De Luca Corp is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the next generation set to take the reins

From small beginnings 30 years ago, a family-owned property company continues to make its presence felt in South East Queensland through tough times and good times.

De Luca Corporation managing director Nic De Luca in his office in Milton, Brisbane.

In 1994 Nic De Luca set out on a journey to create a family-owned business that operated in the property “sweet spot’ – not too small and not too large.

Thirty years on and with an annual turnover of about $250m and billions of dollars of office, industrial, retail and residential projects completed, the diversified property group De Luca Corporation remains one of South East Queensland busiest builder/developers.

Focused on the sub $100m market, the company has about 50 staff, and founder and managing director Mr De Luca said he will keep it that way.

“That’s our sweet spot. It’s always been about sustainability. We want a business that can ride through the tough times and enjoy the good times but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” he said.

“We are very much a family business. We know our staff and something I am mindful of is not growing too large where you don’t know your people.”

Born and bred in Brisbane, the Villanova College old boy started his property journey by helping in his father’s concrete business and then spent a decade working for other companies while completing part-time a construction management degree at Queensland University of Technology.

Working for a big company sparked the realisation that he was “just a number”.

“That was my inspiration to create something of my own,” Mr De Luca said.

“I hear so many of my peers talking about the size of the deal and how much money they made. I love to talk about the people I meet, and experiences I have had. Money naturally comes by doing good things, so I always focus on the good things”.

With a background in design and construction, De Luca Properties’ - as it was then called - first project was a seniors apartment complex in Kangaroo Point for the state government.

From that beginning the company – owned by Mr De Luca and his wife Alesia – grew and diversified, becoming De Luca Corporation in 2015, based at Milton.

De Luca Corporation has four arms – construction of which about 70 per cent is third party; development; investment with a portion of completed projects remaining in De Luca Corporation hands; and owning and operating five childcare centres under the Kidz Magic and Evolving Minds brands with the ambition to triple that over the next 10 years.

The company has just opened a $12m Evolving Minds Early Learning Centre in historic former Sisters of Mercy Convent in Wooloowin in Brisbane inner eastern suburbs and a $25m retail, and medial hub, Plainland Home & Life Development, west of the city.

De Luca and Wright Private Capital have launched Announce, the fifth and final stage of their $50m Berrinba Central development and the final stage of the $20m Biz185 in Northgate.

De Luca Corporation’s $25m Plainland Home & Life development west of Brisbane.

De Luca Corphas also partnered up with property giant Dexus to redevelop two Glasshouse Mountains service centres on the Sunshine Coast and has a northside retail/residential project on its way.

Mr De Luca said longstanding relationships in both the private and corporate worlds were a key to his success.

In the private field he has partnered up with names such as Van Asperen, Fife, Wright, and most recently the Zupp family and from a corporate perspective the company has relationships with Bunnings and Goodman Group going back almost 20 years.

“It puts a smile on my face when I read of late about all the corporates wanting to emulate the Goodman success story, and I think, I’ve been dealing with them since they first made the move to Brisbane and well before anyone took any notice of them,” Mr De Luca said.

“I still get a kick walking into Bunnings on the weekend knowing I built 27 of these green boxes over the years.”

Mr De Luca said when he reflects on the reasons for the success of relationships, it comes down to a few key ingredients.

“Always playing the long game, building rapport and trust from the outset, and always using the measure of success on the challenging times, not the easy ones, for anyone can attest to a good relationship when things are going well,” he said.

Mr De Luca said he was embracing the next generation entering the family business.

His two sons are currently in Melbourne with Ben completing a property economics degree and is working for the Riverlee Group on the $500m Seafarers residential and hotel project on the Yarra while Jacob is in a business/marketing degree.

“As part of our legacy aspirations, we have been focused on ensuring our sons enter the family business only if they want to, and if so, to ensure they create their own identity and personal legacy moving forward,” Mr De Luca said.

“This formed part of the reason for them leaving Brisbane and creating their own identities in a state where the family has no presence.”

Mr De Luca said Jacob was still in his early years of university and contemplating his future career opportunities which may involve the family enterprise down the track.

“When I founded the business 30 years ago, legacy was not on the radar. It was only when Ben announced his interest in the industry five years ago where I realised this will outlive me and become a legacy for the generations to come,” he said.