Proud to be a lifetime Calgarian, Sam (Ousher) Switzer formed his own construction company early on, becoming one of the leading builders in Alberta over the course of his career. Sam completed 64 apartment buildings and went on to build Calgary’s Summit Hotel, the first round hotel in Canada. Sam subsequently owned two hotels in Florida, created the Dragon City Mall, and built the Elbow River Casino.
Perhaps his greatest distinction, however, was his role as philanthropist. Sam supported causes local and world wide, ranging from bursaries for single mothers at Mount Royal University, housing and support for men at Fresh Start Recovery, cancer research at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the establishment of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and various non-profit organizations in Israel, including the Weizmann Institute of Science and Magen David Adom.
As a result, Sam received accolades from the Governor General of Canada, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Israel, the Governor of Florida, Premier of Alberta, Mayor of Calgary, and was recognized with the City of Calgary’s much coveted White Hat Award.
Sam left the residual of his estate to charity and his grandchildren honour him by continuing his philanthropic legacy through the
Sam Ousher Switzer Charitable Foundation.