Francesco Aquilini
Encyclopedia
Francesco Aquilini is the Managing Director of Vancouver-based Aquilini Investment Group. He is the current owner of the Vancouver Canucks
and Rogers Arena.
Aquilini attended Templeton Secondary School
, where he was an excellent athlete and mediocre student. He went on to graduate from Simon Fraser University
with a degree in Business Administration. He later earned an MBA from UCLA. Since the 1980s, Aquilini has been involved in the Aquilini Investment Group, a company focused on real estate and agriculture that was founded 50 years ago by his father, Italian Canadian Luigi Aquilini.
Francesco is also the Chair and primary sponsor of the Italian Gardens (Il Giardino Italiano) in Hastings Park
.
Aquilini Developments, a division headed up by Dave Negrin, formerly of Concord Pacific, owns five office towers across the country, several golf courses and the Pizza Hut franchise in B.C. It started Aquilini Renewable Energy (headed by Negrin’s brother, John), which is looking for opportunities in green energy, including waste-to-power and wind power.
Aquilini engaged in a five-year high profile legal battle with his former business partners, Ryan Beedie and Thomas Gaglardi, over the ownership of the Vancouver Canucks
which was ruled in his favour by the Supreme Court of Canada
on July 16, 2009.
Aquilini Renewable Energy Corporation earned community and media attention for a proposal in 2008 and 2009 to build a petroleum waste reduction and recycling plant near Christina Lake
, a lake that is popular with summer vacationers.
Aquilini Brands, a division headed up by Barry Olivier,formerly of Trialto Wine Group, was formed in October 2009. Bassano Hard Soda,the division's first consumer brand, is a vodka based refreshment beverage inspired by classic Italian sodas. Bassano Hard Soda was launched in Canada in March 2011.
Members of the Aquilini family, including Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, are facing a variety of charges relating to the diversion of water at a cranberry plantation in Pitt Meadows. Environmentalists complained that the installation of a pipe and pump that diverted water from a side channel of the North Alouette River in the summer of 2009 resulted in the deaths of thousands of fish.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and Rogers Arena.
Aquilini attended Templeton Secondary School
Templeton Secondary School
Templeton Secondary School is a secondary school in Vancouver. Approximately 1200 students are enrolled there from Grade 8-12. Located in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood on the east side of Vancouver, it has won the SmartAsk competition in 2004 and is now trying for Reach For The Top. It has won...
, where he was an excellent athlete and mediocre student. He went on to graduate from Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
with a degree in Business Administration. He later earned an MBA from UCLA. Since the 1980s, Aquilini has been involved in the Aquilini Investment Group, a company focused on real estate and agriculture that was founded 50 years ago by his father, Italian Canadian Luigi Aquilini.
Francesco is also the Chair and primary sponsor of the Italian Gardens (Il Giardino Italiano) in Hastings Park
Hastings Park
Hastings Park is located in the northeast sector of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in a neighbourhood called Hastings-Sunrise. Its name references Hastings, B.C., also known as New Brighton, which lay at the end of the Douglas Road from New Westminster, founded as a resort and watering-hole...
.
Aquilini Developments, a division headed up by Dave Negrin, formerly of Concord Pacific, owns five office towers across the country, several golf courses and the Pizza Hut franchise in B.C. It started Aquilini Renewable Energy (headed by Negrin’s brother, John), which is looking for opportunities in green energy, including waste-to-power and wind power.
Aquilini engaged in a five-year high profile legal battle with his former business partners, Ryan Beedie and Thomas Gaglardi, over the ownership of the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
which was ruled in his favour by the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
on July 16, 2009.
Aquilini Renewable Energy Corporation earned community and media attention for a proposal in 2008 and 2009 to build a petroleum waste reduction and recycling plant near Christina Lake
Christina Lake, British Columbia
Christina Lake is an unincorporated recreational area in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Highway 3, 12 miles east of Grand Forks and 44 miles southwest of Castlegar....
, a lake that is popular with summer vacationers.
Aquilini Brands, a division headed up by Barry Olivier,formerly of Trialto Wine Group, was formed in October 2009. Bassano Hard Soda,the division's first consumer brand, is a vodka based refreshment beverage inspired by classic Italian sodas. Bassano Hard Soda was launched in Canada in March 2011.
Members of the Aquilini family, including Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini, are facing a variety of charges relating to the diversion of water at a cranberry plantation in Pitt Meadows. Environmentalists complained that the installation of a pipe and pump that diverted water from a side channel of the North Alouette River in the summer of 2009 resulted in the deaths of thousands of fish.