Bricks to Billionaires
Aquilini Investment Group
If you know the Aquilinis because of the Vancouver Canucks, you’ve barely scratched the surface.
Luigi Aquilini arrived in Vancouver from Travagliato, Italy, in the 1950s and over the following decades he transformed a construction business into one of B.C.’s most sprawling private companies. Today, Aquilini Investment Group is steered by Luigi, 83, alongside sons Francesco and Roberto, while a third generation is beginning to enter the fold.
The family’s estimated fortune now sits around over $3.3 billion, and its holdings read like a tour of the provincial economy. Yes—they own Canucks and Rogers Arena—but also Golden Eagle Golf Club, Stong’s Market, sprawling residential developments, thousands of acres of blueberry and cranberry farms, wineries in Washington State, hotels, renewable energy ventures and even a movie set in Maple Ridge.
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Then there’s hospitality. The Aquilinis own one of Canada’s largest Pizza Hut franchise operations, plus some of B.C.’s most notable restaurants through Toptable Group, including Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, Elisa, Araxi, Il Caminetto and Victoria’s Marilena.
The One-Man Empire
The Jim Pattison Group
Unlike many of B.C.’s business heavyweights, the Pattison empire isn’t a multi-generational family story—it’s the product of one relentlessly ambitious entrepreneur.
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in East Vancouver, Jim Pattison worked virtually every job imaginable before betting everything on a single General Motors dealership in 1961. He mortgaged his house and secured a $40,000 bank loan to launch what would become one of Canada’s largest privately held companies.
More than six decades later, the Jim Pattison Group generates roughly $20 billion in annual sales, employs 57,000 people and operates across automotive, food retail, media, advertising, packaging, real estate, agriculture and entertainment. Its portfolio touches the daily lives of millions through brands including Save-On-Foods, Buy-Low Foods, Quality Foods, Everything Wine, Ripley Entertainment, Guinness World Records and one of Canada’s largest automotive dealership networks.
Through decades of philanthropy, Pattison has donated hundreds of millions to hospitals, universities and community organizations, including landmark gifts to St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, Burnaby Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
At 97, Pattison remains executive chair of the company he founded more than six decades ago.
The Family Behind Your Pharmacy Run
H.Y. Louie
Long before London Drugs became the place to buy everything from prescriptions to televisions to emergency chocolate, the Louie family was running a small grocery and farm-supply store in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
Hok Yat Louie arrived from southern China in 1896, worked as a farmer and vegetable seller, then founded the business that became H.Y. Louie in 1903. He built it while confronting anti-Asian racism, limited access to credit and wholesalers who often demanded payment upfront. His son Tong Louie pushed the company into mainstream grocery retail, acquiring B.C.’s IGA franchise rights and, in 1976, making the family’s defining move: buying London Drugs.
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Third-generation leader Brandt Louie expanded the chain across Western Canada and added ventures including London Air Services and Sonora Resort. Today, the fourth generation—Gregory and Stuart Louie—oversees day-to-day operations, making this a rare century-old B.C. business that has successfully passed through four generations.
The empire now includes 81 London Drugs stores, plus IGA and Fresh St. Market under Georgia Main Food Group, employing more than 8,000 people. H.Y. Louie has been estimated to generate roughly US$4.2 billion in annual revenue, while Forbes has valued Brandt Louie’s fortune at about US$1.7 billion.
The OG Influencers
Hill’s Dry Goods, Aritzia, Blue Ruby Jewellery, Hill’s of Kerrisdale
Long before Aritzia became one of Canada’s biggest fashion success stories, the Hill family was outfitting Vancouverites from a neighbourhood dry goods store.
The family’s retail roots stretch back to 1914, when Kerrisdale Dry Goods first opened its doors. By the 1960s, brothers James and Forbes Hill had transformed it into the beloved Hill’s of Kerrisdale, building a reputation for curated fashion and old-school customer service that became a west side institution.
The next generation turned that retail DNA into multiple brands. Brian Hill founded Aritzia, which has since grown into a global fashion powerhouse with 2025 revenue of $2.74 billion, winning a spot on BCBusiness’s 2026 Top 100 list. His siblings Ross and Nancy Hill launched Blue Ruby Jewellery before creating Hill’s Dry Goods, a contemporary boutique with locations in Kitsilano, South Granville and Park Royal. The family also continues to operate Hill’s of Kerrisdale and menswear retailer Ray Rickburn.
