When the founder of Sam Mizrahi Toronto Design Build conceived a plan to place a new multi-million dollar development at the gateway of an affluent Toronto neighbourhood, he knew it would have to resonate. “People are wary of change,” he says, an observation he’s gained from years of breaking ground in the historic roads of …
Nothing about Michael Lee-Chin is ordinary. Even his style of philanthropy heralds a certain unceremonious swagger that contradicts nearly every element of the Canadian archetype. From his conspicuous dress code to his private jet penchant and fearless life philosophies, the Jamaican-born founder of Portland Holdings Inc. threw a splash of water on the face of …
Birds of a feather flock together. At the start of the 20th century, two brothers proved that getting into business with your own blood is sometimes the right decision. Before becoming inconceivably exalted about having invented the world’s first airplane, the Wright brothers peddled bicycles from their cycle repair and sales shop and built a …
Farrah Gray was just six when he began selling painted rocks and body lotion door-to-door to help put food on the table. At seven he was passing around business cards that read, “21st Century CEO.” By 12, Gray was charging $5,000 – $10,000 to speak nationwide. At 13, he started Farr-Out Foods, which hit sales …
Diamond enthusiasts across the world can engage in unified misery: an extremely rare and coveted ring has slipped off the market and onto a willing ring finger. Point the blame to jewelry giant Michael Hill who, after three decades in the business of romance, decided it was time to celebrate love with a challenge. In …
Kevin O’Leary is holding a modestly sized styrofoam cup of coffee captive with both hands. Black, no branding. He’s sitting at a small round table on the far right of CBC’s sunlit atrium – a position that also befits his political views. “Welcome to my office,” he kids with a conservative grin. The sheen in …
Wearing black horn-rimmed glasses, a bespoke Prada suit and a grin that’s almost as broad as his Bridle Path bungalow, Ray Civello sinks into a tub chair in his most revered room of the house. The avant-garde studio’s wall-to-wall windows and reclaimed flooring made from diseased trees say a lot about the organically inclined hair …
Becoming a powerful businessman or a famous scientist are not the typical dreams of a child raised in rural Italy. As a young boy growing up in the central Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, Francesco Bellini was not aware that such professions even existed. At that time, Bellini’s only wish was to be just like …
It’s 9:30 a.m. and Kevin Harrington’s voice is echoing off the raw brick walls of Toronto’s historic Burroughes Building. His dress shoes drum along hardwood floors as he enters the room, pinstriped and punctual. The millionaire-entrepreneur who created the world’s first infomercial is in town to launch his latest venture, Inventors Business Centre Canada. A …
Noticeably unnerved by heights, Gil Blutrich perches on the rooftop ledge of Toronto’s iconic King Edward Hotel – his latest acquisition. The accomplished CEO of Skyline International Development Inc. bought the historically symbolic building with a trio of partners in March. With investments in several cities, Blutrich is used to towering views. “I was dreaming …
