Dr. Bruce Murray Firestone B. Eng. (Civil), M. Eng.-Sci. PhD.
Dr. Bruce M. Firestone is perhaps best known as Founder of the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place. In May of 2006, Dr. Firestone joined the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management as its first Entrepreneur-in-Residence. In addition, Dr. Firestone is a licensed Real Estate Broker and Mortgage Broker with Century 21 Explorer Realty Inc, focused on commercial and residential real estate in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
Dr. Firestone is also known for his work as Executive Director of , a Canadian Registered Not-For-Profit Corporation focused on educating and mentoring entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in Canada and around the world.
Dr. Firestone advises clients on real estate, business modeling, self-financing, smart marketing, differentiated value, harnessing the Internet and other issues related to entrepreneurial companies and organizations. Dr. Firestone advises organizations on how to own their own real estate and achieve the highest and best use for their properties, which coincidentally produces the highest returns as well as producing urban spaces that are more interesting, more diversified, more sustainable and also make best use of a scarce resource—land. Dr. Firestone has experience in developing land projects both large and small such as the original plan for West Terrace and the Ottawa Palladium (now known as the Kanata West Concept Plan and Scotiabank Place), Briarbrook, Robertson Mews, Dunrobin Lake, Trails of Dunrobin and many others.
Dr. Firestone received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from McGill University in Montréal; his Master of Engineering-Science (Traffic and Transportation) from the University of New South Wales in Sydney and his PhD in Urban Economics from the Australian National University in Canberra.
Dr. Firestone is married with five children. He supports numerous charities including Christie Lake Kids, Help the Aged and CHEO Foundation; has served on a number of civic committees such as Ottawa Airport Privatization, Kanata Economic Development Task Force, Bring Back the Senators, the Ottawa Commonwealth Games 2014 Bid Committee and the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering’s Advisory Committee for its Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fund. He is one of the Founding Directors of the Ottawa Art Gallery and both a promoter of the arts in Canada and a contributor to the Firestone Gallery at Arts Court, an initiative begun by the late Professor O. J. Firestone and Mrs. Isobel Firestone, his parents.
You can follow him on Twitter at: and read his blog at: .
"Making Each Day Count"
Academic Background:
Ph.D. in Urban Economics from the Urban Research Unit of the Australian National University, Canberra, 1982. Master of Engineering-Science (Traffic and Transportation), University of New South Wales, Sydney, 1976. Bachelor of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, 1972. Also attended: Harvard University (Finance), University of Western Ontario (Economics) and Laval University, Quebec City (French). High School, Ashbury College, Ottawa: graduated 1967, age 15.
Professional Real Estate Brokerage Course, Principles of Appraisal, Real Estate Investment Analysis, Ontario Real Estate Association College, 2007; Real Estate Law, Phase 3 (Commercial Real Estate), Ontario Real Estate Association College, 2006; Phases 1, 2 and 3 (Residential Real Estate), Ontario Real Estate Association College, 2005.
Personal Interests: Chair, Bruce M. Firestone Atom Invitational Hockey Tournament. Sports: running, tennis, sailing, paddle tennis, skiing, hockey, ultimate, yoga, canoeing, dragon boat racing. Dragonboat Team 2000. Story of Team 2000. The 'Misfits' 2001. Hobbies: reading, writing, inventing, creating, starting new enterprises, city-building, educating, collecting Canadian and American art. Born: December 4, 1951. Married: Dawn Marie MacMillan. Five children: Andrew, Rachel, Miriam, Matthew and Jessica.
Professional Background
Former Positions Held: Former Director and Vice-Chair, Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) Former ExecutiveVice-President, Business Development, Momentous Corporation. Served on National Hockey League's Board of Governors. Writer, EQ (Entrepreneurship Quarterly) Journal. Founding Director, Ottawa Art Gallery (Arts Court/Firestone Family Group of Seven Collection). Past Director, Terrace Corporation, S.C. Stormont Corporation. Former Publisher, Ottawa Business News; Consultant, Bureau of Management Consulting, Supply and Services Canada. Operations Research Engineer, Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority, Sydney, Australia. Research Scholar, Australian National University, Canberra.
Positions: Founder, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Scotiabank Place; Entrepreneur-In-Residence, entrepreneur en résidence, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Real Estate Broker and Mortgage Broker, Century 21 Explorer Realty Inc.; Executive Director, Exploriem.org; Columnist, Ottawa Business Journal.
Awards and Memberships: Member, Commercial Services Divsion, Ottawa Real Estate Board. Honourary Member, Beta Gamma Sigma, International Honour Society for Collegiate Schools of Business, March 2008. Exemplary Course Designation, Design Economics, Canada Architectural Accreditation Committee, 2004. Winner, Educator of the Year Award, OCRI EduGala, Ottawa, 2002. Awarded Canada 125 Anniversary Honorary Medal. Member, Ottawa Commonwealth Games 2014 Bid Committee, Member, Community Budget Advisory Team, City of Ottawa, Kanata Economic Development Task Force, Ottawa International Airport Authority Planning Committee. Founding Member of CIRA's (Canadian Internet Registry Authority) Marketing and Branding Committee. Member, NHL Executive Advisory Committee, NHL Expansion Committee, NHL Marketing and Public Relations Committee. Former Member, Ottawa 67s Advisory Board, 1998/99.
Real Estate and Development Projects Include: Terrace Corporate Centres, Presidential Executive Travel Apartments, Trails of Dunrobin, Dunrobin Plaza, Robertson Mews, Dunrobin Lake, Kennedy Meadows, West Terrace and the Palladium lands development, Blue Heron Storage (now Blue Moon Mini Storage), Ottawa Botanic Garden Society, Blue Heron (Kanata) Co-op, Ottawa Senators Foundation, Ottawa Real Estate News. Design and development participation- Corel Centre (650,000 square foot sports and entertainment complex); Cinema en Plein Air; Royal Bank Pavilion (60,000 square foot retail and office); BDO Centre (100,000 square foot office and retail); Briarbrook (850 home subdivision); Robertson Mews (mixed use project, 300+ high, medium and low density residential units and retirement dwelling units); Dunrobin Village (mixed use- commercial, medium and low density residential).