culture of professionalism and excellence, of drive and ingenuity, but also a selflessness and accessibility.” Edmontonians know that hard work brings results, and that they can accomplish more when working together. You will find this same attitude across all of Canada ICI’s offices — hard-working, results-based professionals who consider their fellow employees as teammates and co-contributors to their success.

As Canada ICI expands its reach throughout the country, the Edmonton office remains the heart of the company, and in more ways than one.

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