As CBP’s longest-tenured employee, IT Manager Dave Boelsma has guided the company through 30 years of evolving technologies, the complexities of a major internal restructuring, and the integration challenges of a transformative merger.
When Dave Boelsma joined Colonnade Management as a building operator in 1996, he was focused on keeping buildings and building systems running efficiently—but he was also drawn to another kind of system.
“I was fascinated by computers,” he says, recalling a course from his building operations certificate at Algonquin College. “We were learning DOS and MS Word, and by the end of the class, I was helping the teacher.”
After four years in operations, Dave thought the company was wasting money outsourcing basic IT services, so he approached leadership with an idea, “I’ll do that for you!” What started as a side task quickly became his full-
time job—just in time for Y2K!
Taking over IT for Colonnade—a family-owned business with leadership involved in several ventures—was no small feat. At one point, Dave was managing 27 different servers across seven sister companies.
“It was chaos,” he laughed. And in referencing the example of the addition of a retail entity to the company’s portfolio, he said “I was handed a disk and a cash register and told to make it work.” And Dave did make it work, no matter what the ask. He adapted, learned quickly, and figured things out on the fly. And he enjoyed every minute of it!
A turning point came with the decision to separate shared infrastructure among the sister companies. Dave and his team began migrating them to their own independent IT environments—one by one—freeing up capacity and restoring focus.
“Once this was done, IT became much more manageable,” he said.
Then came a new challenge: the merger of Colonnade and BridgePort Realty Capital Partners. Merging two separate IT environments and ways of working into one unified system was a big task—but Dave successfully led the transition, including a full migration to cloud-based management.
Today, Colonnade BridgePort runs a streamlined, cloud-first IT system that seamlessly manages the needs of over 150 employees.
“Setting up a laptop used to take two days—now it takes 30 minutes,” Dave says. “So, we’re spending less time on hardware and more time improving the user experience.”
Looking back at how the company’s culture has changed over time, Dave admits he thrived in the fast-paced—and at times hectic—environment of the family-run Colonnade. Decisions were made quickly, roles were flexible, and everyone pitched in wherever needed. That sense of camaraderie and adaptability created a dynamic, fast-paced atmosphere.
After the merger with BridgePort, Dave says the company naturally shifted toward a more structured and focused organization. Processes became more defined, systems were streamlined, and there was a stronger emphasis on operational discipline, strategy and long-term planning.
“The people, the challenges, the way we worked— our culture continuously adapted to align with the company’s evolving priorities,” he said.
After nearly three decades—and even working alongside both his sons at the company—Dave is preparing to retire at the end of 2025, when he plans to renovate his son’s basement and spend time helping with maintenance at his church.
So, what advice would Dave offer to those beginning their career at Colonnade BridgePort?
“It’s a good place to work. When you’re respected, compensated, and you’re adding value—why go anywhere else?”
From the company’s perspective, Dave’s retirement marks the departure of a longstanding leader and trusted voice who has shaped the very foundation of CBP’s technological landscape.
“Dave is leaving behind more than just servers and systems,” said CFO Kyle Larkman. “He’s leaving a legacy of adaptability, integrity, and quietly powerful leadership.