During a boyhood in Italy, Bruno Mastroprimiano aspired to be his own boss.

His first step toward that dream came in 1967, when he emigrated to Canada at age 21 with a little money and a lot of determination. Within six years, he and wife Rhonda were running their own Edmonton business in contracting.

Today, Mastroprimiano is president and owner of Edmonton-based B&R (Bruno and Rhonda) Development Corporation, a company that operates Abbey Lane Homes, one of Edmonton’s top condominium builders, as well as a land development company, Royal West Properties.

But success in business doesn’t come without its trials and tribulations, as Mastroprimiano has learned from three decades as his own boss. 1. Why did you leave your native Italy in 1967 to settle in Montreal?

“I was just young. I wanted to do things. My goal was to be my own boss, to own my own business. I didn’t work for a year after coming to Canada. It was difficult to adjust because I did not speak English at the time. I came over with zippo, nothing (financially). I did a lot of construction-related jobs in my first few years – labour, helper, you name it.”

Jack Dagley photos, for Business Edge
Bruno Mastroprimiano’s plans for the future focus on the growing multi-family home market in Edmonton.

2. How did you get started in the real estate business?

“In 1973, we started a construction-related business. We started contracting. I had a partner who was a painter so we started doing painting. The partnership did not work out. But I went on my own and within a year I had 25 guys working for me and things were looking up. We carried on and we never looked back. It was always my plan to get into the land-development and real estate business.”

3. How did your business survive the difficult years when the Alberta real estate market crashed in the early 1980s as a result of the National Energy Program?

“Diversification. We started doing some projects in smaller communities in Alberta. Then, we decided that everything was going to recover, so in 1985 we started to build single-family homes in Edmonton and eventually started doing multi-family projects. When real estate collapsed, we achieved a lot. We thought we were going to retire very young. But that was before the National Energy Program came into the picture. So it took a while for it to sink into my head how things were going to change. We lost a few million dollars from that.”

4. Why has Abbey Lane Homes begun to focus in recent years on building condominiums?

“I believe for us the multi-family projects are the future. Single-family homes is a very tough market. That’s why there have been so many failures. There are opportunities, but there are a lot of ups and downs. There’s just too much competition in building single-family homes.”

5. What’s your long-term vision for Abbey Lane Homes?

“We are looking towards substantial expansion and to keep our company as a recognized name, which it is, and to stay ahead of everybody else. We will keep open-minded to what’s new.”



6. Why haven’t you tapped into the Calgary market?

“Good question. Why? Sometimes, you want to keep under control what you’re doing. We could have done that, but we decided to stick to Edmonton, at least for the time being. It’s a possibility we may tap the Calgary market. For the time being, we have plenty on the plate here and, again, there’s no point in jumping all over the place.”

7. What was the revenue last year for Abbey Lane Homes?

“It was over $10 million. It’s going to level off this year.”

8. How do you see the Alberta real estate market changing in the next decade or so?

“The lifestyles are changing, so there’s more demand for condos. People are more accepting of (condo living) as a way of life. People want to live in condos so they can have more time on their hands, and there are also a lot of first-time home buyers who can’t afford a house, so they are buying condos. I think it’s going to be a very good market for condos in the next 10 years.”

9. What’s your outlook for the residential real estate market in Alberta?

“I see a kind of levelling off of demand in the market, which is good in a way because the demand was higher than what anybody could produce. Pricing was getting out of control. I think real estate is going to be steady and good for quite a few years. I think we have enough diversification in the Alberta economy so that even if the market slows down, I don’t think we’ll go back to what we experienced in the early 1980s.”

10. How do you describe your leadership style?

“I’m very much a hands-on type of individual. Usually, I’m very much in control of what’s going on with the projects. I have a very open policy (of communicating) with employees and we have a good team. It’s teamwork, and that’s what keeps things progressing.”

11. What’s the most important lesson you’ve had to learn in building your business?

“How to get along with your own people. That’s very tough. But you learn as you go.”

12. What’s a normal work week for you?

“It’s 70 to 80 hours a week. But I’ve actually been trimming back a bit and I take weekends off. I’ve been working those kinds of hours as far back as I can remember. Forty hours a week is not in my agenda. You get used to it.”

13. What’s your favourite pastime?

“I love fishing. I love the outdoors. And I love travelling.”

14. What’s it like being in business with your wife (Rhonda)?

“Very good. That doesn’t mean we always agree (laughing). We’re not necessarily on the same line, but overall it’s worked excellent. That’s why we’re still in partnership.”

15. What character trait has had the most to do with your success?

“Perseverance is probably the best word to explain it. If you don’t push hard enough, especially when the market is down, you won’t make it.”

16. Did you have a mentor influence your career in the early years?

“No. No. Self-inspiration, I call it.”

17. Who’s the entrepreneur you most admire?

“Peter Pocklington (the controversial former Edmonton tycoon and Edmonton Oilers owner). He did things that most people thought they couldn’t get to do. Like him or not, he did achieve a lot in his time. He put this city on the map. He took chances where most business people wouldn’t have dreamt of it.”

18. What do you think you’d be doing today if you hadn’t left Italy?

“I’d probably have a business there because that was my vision. Would it be successful? Who knows?”

19. Reflecting on your career, do you have any regrets?

“Not at all. Well, probably, I should have taken advice to move (the business) into Phoenix in the early 1980s. But that’s water under the bridge. Who cares?”

20. What’s your most important goal beyond business?

“That’s a tough question. I’d like to do more travelling and have more leisure time, but I’m not there yet. I don’t know what would happen if I had more time on my hands. Maybe I’d get bored. I don’t know. I’m looking forward to working at least another five years.”

THE COMPANY: Abbey Lane Homes
* Brass: Bruno Mastroprimiano, president; Rhonda Mastroprimiano, vice-president.
* Profile: Abbey Lane Homes, established in 1985, is a residential developer and home builder focused on the condominium market. B&R Development is the parent company of Abbey Lane Homes and Royal West Properties.
* Feature properties: Bonavista, Californian Lansdowne, One River Park, Californian Casa – Heritage, Strathcona Terrace, Californian Manor II –
Terra Losa.
* Website: www.abbeylanehomes.com
* Contact Info: info@abbeylanehomes.com; phone/fax 780-425-2884, 425-2228; 200-10568 109th St., Edmonton, T5H 3B2.

IN PROFILE: Bruno Mastroprimiano
* Born/raised/age: Milan, Italy; 57.
* Title: President, Abbey Lane Homes (a division of his parent company, B&R Development).
* Education: High school graduate.
* Family: Wife Rhonda, two sons.
* Career: Mastroprimiano’s entrepreneurial career began in 1973 as a contractor. He has been the only president of B&R Development Corporation, which operates Abbey Lane Homes and Royal West Properties. He previously worked for various companies as a radiographer.
* Passions: Fishing, travel.