History

1983:  The first automotive retail outlet, North Shore Datsun, was acquired by the firm’s founder, Amir Ahamed, for less than $200,000. Within 30 days under new leadership, the company became profitable after years of underperformance. Inside its first year, the dealership won the Nissan Award of Merit.

This also marked the first real estate investment in made by the founder in British Columbia, a property at 1160 Marine Drive, North Vancouver, BC.

1985:  A second automotive retail outlet was acquired, rebranded as Jubilee Plymouth Chrysler, and was revived to profitability within one year.

1986:  Development of a new automotive dealership (Mazda) was completed by the firm, with operations to be managed by the founder.

1987:  The firm completed a transaction to purchase the Bill Docksteader Group, which included three automotive franchises and three parcels of land located at 12th & Kingsway, Vancouver, BC.

1998:  After acquiring Lexus, Infiniti, GM (Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, and GMC Trucks) and additional automotive and residential real estate holdings during the 1990s, the founder was nominated for and won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Retail segment for building Regency Auto (aka the Regency Auto Group).

2004:  The firm spun off a number of real estate (income-producing) and automotive retail assets and continued to operate as the Regency Auto Group, regaining 100% share ownership of its core operations.

2008:  Development of a stand-alone Lexus Service Centre was completed with operations to be managed by the founder.

2010:  January marked a continued expansion point with the acquisition of a VW franchise and adjoining real estate assets in Coquitlam, BC.

2014:  January marked the completion of a state-of-the-art, 29,000 SF, stand-alone Toyota Service Centre, developed by the firm. The acquisition and development/renovation of 15,000 SF of commercial space on Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC was completed, which houses the Lexus Sales showroom. Both facilities are operated by Regency Auto.

After more than 30 years as a Nissan franchisee, the firm divested of its Nissan-Infiniti dealership and adjoining real estate assets. This liquidity event has kick-started the next phase of diversification and growth for The Regency Group.

2015:  On October 31, 2015, our Private Capital Division, dba BlueArck Private Equity, completed its first investment in the manufacturing industry with the acquisition of Innovative Applied Technologies Inc. (IAT; innapptech.com). IAT is a manufacturer of custom, precision-machined work holding fixtures and provides contract machining services to OEM’s in a diverse range of industries. IAT is located in Windsor, ON and serves demand on a global scale.

2016:  In August 2016, BlueArck Private Equity completed three acquisitions in the manufacturing industry: Melet Plastics (meletplastics.com), Ambutech Inc. (ambutech.com), and NH Global Design Inc. (nhglobaldesign.com). Melet Plastics is a leading provider of engineered plastics solutions and currently operates in Winnipeg, MB and Fargo, ND. Ambutech Inc. designs, manufacturers and distributes mobility canes for the visually impaired around the world and is currently located in Winnipeg, MB.

NH Global Design (NHG) provides custom, turn-key automation solutions through advanced engineering and design to manufacturing and assembly. NHG is located in Chatham, ON.

In December 2016, through our development division, BlueArck completed the building of a brand new manufacturing facility for IAT, a 27,000 SF plant located in Windsor, ON.

2017: In November 2017, IAT and NHG amalgamated to form IATGlobal Manufacturing Ltd.

2018: In December 2018, BlueArck completed a new, 37,000 SF manufacturing facility where IATGlobal’s Chatham Branch now operates.