McLean Group of Companies

Last updated
The McLean Group of Companies Logo McLean Group of Companies (shield).png
The McLean Group of Companies Logo

McLean Group of Companies is collective of companies owned by the McLean family in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company's head offices are located in Vancouver and primarily invests in the development of real estate projects in North America. The company also has businesses in aviation, film, and telecommunications. The aggregate value of the company's development projects are estimated at around US$1 billion. [1] Among its most notably controlled companies are Vancouver Film Studios, The Landing, Pacific Backlot Services, Signal Systems, and Blackcomb Helicopters.

Contents

History

The McLean Group of Companies was founded by David McLean in 1972. The company originally started in real estate investment in the Vancouver area and later branched of to other places in Canada such as, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. They also invest within the United States in states such as California, Georgia, Washington, and Hawaii.

In 30 years the company has operated, it has acquired and developed over 2,100 residential condominiums, apartments, and 200 acres (0.81 km2) of urban land. In the 1980s the company purchased Northstar International Studios which later became Vancouver Film Studios.

Vancouver Film Studios

See Vancouver Film Studios
Vancouver Film Studios Logo Van Film Studio.png
Vancouver Film Studios Logo

In 1987, The McLean Group of Companies purchased Northstar International Studios which marked the beginning of film production for the company. The film production centre has expanded beyond the original building of NIS, which has since been renamed, 'Studio D' and continues to be Vancouver Film Studio's busiest 'studio'. In 1998 Northstar International Studios was renamed Vancouver Film Studios. VFS in 2006 was the recipient of a BC Export Award in the New Media and Entertainment section, and was recognized as one of the top 21 exporters in British Columbia, Canada. [1]

The Landing

Purchased by the McLean Group in the early 1980s, the same time as Vancouver Film Studios, The Landing is a 174,713 sq ft (16,231.4 m2). building constructed in 1905 as a supply warehouse serving goldrush miners during the Klondike Gold Rush. [2] [3] The building is located in historic Gastown at 375 Water Street and was renovated and partly reconstructed in 1987 for safety reasons.

The Landing is one of many real estate companies the McLean Group owns. Other related companies are Erinmore Management, Blanca Realty, McLean & McLean, and Harbour Landing Construction.

Pacific Backlot Services

Pacific Backlot Services Logo Pacific backlot logo.png
Pacific Backlot Services Logo

In 2000, The McLean Group founded Pacific Backlot Services, the on-lot production services department of Vancouver Film Studios. Since, it has expanded to service productions not just at VFS, and still remains a corporate subsidiary.

Signal Systems

Originally a department of Vancouver Film Studios, the company has emerged to become an independent telecommunications company operated by the McLean Group.< The company specializes in wireless, satellite, radio, and IP communications. Sacha McLean is the President and COO. The company has partnerships with Bell Canada, Cisco Systems, David Clark Company, Otto Engineering, Daniels Electronics Limited, and Hutton Canada.

Blackcomb Helicopters

Blackcomb Helicopters, Ltd was founded in 1989 by Steve Flynn. The McLean group acquired the company in 2006. The company primarily participates in commercial operations in the tourism, film, and skiing industry around Whistler-Blackcomb. It is also contracted by the resort and government for fire fighting, rescue, and construction. Additionally, Blackcomb Helicopters, also known as Blackcomb Aviation has operational bases in Vancouver, Sechelt, Squamish and Pemberton making it the primary helicopter operator in the Sea to Sky region of British Columbia. The company is also one of the leading providers of helicopters to the Western Canadian film industry. Recent credits have included feature films such as The A-Team, Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer, X-Files - I Want To Believe and Shooter.

The McLean McCuaig Foundation

The McLean McCuaig Foundation is a charitable foundation of The McLean Group of Companies.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Alexander MacLean</span> Canadian politician

Malcolm Alexander MacLean was the first mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving from 1886 to 1887.

Whistler is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains, approximately 125 km (78 mi) north of Vancouver and 36 km (22 mi) south of Pemberton. It has a permanent population of approximately 13,982 (2021), as well as a larger but rotating population of seasonal workers.

Hollywood North is a colloquialism used to describe film production industries and/or film locations north of its namesake, Hollywood, California. The term has been applied principally to the film industry in Canada, specifically to the city of Toronto, Ontario and more recently also Vancouver, British Columbia. The level of Canadian production has increased since the ratification of the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement in 1988. In 2021 total spending in Toronto reached $2.5 billion. and Vancouver $4.8 billion. The make-up of production in either city differs greatly, with Ontario having a high concentration of both Canadian-made productions and Hollywood productions, while British Columbia is mostly Hollywood productions. In 2017/18 Ontario generated a pre-pandemic value of $910 million in foreign productions and British Columbia $3 billion.

