Looking Back...Moving Forward
In 1921, Maxwell Cummings leased 440 Saint Catherine Street in Montreal. He signed a $400 per month lease with the intention of opening a shoe store in half the space and subleasing the balance. Maxwell found a restauranteur to take half of the building for $400 per month. He never opened the shoe store and, instead, leased out the balance of the space at a handsome profit. That was the start of Maxwell’s real estate career. Over the next several decades, he and his sons Robert and Jack, participated in the development of residential and commercial projects in Canada and the United States. Three generations later, the company developed Martin Downs, transforming 2,600 acres of dairy-farm land in South Florida into a vibrant community, now home to more than 10,000 people. Four generations later, Ram and its principals have created several million sq. ft. of commercial and multi-family residential property, ranging from urban mixed-use development in Detroit to retail development in Houston to luxury apartments in South Florida. Almost a century later, Maxwell’s commitment to quality and community still shapes the Company.