Beedie

Development firm Beedie has been in business for more than 60 years, so as you can imagine, there have been some changes along the way. The biggest one: expanding from what Trisha Bouchard, the company's marketing manager, industrial development, calls a “mom-and-pop operation” to four offices (its Burnaby HQ, plus Vancouver, Calgary and newly minted Toronto) and about 375 employees.

But Bouchard argues that otherwise, the business—founded by Keith Beedie and now headed by his son, Ryan—hasn't swayed as much as one might think: “Because it's family-owned and has stayed in the family, that really close corporate culture has continued over the years.”

The Beedie name is also worn by SFU'S business school, the result of a $22-million donation by the family. But that's not where the developer's efforts end; its Giving,

Ignite and Luminaries initiatives (the latter started awarding scholarships from a $50-million fund last year) have all been widely celebrated. There's also Beedie Cares, an employee-driven plan (co-founded by Bouchard in 2014) that has committed more than 4,300 volunteer hours and some $500,000 to organizations like Ronald Mcdonald House and

One Girl Can, which invests in education for young women in Africa.