The initialism VFS can mean:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helijet</span>

Helijet International is a helicopter airline and charter service based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Its scheduled passenger helicopter airline services operates flights from heliports at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), downtown Vancouver, downtown Nanaimo and downtown Victoria. It also operates a charter division serving the film, television, aerial tour, industrial and general charter markets, as well as helicopter and jet air ambulance services. Its head office and main hangar is Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc was a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company. In 2006, Intrawest was purchased by Fortress Investment Group, a private equity investment company, which resulted in the company being delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. Fortress was under financial pressure related to the Intrawest debt, but a new loan with a single lender was completed in April 2010 and all prior lenders were repaid in full.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Group</span> Canadian business conglomerate

The Fairchild Group is a Canadian business conglomerate headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fairchild Group operates various media properties under the Fairchild Media Group name. Fairchild currently operates the Cantonese channel Fairchild TV, Cantonese & Mandarin radio network Fairchild Radio, and Mandarin channel Talentvision. Fairchild Group is also involved in film production, real estate development, retail, telecommunications and wholesale trade.

Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter trading as KF Cargo and Kelowna Flightcraft trading as KF Maintenance and Engineering is a cargo airline based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It operates long term cargo charters for couriers and freight companies, forest fire patrols, and aircraft sales and leasing in Canada and worldwide. It also provides maintenance and aircraft manufacturing services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studio B Productions</span>

Studio B Productions, Inc. was a Canadian animation studio and production company founded by Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1988. The studio was acquired by DHX Media on December 4, 2007, and became a subsidiary there since then. The Studio B brand is no longer used, and from 2010 to 2019, all shows were branded using the DHX Media name. Since 2019, all shows are now branded under the WildBrain name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Washington Alpine Resort</span>

Mount Washington Alpine Resort is a year-round recreation destination located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Adjacent to Strathcona Provincial Park, BC's oldest provincial park, Mt. Washington is the Island’s only full-service ski and summer resort hosting over 250,000 visits per year. Situated more than one kilometer above sea level, the resort overlooks the Comox Valley, the Strait of Georgia, the Coast Mountains, and the Beaufort Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Helicopters</span> Canadian air service company

Canadian Helicopters Limited, formerly a part of the Canadian operations of CHC Helicopter Corporation, operates 112 aircraft from 26 bases across Canada and provides a broad range of helicopter services to support the following activities: emergency medical evacuation; infrastructure maintenance; utilities; oil and gas; forestry; mining; construction; and air transportation. Canadian Helicopters Limited also operates an advanced flight school; provides third party repair and maintenance services; and provides helicopter services in the United States in support of specialty operations including forest fire suppression activities and geophysical exploration programs.

Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver and comprises six buildings. As part of the school's 20th anniversary in 2007, in August 2006 one million dollars was set aside in scholarships for new students. In March, 2008, Vancouver Film School and YouTube launched a competition for three full-tuition scholarships for the creators of the three videos submitted and voted as favorites by the YouTube community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Vancouver</span>

Vancouver's economy is one of the most vibrant in Canada. The British Columbian city is Canada's official gateway to the Pacific Rim, a major port, and the main western terminus of transcontinental highway and rail routes. Vancouver has successfully transitioned from a predominantly resource-based economy to a diverse knowledge-based one, and in recent years has been the fastest growing economy in Canada. According to the Conference Board of Canada, in 2017 Vancouver's GDP was CA$137 billion, with a GDP growth rate of 4.5%, meaning that Vancouver represents approximately 7.5% of Canada's overall economy. Major economic sectors include trade, film and TV, technology, tourism, natural resources, and construction.

David George Alexander McLean, is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and the chairman of the Board of the Canadian National Railway Company, and formerly of BC Rail until it was acquired by CN.

Boeing Canada is the Canadian subsidiary of Boeing, with operations in Winnipeg, MB, Richmond, BC, Montreal, QC and Ottawa, ON. Boeing employs more than 1,600 people in Canada. Boeing Aircraft of Canada Limited was formed in 1929 by the American Boeing Airplane Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Harbour Control Tower</span>

The Vancouver Harbour Air Control Tower, which serves Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CYHC), is placed on top of the 142 m (466 ft) skyscraper Granville Square in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Built in 1973 it remains the highest air traffic control tower in the world, in the city with one of the world's highest levels of seaplane activity.

Vancouver Film Studios is a film production facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is operated by the McLean Group of Companies. It consists of 12 purpose-built sound stages ranging in size from 12,500 to 21,000 square feet, eight production offices, and other support spaces. VFS in 2006 was the recipient of a BC Export Award in the New Media and Entertainment section, and was recognized as one of the top 21 exporters in British Columbia. It was founded in 1999.

A film studio is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production company. Most firms in the entertainment industry have never owned their own studios, but have rented space from other companies.

Pixar Canada was a short-lived, wholly owned subsidiary of Pixar Animation Studios. It was located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The studio was tasked to produce short films based on Pixar’s feature film characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libra Group</span> International conglomerate

The Libra Group, aka Libra Holdings, is a privately held international conglomerate operating in a variety of industries. As of 2017, it has 30 subsidiaries across six continents, in six sectors: aviation leasing, renewable energy, hotels and hospitality services, real estate, financial services and diversified investments, and shipping.

References

  1. 1 2 "Company Overview". McLean Group of Companies. 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  2. "The Landing History". The McLean Group of Companies. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  3. "The Landing Summary". The McLean Group of Companies. Retrieved 2007-02-13.