Stephen Rodrigues

Senior Director of Leasing at Westdell Development Corporation

Speaker

Stephen began his studies at Lambton College in Sarnia where he obtained a diploma in Radio, Television, and Journalism Arts. Continuing his education, he obtained a diploma from Sheridan College for Adverting Arts.

Upon graduation, Stephen joined Burnac Leaseholds as a Shopping Centre Manager in New Brunswick. Stephen continued his role as a Shopping Center Manager, managing enclosed malls in Sault Ste. Marie, Midland and Toronto. After a few years, Stephen was promoted to a leasing manager and eventually to Leasing Director, Ontario Properties, responsible for over 2 million square feet of shopping centre space.

After 16 years with Burnac Leaseholds, Stephen joined Great West Life, as the leasing and shopping centre manger, responsible for their GTA retail portfolio.

From there, Stephen brought his vast experience of the Landlord’s perspective in retail to the tenant’s side, working for such retailers as Country Style and Shoppers Drug Mart. In these roles, Stephen was responsible for site selection of new stores, negotiations with the Landlord and presentations to the board of directors.

Most recently, Stephen was employed by CBRE working on the Royal Bank of Canada and the IBM accounts. Stephen spent over 12 years on the RBC account, responsible for securing new locations in Ontario along with negotiating the renewals of the Royal Bank’s vast Ontario network. From there, Stephen was transferred to the IBM account and gained valuable experience in the commercial/office real estate sector.

Stephen joined Westdell Development Corp. in 2020 bringing with him over 30 years experience in the Shopping Centre Industry. In his current role, Stephen is responsible for overseeing the staff of Leasing Department of Westdell Development Corp. and the company’s entire leasing portfolio including White Oaks Mall along with renewals of existing tenants. Stephen has been a welcome addition to the Westdell Development Corp, bringing with him his experience on both the Landlord and Tenant side along with his passion, and enthusiasm for his work.