Globe Capital Management President Richard Morantz’s grandfather, Morris, was born in Russia and grew up during the era of the pogroms. Family lore tells of his mother handing him all her kopeks and instructing him to approach the border guard, offer the coins, and say: “I’m going to run. Shoot over my head.” The guard did exactly that—and Morris escaped Russia at the age of 12. Richard grew up believing the guard was either remarkably kind and honest, or simply a very poor shot.
As a young man, Richard’s grandfather built an insurance agency in Winnipeg and later, during the Depression in the 1930s, he took a job cleaning apartment buildings. When World War II ended, Morris began acquiring real estate, with the assistance of partners, when additional financing was needed.
One of those early buildings is still part of Globe’s portfolio today: a property on Winnipeg’s Dorchester Avenue, just off Wellington Crescent. It stands as a physical reminder of the two generations that came before Richard -his grandfather and his father, who purchased the business shortly before the grandfather passed away.
Richard is the oldest of four children, and the only one to enter the business. In the mid-1990s, with ten years of experience, the opportunity to make a bold decision and buy-out his family emerged, leading Richard to have full control of Globe, which is today one of Canada’s leading privately held residential real estate corporations.
His first major decision as President and CEO was a strategic one: he moved away from the long-standing model used by his father and grandfather of syndicating properties and bringing in partners. Instead, he made a deliberate choice to build Globe independently. He understood this might slow growth in the short term, but he also knew that the ability to make decisions quickly and decisively would lead to long-term stability. That disciplined approach became one of Richard’s greatest strengths. Over the next 30 years, he continued to acquire properties, while also buying out remaining partners and consolidating ownership. Under his leadership, Globe expanded beyond Winnipeg into key markets, including major cities throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.
Just as importantly, Richard broadened the company’s strategy of diversifying its portfolio by including the purchase of land and developing new properties. These decisions helped Globe reduce capital expenses over time, diversify its approach to financing, and lower the average age of the buildings in the portfolio, which now has over 8,000 residential and commercial suites.
It is a clear example of Richard’s ability to combine entrepreneurial drive with sound, forward-thinking business judgment. It has also led to his decision to establish, within the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Business School (HUBS) MBA program, the Richard Morantz Major in Real Estate and Finance, along with the annual Richard Morantz Real Estate Symposium.
The importance of an academic discipline focused solely on the real estate sector has significantly increased, owing to an understanding of the sector's unique position in the global economy and international finance. HUBS consistently ranks within the top 5 Business Schools in Eurasia & Middle East. The addition of this major will further elevate HUBS academic offerings, and the annual symposium will help expand the Hebrew University and Israel’s footprint as a global hub for intellectual exchange in the sector, drawing diverse professionals from around the world, fostering cross-border collaboration, increasing visibility, and contributing to the potential to attract top-level investors.
Orly Sade, Dean of the Business School, points to this investment as a defining moment in the evolution of the School, noting that the Richard Morantz Major in Real Estate and Finance will, together with traditional academics, feature non-academic practitioners and leaders in all aspects of the real estate industry, providing students an opportunity to expand their professional networks, while gaining real-world industry insights and bridging the gap between theory and practice.
For Richard, he and wife Sheree, “are very proud of our new partnership with the top-ranked HUBS. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on students and businesses alike in the years to come, and to working with Dean Sade, whose passion and intensity are indeed infectious. We anticipate a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with the HUBS."
The Canadian Friends of Hebrew University extend limitless thanks to Richard Morantz and Sheree Walder Morantz for this extraordinary philanthropic investment in the Hebrew University, and for Israel.
