Chair & Chief Executive Officer, Belzberg & Co. Ltd.

Samuel Belzberg will be remembered as a self-made businessman and an inspirational philanthropist.

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Sam was Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Vancouver-based Gibralt Capital Corporation, a private real estate and capital investment firm that operates throughout North America.

Sam’s business endeavors began in Calgary, Alberta selling used cars while he was still in college. He eventually founded First City Financial, a multi-billion dollar financial services and holding company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Throughout his years he became an unstoppable deal maker both in Canada and the US.

On the heels of selling Balfour Holdings, a successful real estate company that at its peak operated 26 projects, Sam started a private equity and real estate investment company now called Gibralt Capital Corporation. He served as the CEO and Chair, leading several funds including Second City Capital Partners, Second City Real Estate, and current fund, Balfour Pacific Real Estate.

Sam was also a well-known philanthropist, funding projects in Vancouver and elsewhere in North America, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, Simon Fraser University’s downtown satellite campus, and the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

Mr. Belzberg was proud of his Canadian heritage and, in his eighties, he founded Action Canada, an organization devoted to selecting and grooming future leaders of Canada.

Sam is survived by his wife Frances, his sister Lil, his children Cheri, Marc, Wendy and Lisa, 16 Grandchildren and 13 Great-Grandchildren.