Terry Napper, a prominent figure in Canada’s retail landscape and longtime general manager of CF Chinook Centre in Calgary, has died.
Napper, who was widely respected for his decades of leadership in the shopping centre industry, passed away recently. He had served as general manager of Chinook Centre for more than 20 years, helping transform the mall into one of Canada’s premier retail destinations.
Known for his steady leadership and deep understanding of the evolving retail environment, Napper played a key role in major redevelopment projects and was a mentor to many in the industry. Tributes poured in from colleagues and business leaders across the country, remembering him as a dedicated professional with a passion for people and community.
“Terry hired me in 1994 as the marketing coordinator at Chinook, he made room for me in a storage closet (turned office) and it’s been a wild ride with him ever since. His passion for the shopping centre/retail industry is unparalleled, he was always 10 steps ahead on new ideas and his entrepreneurial spirit was contagious and admired,” said Paige O’Neill, General Manager of CF Market Mall in Calgary.
“Terry built teams of special individuals who complimented and supported each other and a lot of those relationships continue to this day. I could write a book (with a lot of co-authors) on Terry – the career builder, the instigator (in the funnest way), the dad who loved his boys fiercely, the negotiator, the comedian, the kind hearted softie, relationship builder.
“Ultimately he was my friend, boss, an amazing mentor, a thorn in my side occasionally and always had my back professionally and personally over the last 31 years. I, along with a long list of colleagues, retailers, brokers, friends and, most important of all his family, will miss him dearly.”
“Terry was one of a kind. He was passionate about the shopping centre industry and retail in general. Even though Terry was born and raised in Ontario he was a proud Albertan and staunch Calgarian. Like many Albertans he was fiercely independent and had an entrepreneurial spirit that he shared with the many retailers that he introduced into Chinook Centre,” said Darryl Schmidt, Vice President National Leasing at Cadillac Fairview.
“If Chinook Centre was a city within a city then Terry Napper was its longest tenured Mayor. He literally knew all the managers and owner operators of every store within Chinook Centre and he was that rare type of individual (not unlike Ralph Klein) who could have a frank conversation with our country’s senior most politician’s Ralph Klein, Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau come to mind but he could also roll up his sleeves and have beers with Dennis from maintenance or the paving crew working on Macleod Trail.
“Terry was the rare GM who understood that a tenant mix was the greatest differentiator of an asset and that operations could support or lead leasing efforts depending on the circumstances. Terry, Paige O’Neill and Shannon Perschon were integral players in securing Aritzia, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Tiffany’s at Chinook Centre. In addition to understanding leasing Terry excelled and realized the importance of team and he instilled a loyalty and pride of place within the Chinook Centre property team that still carries through the mall today. It’s not a stretch to say the team at Chinook didn’t work for Cadillac Fairview they worked for Terry Napper.
“Terry and I didn’t always see eye to eye on every issue but we could always overcome any disagreements with our combined vision to make Chinook Centre not only the greatest shopping centre in Calgary but one of the greatest shopping centre’s in North America. Standing side by side with Terry at the grand opening of the Chinook expansion in 2010 is still the greatest moment of my career.”
Michael Kehoe, Broker of Record with Fairfield Commercial Real Estate, said he knew Napper for over 45 years, working in the Canadian mall management realm.
“Terry had a long career in shopping centre management and I first met him in the early 1980s in Calgary. He was with Cambridge Shopping Centres managing various malls and served as the General Manager at the Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Nanaimo BC as the mall emerged into a regional success under his leadership. Terry was a fatherly leader to his loyal shopping centre operations team members. Shopping centre tenants such as retailers and food service business owners respected him. He was always accessible often holding end-of-day or slightly after mid-day meetings in the pub at the mall over a pint or two with colleagues and friends,” noted Kehoe.
“Terry was always a solid company guy with Cambridge and then 20 VIC Management and eventually Cadilac Fairview working as the longtime General Manager at Chinook Centre Calgary’s top mall. I know firsthand that he was courted by other shopping centre firms from Toronto the Middle East but he remained loyal to Chinook Centre and his team.
“I was seeking office space after I left corporate life and there was Terry, accommodating me with rented space in an underused floor in the penthouse of the office tower at Chinook Centre. When I had bumpy times he was there to meet with me, lend an ear and send me on my way with a path forward from his experience that was generously provided. I never forgot that.
“When you think of modern day Chinook Centre with its pedestrian bridge over Macleod Trail, the mall food court carrousel (now gone), the theatres with an IMAX, these were all initiatives that came to fruit under Terry Nappers’ leadership. Many shopping centre professionals including some of the industry’s top mall managers learned at the knee of Mr. Napper.
“He was always very modest and down to earth in his Campbellsville Ontario country boy kind of way. He took malls from good to great, enabled retailers to become successful and helped to make Chinook Centre the top tier shopping centre that it is today. He taught people to work in teams, and was regarded as a mall management icon in Canada and he will be missed.” See you again my friend….but not yet.”
Napper was 75 years old. According to his obituary, there will be a Celebration of Terry’s Life on Saturday December 6 at 3 p.m., at the Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club (1 Priddis Greens Dr, Priddis Greens, AB).
“Terry built a strong reputation in Calgary’s shopping center industry, serving as General Manager of Chinook Centre for over 20 years. During that time, he had the honor and privilege of being selected as a torchbearer in Calgary for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. In recognition of his exceptional contribution to Calgary, Terry was ‘white hatted’ by the mayor. Terry had a true passion for his work, showing unwavering dedication while also being a dependable colleague and a generous mentor to those around him,” said his obituary.
“During his career, he oversaw the remarkable transformation of Chinook Centre, which solidified his legacy in the retail industry. Later in his career, Terry went on to start his own company, where he continued to oversee major renovations for shopping centers in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. Those who worked with Terry knew him to be a great leader and a supportive friend.
“Throughout his many adventures, the seemingly indestructible Terry had a knack for mishaps, but continued to approach life with a tenacity that truly made him one of a kind. Terry was a fighter; against overwhelming odds, he was able to beat an aggressive thyroid cancer and later prostate cancer. He was always up for a beer, whether it was to share a laugh or support friends and colleagues through difficult times.”
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Worked with Terry in the Mall for the entire time he was in Chinook – Most down tom earth GM I ever met – spent many years on Merchants Association Board and as a long time tenant of Chinook