Bosa family receives founders’ award from the Fraser Institute

Most of the people sitting in the ballroom of the Hotel Vancouver on this Thursday night in November weren’t alive when Robert Bosa came to Canada in the 1950s. And, back in the ’70s, when Bosa was plying his trade as a carpenter in Vancouver, if you had told him that this collection of mostly blue suits and black dresses would be here to celebrate him 50 years later, he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

The hundreds of people who have filed to the second floor of the hotel are here to see Bosa and his family, the principals of real estate developer Bosa Properties, receive the annual Vancouver Founders’ Award from the Fraser Institute.

From left: Paul, Dale and Colin Bosa reflect on their family’s business with Jen Riley, the company’s VP of brand and marketing

Perhaps they’re here because public appearances from the Bosas are rare. Many of the articles you’ll read about the family feature guestimates about stats and figures or a line about how they “politely declined to comment for this article.” The family that presides over one of the most successful real estate development companies in the country—one that has built over 10,000 homes in B.C. and has some 5.5 million square feet of commercial space under management—doesn’t love talking about itself.

So it was a bit of a surprise to see Robert’s sons, Colin (co-owner and CEO of Bosa Properties) and Dale (also a co-owner), along with his nephew Paul (CEO of Axiom Builders), take the stage for a wide-ranging fireside chat with the company’s VP of brand, marketing and communications Jen Riley. It was even more surprising (to both the audience and the family) that Robert stepped up to the mic for a few words as well.

We’ll get back to that in a bit, but there were also a few things that weren’t surprising. Tracey McVicar of CAI Capital Partners emceed the evening with her standard composure and charm, even if the job of getting hundreds of people to stop talking isn’t an envious one.

And Fraser Institute president Niels Veldhuis brought his usual stage presence and some tough words for our current federal and provincial governments. Veldhuis notably did not say the words “Trudeau” or “Poilievre,” but it wasn’t exactly a secret as to the result he’s hoping for in the coming election.

Before the Bosas took the stage, Daryl Simpson, president of Townline Homes, delivered a speech about his company’s partnership with Bosa Properties. Simpson saying he “felt like the Robert Duvall character” in the Bosa family and poking fun at Colin and Dale for wearing Tom Ford were the funniest jokes of the night, just edging out the Fraser Institute calling itself “non-partisan.” Simpson also did an impression of Robert Bosa to his face—if you need some lessons on how to build up courage, Simpson is a good person to talk to.

There was also a lovely tribute video to the family, in which titans of the real estate industry like Michael Audain, David Podmore, Carol Lee and Lorne Segal waxed poetic about the Bosas’ contributions to the province. “Working with [the Bosa family] was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Lee, chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.

Colin, Dale and Paul Bosa handled the fireside chat with an openness and humility that you might not expect from real estate moguls. The trio talked about everything from trying new things (like a “sexy living” condominium that Robert wasn’t a fan of but that ended up being profitable), long-serving staff members (“We have 47 people who have been with the company for more than 25 years,” said Colin) and family disagreements.

Robert Bosa addresses the crowd with a heartfelt message

“We’re all stubborn,” revealed Colin. “I remember one day, three years ago. My dad and I unloaded on each other; we were saying things that family members don’t talk for months after saying to each other. Ten minutes later, Dale come in and says, ‘I don’t know what you said to Dad, but he said you guys had a great conversation.’”

Colin and Dale stressed the importance of working together, especially given the family’s background. Robert and his brother Nat Bosa originally started Bosa Brothers Construction before splitting off. Nat started Bosa Development and his children now work for that company.

“Our dad didn’t have a great relationship with his brothers,” said Dale. “We’ve always believed we were stronger together than apart. It hasn’t been easy. We made a choice to figure it out. We’re in a position where we respect our strengths and weaknesses. It’s a good partnership.”

The highlight, though, had to be Robert Bosa taking the stage for a few moments, something that shocked his own family.

“I never thought I’d see this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said, fighting back tears. “I remember going out and working in a foot of mud. You just kept your mouth shut, went out there and did it. I want to thank the workers. I was there with you, we did it together.”