Land Development Manager: Spencer Croil’s Career Story
This series features the professional journeys of a wide range of professionals across Canada’s real estate development industry. Often, these stories highlight how rewarding careers in real estate development are the result of following your interests, fostering personal and professional networks, and keeping an open mind about what a career in real estate development might be.
Meet Spencer Croil, RPP MCIP – Land Development Manager, City of Lethbridge.
How has education or professional development elevated your career?
I attended the University of Lethbridge from 2002 to 2006, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban and Regional Studies. The program appealed to me because it was incredibly flexible in terms of career paths and future opportunities. I snuck into the workforce shortly before the downturn of ‘07/’08. Subsequently, through the flexibility and generosity of various employers, I earned a Masters Degree in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England, and have participated in a variety of professional development programs. The most recent program I’ve participated in is the Real Estate Development Leadership (REDL) program offered through the University of Calgary. While it may sound cliched I can’t think of a better way to say it; for me, education is a lifelong journey, and while there is always so much to learn and experience on the job, professional development programs have been and will continue to be a core part of my career and educational journey.
How did your interest in real estate begin?
As an Urban Designer and Community Planner by training and, for the most part, experience, I have always been interested in the economic aspects of the built environments I’ve worked and lived in. At some my curiosity got the better of me and it just seemed like the next logical step in understanding the complete picture of our shared habitats that are our counties, towns, and cities, by becoming more directly involved in real estate.
Tell us about your current role, including any associations you belong to and roles you may have in them
In my current role I work with a dedicated team to manage the acquisition, planning, development, marketing and sale of new residential communities and industrial lands for the City of Lethbridge. The team also manages the leasing and, from time to time, divestiture of City properties on a case-by-case basis. The work our team does is incredibly rewarding, as we have a direct, measurable impact on the betterment of the community. While we represent less than 20% of the residential market on-average, we like to think we push the envelop on community design and amenities. As a self-funded department, we are not tax-supported and instead the majority of our revenues (close to $90 million since the 1990s), has gone right back into the community in the form of funding for major capital projects such as recreation centres and other major community amenities and needs. I am a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and have been a proud member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) since the early 2010s.
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