The Rocca Sisters Blog

A great man was lost to us on Friday, January 27^th, 2017. A dear father, who was a visionary, a true leader, and an inspiration to so many.

“For us, celebrating the life of our dad means humbly recognizing the opportunities we have been so fortunate to be a part of,” says Cathy Rocca. 

Pat Rocca came to Canada from Italy in 1957, determined to make a better life for himself and his family. He launched himself and his family into the real estate industry and began building an empire as a developer, marking the beginning of the legacy of the Rocca name.

With a two-thousand dollar loan from the bank and within just five short years, Pat had earned enough money to turn his passion into a reality. In 1968, he began building shopping centres at the young age of 23.

Over the next 25 years Pat planned, leased and managed more property than any other developer in Atlantic Canada that included commercial, industrial and residential properties. At one point, he was dubbed “The King of the Malls” in the Atlantic Provinces.

As Cathy and Tanya Rocca were growing up in St. John, N.B., they watched their father grow a construction and real estate development business into one of Canada’s largest Maritime development companies. 

“We grew up in an amazing and loving family,” says Cathy. “We never felt any pressure from our father to go into the real estate business, but he did encourage it. We’re glad he did because we all fell in love with it!”  

Pat has been the pioneer of how The Rocca Sisters conduct their business by instilling core traits in everything that they do, namely determination, working hard and building relationships with the shake of a hand.

“Our dad taught us about the importance of family, friends, loyalty and perspective, says Tanya. “To never be short sighted and to always communicate.”  He was a man who respected his faith, history, the environment and believed strongly in the notion of moving forward.  No matter the challenge always ask yourself what needs to happen to move forward and take action. 

“We are so very grateful to our father for the opportunity he has given us, not only in business but also in family life,” adds Cathy.

With a strong history of entrepreneurship, Cathy and Tanya are also clear on their morals, reputation and integrity. They are committed to their clients, their community and their family.

It’s their father’s hard work ethic and hands-on business approach that has taught them how important their efforts are and the value of supporting the people around them.