40 Under 40 Industrial Leaders Officially Announced

The winners of 40 Under 40 Industrial Leaders have officially been revealed, highlighting the unsung heroes of Canada's economy.

The impact of these 40 honourees is felt across vastly different (but often overlapping) industries, including development and real estate, construction, finance, technology, sustainability, trade contracting, engineering, manufacturing, and more.

This year's list of winners is multifaceted, and the real estate and development industry is proudly represented.

David Basche, President of Astria Properties, has built a career on anticipating market shifts and executing large-scale projects, from site acquisition through leasing and long-term asset management. Under his leadership, Astria has grown into a force in Canadian real estate, with projects shaped around energy-efficient design and close coordination with municipal governments and local stakeholders.

Michelle Sotomayor, Senior Vice President, Development at Conwest Developments, has delivered over 3 million sq. ft of industrial, commercial and mixed-use projects across Metro Vancouver in an 18-year career, more than 12 of them at Conwest. She played a pivotal role in development, permitting and sales execution for Ironworks, North America's first intensified industrial development, which won both the ULI Americas Award for Excellence and the ULI Global Award for Excellence. She's also the Licensed Managing Broker for Conwest Sales & Marketing Ltd.

The list extends into the trades and services that make development possible. At Kindred Construction, Shelby Clerihue, Director of People & Culture, oversees talent acquisition and workplace culture at a firm known for complex commercial, institutional and residential projects, building onboarding and training programs to help Kindred compete for talent in a tight labour market.

Andrew Stiffman, Vice President of Construction Services at Kalesnikoff Mass Timber, has guided the company's shift from a specialty forestry and sawmilling business into a fully integrated mass timber manufacturer and, more recently, a modular and prefabricated building leader, growing the operation to $100 million over five years while overseeing manufacturing expansions and a new modular facility.

And before any of that construction begins, the site has to be clear. Justin Olthof, Vice President of Sales & Estimating at Priestly Demolition Inc., has integrated advanced technology into how the firm assesses and bids on demolition and environmental remediation projects, managing relationships with developers, general contractors and government agencies while pushing the company toward greater material recovery and recycling.

These honourees represent a snapshot of the full scope of this year's winner list, and all the talent flowing abundantly through it. And the celebration is where everyone comes together to really savour the moment.

Indeed, the celebration has only just begun.

You're invited to join 40 under 40 honourees, finalists, alumni, and the leaders building the future of industry right now — for one night at BREWHALL in Vancouver on October 29th.

In addition to meeting many of this year's honourees in person, attendees will find out the winners of three new individual awards:

Valedictorian: This person is the top of the class, earning the highest total score of all the submissions. They are the cream of the crop and were most impressive to all our judges.

People's choice: Networking is everything, and nobody does it better than this individual. In addition to judge's votes, this year we included endorsements from peers. The winner who received the most endorsements will take home this title.

Alumni of the year: The fun doesn't doesn't stop after winning. We went deep into the archives and caught up with someone who has been doing epic things since their previous win that are deserving of further recognition.

Attend to celebrate with 225 leaders changing the game. (And: all finalists and winners get a discount. To claim yours, please reach out to events@sitemediagroup.com.)

40 Under 40 Industrial Leaders Celebration

Where: BREWHALL, 97 E 2nd Ave, Vancouver

When: Thursday, October 29, 2026 | 6pm PT

Tickets: Get yours here

Industry

40 Under 40 Industrial Leaders Officially Announced

This year's list of winners is multifaceted, and the real estate and development industry is proudly represented.

40 Under 40 Industrial Leaders Celebration

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"If you've been sitting on a lease expiry hoping for one more quarter of softening before you commit, here's the uncomfortable part: the conditions that produced two years of tenant leverage are unwinding, and Peel is leading that shift, rather than lagging it."

Of those units, 125 will have three bedrooms and 58 will have two — a split designed for families, rather than the studio- and one-bedroom-heavy stock that typically defines new rental supply.

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Build Canada Homes is providing $310 million towards 9 projects on City-owned land, while CMHC is providing $1.8 billion in financing towards 9 other projects.

The 11-storey mixed-use project is set for 315 Main Street (172 East Cordova Street) in Vancouver, and will be owned by the MAC Development and Housing Society.

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