BRETT GIESE

Owner, president and director CROWNE PACIFIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. AND VEYRON PROPERTIES GROUP LTD. AGE: 29

LIFE STORY: By middle school in his hometown of Campbell River, Brett Giese was working on construction sites with his father, who develops residential lots for sale. Giese went to Uvic in 2005 to study business, but he longed to do something connected to real estate. “I just had my wheels turning the whole time,” he recalls. That year Giese incorporated Crowne Pacific Development; in early 2006, with his dad's help and encouragement, he started building a house on one of the family lots. It was no easy task, but he found selling the finished product so satisfying that he left school to grow his business. (He later earned a master's certificate in project management from Uvic.) Giese, who is married with a one-year-old daughter, launched Veyron Properties Group in 2011. The company hires Crowne Pacific to build rental developments that it owns and manages.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Crowne Pacific's recent projects include a 94-unit rental complex in Courtenay now run by Veyron. Combined, the two companies employ 14 full-time staff. Annual revenue is now well into the eight figures. —N.R.