Our Founder

Joseph C. Canizaro

Biloxi-native Joseph C. Canizaro is the Owner/Developer of Tradition, a Master Planned Community, located north of Biloxi, Mississippi. In addition to his work at Tradition, Canizaro is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbus Properties, L.P., a commercial real estate development company he founded and headquartered in New Orleans. Columbus Properties has acquired, developed and/or managed office buildings, hotels, mixed-use projects, as well as land and residential projects throughout the Southeast/Southwest. Some of his most recognized developments in New Orleans include Canal Place, LL&E Tower, Texaco Center, First Bank Center (formerly the Galleria in Metairie). His business holdings also include First Bank & Trust, Firstrust Corporation, First Bank & Trust Mississippi, and Corporate Capital, LLC, a venture capital company whose interests include Innovus, Inc., operator of more than 1,400 ATM machines and processor of more than 20,000 ATM locations throughout the United States, and CRSA (Cooperative Retirement Systems of America), a developer and manager of more than 29 continuing care retirement communities nationwide.

Mr. Canizaro has served on a variety of boards of civic and institutional organizations and holds numerous distinctions from his membership in a host of regional and national business, civic and arts organizations. He is a Trustee and former Chairman of the Urban Land Institute, a member of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design's Advisory Committee on Real Estate Development, and most recently served on New Orleans redevelopment initiatives post Hurricane Katrina. He is President and founder of the New Orleans chapter of Legatus, an international organization of practicing Catholic CEO's. He has been awarded a 2003 Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Knights of St. Gregory Papal Honor, Order of the St. Louis Medallion for work in the Catholic Church, Southern Dominicans' St. Martin de Porres Award, and was commissioned to the highest rank of Councillor of St. Dominic on the advisory board of the Angelicum University in Rome. He is also the recipient of the 1999 Mayor's Medal of Honor, Louisiana Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame Award, American Academy of Achievement National Outstanding Achievers Award, and was named the National Italian-American of the Year. He and his wife, Suellen, have been married for over 50 years and have two daughters and a grandson.