U of A alumnus gives support to new masters program at his alma mater

After a long and successful career, Garry Beres, ‘72 BCom, wants to give back to the alma mater that helped give him his start. Having recently left CBRE Group Inc., a large commercial real estate firm, Beres can trace his beginnings to his time at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Business — currently the Alberta School of Business. 

Beres donated $45,000 to the U of A’s Centre for Cities and Communities in recognition of this and plans to donate another $40,000 before the end of 2024. Specifically, the money has been allocated to the City Builder’s Foundation Fund, which is in the process of creating the school’s new Masters in Real Estate Development Program. Currently under development, the program’s developers are hoping to start recruiting in 2024 and introduce its first cohort of students in the fall of 2025. 

Beres says that he believes the program’s development is important. It will help students gain invaluable skills and knowledge about the real estate industry, and help them succeed in a competitive and ever changing market. Beres worked in real estate for most of his career and recognizes that the program is a good fit for him.

“I’m kind of at a point in my life now where I need to give back,” he says. 

‘A great environment’

Beres grew up in Medicine Hat and studied a year at the city’s local college after graduating high school. He recalls mulling over next steps for his education, and deciding to attend the U of A’s business school because it was an old and established institution. 

When Beres moved to Edmonton in 1969, he wasn’t alone. Friends from Medicine Hat transferred to the U of A as well to attend various faculties. The crew ended up living together in the residence building. “It was fortunate that I had some of my best friends that had chosen the U of A as well,” he says. “It was a tightly knit community, a group of us from Medicine Hat who decided to go to the big city.”

Moving from Medicine Hat to Edmonton was a “huge change,” he recalls. So too was the move from what was then a relatively new college that served the local community to one that drew students from across the province, country and even the world. “It was a bit intimidating in some ways, but it was nice being there with friends. Then we met all these people in residence from all over,” he says. 

But Beres ended up meeting many people in his time there as he pursued his bachelor of commerce degree. He also remembers the U of A’s active community, and many social events. Over the years, he’s stayed in touch with many of his university friends. Some of them he’s even done business with, he says. 

Beres found success quickly after graduating in 1972. He ended up moving to Calgary to work with Xerox. At the time, the company was “high-flying,” he says, adding that he went through its prestigious sales training program, which added to the knowledge and skills he developed at the U of A. “It was a great environment,” he says. 

Wouldn’t change a thing

Eventually, Beres got into commercial real estate by joining Calgary’s Knowlton Realty, and worked by leasing commercial spaces and, later, selling investment properties. In 1993, he and two partners got the opportunity to take over the Calgary office of CB Commercial. The commercial real estate company was one of the largest companies of its kind in the world at the time. Beres and his colleagues worked to grow the Calgary office as the company began expanding around the globe. The company purchased Richard Ellis, a United Kingdom-based company that had presence in Europe, Asia and Australia, shortly after Beres and his partners became involved with the company. An Edmonton office was opened a year later by a former Knowlton Realty colleague. 

Eventually, CB Richard Ellis became known as CBRE — which it’s known as today — and Beres worked with the company for three decades. Beres and a couple colleagues purchased several commercial properties over the years, and he now works under his own company managing his real estate investments. He says that this is letting him enjoy life more and travel with his wife. 

“These are always things I wanted to do, but never seemed to find the time to do them. I was too busy with the commercial brokerage business,” he says. 

Thinking back on his time at the U of A, Beres can recall the education he received and the friends he made that all helped him reach his goals. Even beyond the donations made to the U of A, he seeks to share his experience with new generations in the real estate industry. 

“It’s been great. I have a lot of young people asking for advice. They often ask “If you had to do it over again, would you have done anything different?’ And I say “You know what? I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”