O U R S T O R Y

From Norway to Vancouver.
From medecine to community.

The story of Arpeg begins not with real estate, but with a young doctor who crossed an ocean, built two careers, and believed the best things in life are shared. That spirit of curiosity, connection, and courage is the legacy we carry forward.

Arne & Peggy:
the founding influence.

T H E F O U N D E R S

In April 1927, a 13-year-old boy named Arne Kristian Mathisen boarded a ship in Bodø, Norway, bound for Canada. His family was pulling back together across an ocean.

Arne put himself through medical school, fishing with his stepfather through the summers. It made him tough, resourceful, and independent. In 1943, he married Bertha Margaret "Peggy" Gratton. Together they raised seven children.

In 1956, he started Mathisen Laboratories Ltd. By 1962, he had bought the Georgia Medical-Dental Building at 925 West Georgia. In 1967, the company was renamed after its founders. Arne and Peggy. A company named for two people, not a place.

how it shaped our approach

The values that
shaped everything.

T H E F O U N D I N G I N F L U E N C E

Resilience

Arne put himself through medical school fishing in summers, then built Arpeg with the same resourcefulness. He saw opportunity where others saw risk.

Service

He prioritized people over profit, often accepting non-monetary exchanges in his medical practice and as a landlord.

Fairness

He ensured equal inheritance for his children, embedding fairness into both family decisions and the company.

Community

Arne and Peggy supported local missions, viewing wellbeing as something broader than economics.

Humility

They gave quietly and without recognition, while Peggy created spaces of belonging that held the family together.

Continuity

They structured ownership to preserve unity across generations, protecting both wealth and shared values.

A Company Built Across
Generations.

S E V E N D E C A D E S

1956
Generation 1
1956
Arpeg is founded.
Arne and Peggy Mathisen incorporate the company in Vancouver, BC. Their values were never written down. They were just lived.
1962
Generation 1
1962
925 West Georgia.
Arne acquires the Georgia Medical-Dental Building, the foundation of the real estate portfolio. He later sells it in 1971 and trades into three residential properties. That is the moment Arpeg becomes what it is today.
1971
Generation 1
1971
First residential properties.
The portfolio shifts to residential. Children and pets welcome from the very first building. That came from Arne, who remembered how hard it had been to find a place to rent with children.
1982
Generation 2
1982
The second generation takes the helm.
The family steps in to run the company. Governance is formalized. The portfolio grows through one of the most difficult economic periods in Canadian history, with interest rates near 20%.
1984
Generation 2
1984
The Mariner, Comox BC.
First property on Vancouver Island. The portfolio expands beyond the Lower Mainland.
2019
Generation 3
2019
The Beverley, Beyond Walls and And-Co.
The Beverley opens in New Westminster, our first development project. A community-first approach is formalized under the Beyond Walls concept. And-Co opens as Canada's first WELL Platinum certified coworking space.
Today
Still building
Still family. Still building.
Residential and commercial communities across BC. Third generation leadership. The same values, a bigger vision.

Still Gathering,
after 70 years.

T H E F A M I L Y

2026

Every year, the Mathisen family comes together for a retreat. Three generations in the same room, sharing stories, making decisions, and remembering why this was built in the first place.

MORE BEHIND THE SCENE

The Mathisen Family Private Foundation (MFPF)

G I V I N G B A C K

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And it is built by those willing to imagine more and to grow together — to shape a future we all share.

— A R P E G M A N I F E S T O