Above: The skyline of Montreal
When people want to break the ice at a gathering, questions are often the best way to get conversations going. One question that’s always a good opener is exploring the traits successfully people seem to share. To be sure, the opinions will be varied, but do expect for some underlying common thoughts to emerge.
One that’s sure to come up is the understanding that successful people draw on backgrounds that motivate them to try new things that are challenging as well as rewarding. That’s often coupled with a strong connection to home and community that helps to ground successful people as they strive to reach their goals.
These are certainly attributes that are found among some of the most successful developers of our time. For them, the journey is not about themselves and no one else. Along with the desire to be better and do better for self, there’s also a yearning to be a part of and contribute to the wider community.
There’s no better example of this than Nicholas Kyriacopoulos.
Who is this man and how did he get to where he is today? What matters to him and what drives him to keep moving forward for himself and for others? Delving into his background will provide a more accurate understanding how he became the successful businessman and development entrepreneur that many people know today.
The story of Nicholas Kyriacopoulos begins in 1970s Montreal, Quebec. Born in 1978, Kyriacopoulos was welcomed into a loving home with two immigrant parents. It’s been said that he represents the best of each of those heritages. His Greek father is said to have passed on a keen sense of mental prowess and a genuine love of doing for others. At the same time, his Russian-speaking mother taught him much about approaching the world and others with an open mind.
Owing to Kyriacopoulos’ paternal Greek heritage, it should come as no surprise that all things Greek were of especial interest to him. The origins of the Olympics held his attention from a young age and motivated him to see the wisdom of being physically fit. That in turn led to a love for many different sports activities, especially those with a history connected with the Games.
Wrestling as one of the world’s oldest sporting activities caught his eye. It wasn’t just the strength training involved; it also included a love for the concentration and focus that the sport requires. To this day, the lessons he learned while training and competing in that simple athletic club located in the middle of the Old City of Montreal serve him well.
The city itself also had a deep impact on his young mind. As a place where the old and the new intertwine into a mosaic that’s both beautiful and awe-inspiring, Nicholas Kyriacopoulos found himself exposed to many different forms of architecture, including structures with deep French and British influence. From these he learned much about symmetry, balance, and combining diverse elements to create something beautiful.
Montreal’s older streets with their narrow lanes and display of cafes and patios also taught him much about European culture and style, even tapping back into his love of Greek culture. It was this diverse combination of influences that provided a setting where his young mind was free to develop, dream, and ultimately thrive as a successful developer.
Many of Nicholas Kyriacopoulos’ dreams extended beyond becoming prosperous for himself. His goals included doing things that would also enrich the community and make a difference for people. One of his first steps this direction came in 2012 when he created a group holding and finance business. The stated purpose for the business was the development of housing that would meet the needs of people in areas where options for living space were somewhat limited.
To that end, his new business took on the task of designing developments that would include townhouses in markets throughout Ontario. Rather than spending a lot of time on areas that were already saturated, he concentrated his efforts on areas that seemed to be underserved. The developments were intended to be customized to meet the needs of the community, becoming a logical component in each one.
Over the years since that founding, Nicholas Kyriacopoulos has been a part of the creation of more than 400 units and homes throughout the province. In addition to residential properties, he has also taken on the task of creating industrial developments that are designed to provide safe and accessible space for all sorts of business operations. That in turn has helped to spur more employment opportunities in those areas.
His community involvement takes on other forms. One of them draws on the heritage he inherited from his mother. Owing to her Jewish background, Kyriacopoulos has maintained strong tied with the Jewish community. That has taken the form of being with community members when times were hard. He’s spearheaded projects designed to provide support to rabbis, often reaching into his own pocket in order to get the projects going. He has been known to back up his financial donations by giving of his time to charities, benefits, and other philanthropic endeavors.
Nicholas Kyriacopoulos' love of children is one of the other factors that motivate his community involvement. Support for education came together with that love when he decided to become involved in the construction of a school park located next to a Montessori School in the GTA. Understanding the importance of play as well as work for life balance, the park was a logical thing to do.
His support for education in general is also manifest in the ongoing desire to help schools and ensure every child has the resources to make decisions about what they will do in life. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that he would reach out to a Montessori School that provides many options for self-discovery and examination.
The importance of family is something that Nick Kyriacopoulos has known from the cradle. Today, his wife and two daughters remain at the center of his world. That’s not hard to realize when you see the way his face lights up when they come into the room or as he discusses something that one of them recently said or did. You can bet that they share his love of doing for others, and that his daughters will carry his legacy into the future.
True success is more elusive than many people think. That’s because they often focus on one aspect of success to the exclusion of everything else. True success comes by thinking beyond self, building something that endures, caring for the wider community, and appreciating the gift of where you came from as well as where you are going. If you need more understanding about how all those elements work together, ask Nicholas Kyriacopoulos.