Meet the young guns set to be the Gold Coast’s future movers and shakers
THEY’RE the young guns blazing their own trail and set to become some of the Gold Coast’s up-and-coming movers and shakers.
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THEY are young, smart, ambitious and hungry for success. Meet some of the Gold Coast’s up-and-coming movers and shakers
The “have a go” attitude — it’s one of Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate’s favourite sayings. He loves what he reckons is the Gold Coast’s predominant “have a go” attitude.
We’ve sat down with six young local men who are the embodiment of that so-called “have a go” attitude.
A real estate agent who aims to one day run the biggest firm on the Coast. A 27-year-old running the family retirement accommodation empire with more than 1000 homes on the go — and another 1000-plus in the wings. A snappily-dressed 21-year old in the development game. A qualified builder who plans on being the biggest developer in the country. A developer in training chasing success with his two younger brothers. And an entrepreneurial 25 year old who happens to be the sole importer into Australia of Nespresso coffee capsules and a separate interest in a cutting edge underwater hotel firm.
Sure, some of them might come from a family of wealth, but each are carving out their own way in the world — and each have their own view of what it takes to succeed in the corporate world.
TIGER MALAN, 26
Title/Business interests: Licenced real estate agent at Ray White Broadbeach — buying, selling and renovating property, running a streamlined efficient team
Motto: Do the most, be the best. Second place isn’t motivating
Tiger Malan has his sights firmly set on selling $100 million worth of property in one year. Then, he’ll likely be one of the best real estate agents in Queensland.
It’s a tall task the motivated 26-year-old is chasing, but with ambitions to take the reigns at the Gold Coast’s second biggest Ray White agency, he knows success is the only option.
“My dad (Ray White Broadbeach principal Larry Malan) told me I can take over the agency when I am better than anyone else at every aspect of the business,” Tiger, who sold his first property at age 18, tells Coast Weekend.
“I’ve been through all facets of the business, the only thing left is to reach ‘Elite’,” he says. Elite is at the top of the Ray White ranking system, with agents making $500,000-plus commission in a year.
He’s already on track to reach Elite having sold $5m in property in the first quarter of 2015, landing a healthy $125,000 commission. Not bad for three months work.
But he won’t stop at Elite. Tiger is chasing formidable Ray White Broadbeach combo Sam Guo and Julia Kuo who are among the best agents in the state, selling a staggering $90m last year.
The middle child of three Malan boys, he has a clear plan to ascend the throne and follow in his father’s footsteps.
Larry first took the gamble on opening independent real estate agency Location Location 13 years ago before taking over Ray White Broadbeach when it fell into receivership in 2011.
“My plan is to have a proven track record as a ‘suburb expert’ — selling more homes in a suburb than anyone else,” Tiger says, adding he also intends to start developing his own luxury townhouses.
“Over the next couple of years my team and I will focus more on the luxury Mermaid Waters and Broadbeach Waters stock priced between $1.3m and $1.5m.”
As for 20 years time?
“I’ll be running the biggest real estate agency on the Gold Coast,” a definitive Tiger says.
ADRIAN PULJICH, 27
Title/Business interests: General Manager at Living Gems Over 50s Lifestyle Resorts, side start-up company providing electroluminescent lights for the medical and mining industry
Motto: Never let fear decide your fate
It is unusual for a 22-year-old guy to take an interest in the retirement industry, let alone dominate it.
But that is exactly what Adrian Puljich did when he joined the family business fresh from graduating with a Masters in Law five years ago.
Within one year, he was general manager of the company his dad started in 1982 and he was backing himself to turn the entire model on its head.
He transformed the way retirement villages were perceived — it was once seen as downgrading to ‘daggy’ units with bland colour schemes. Now it is marketed as starting the next chapter of life in ‘lifestyle resorts’ with landscaped roads, modern colours and luxury comforts.
The move has worked.
“In the space of five years, I’ve more than doubled the business from four lifestyle resorts to 10,” Adrian says.
He operates resorts on the Gold and Sunshine coasts plus in Logan.
“We’ve got 1300 homes on the books and another 1400 coming this year on the Sunshine Coast and South Brisbane.”
The average age of residents has also dropped from 70-75 to active seniors in the 64-66 age bracket that are often still in the workforce.
The rise to corporate executive at such a young age has been a steep learning curve for Adrian who led such rapid growth with backing from Commonwealth Bank.
“It is sometimes surreal and a big responsibility but is very humbling and a great challenge every day.”
Adrian counts his father Peter and brother Vlad as his biggest role models.
“Everybody is older than me ... I’ve had to earn the respect.”
But he has no plans to leave the seniors industry any time soon: “In 10 years I’ll still be the general manager and we’ll be building on our success by being more aggressive with our acquisitions.”
AARON PEEL, 25
Titles/Business interests: Owner Platinum Construction Design and Veraniece Developments
Motto: Go hard
Work-life balance isn’t something that’s in Aaron Peel’s vocabulary.
It’s cost him a relationship and continues to confuse his friends and family, but Aaron really doesn’t care.
“I’m not interested in going out for a picnic and just hanging out … where’s the money in that?
“I’m in this life to go hard. Work is play to me — it’s all about the wheeling and dealing and nothing is more fun to me than negotiating for the win.”
Anything but a rule follower, Aaron says he was kicked out of school after Year 10 and immediately began his training in carpentry.
Now at the age of 25 he’s poised to become the youngest open builder in Queensland, but that’s only the start of his plans for developer domination.
“I’ve done the building thing, been on the tools until last year but I’m done with that now. I’ve got people to do that for me.
“I’m pretty much finished with the mum and dad reno jobs, thank God. I’m Italian, I don’t like people telling me what to do and having clients like that is like having 10 wives.
“I’m interested in the big stuff, I’ve got my first developments underway and that’s the direction I’m going in.
“In 10 years I’ll be one of the biggest developers in Australia and by 45 I’ll be the biggest.”
But it’s an ambition that some struggle to understand.
“I’ve leveraged myself to the point where I’ll either blow up or blow it. My family doesn’t really get it but that’s what this game is about.
“It’s the risk and adrenaline that make you keep going. Money is great but it’s not the point. If you stop because you’ve got enough in the bank, you’ve wimped out.”
MAX ZIELINSKI, 25
Title/business interests: XVentures chief executive, interest in Deep Ocean Technology underwater hotel developments and representative for Australia and Asia-Pacific, distributor in Australia for Caffe Vergnano singleserve coffee capsules
Motto: Two things define you in life – your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.
When aspiring entrepreneur and businessman Max Zielinski sees an opportunity, he chases it. It’s how his company XVentures got involved with two very different sectors – a European coffee capsule company and developers of ambitious underwater hotels.
Max, still a few papers shy of a Bachelor of Commerce, has a good excuse for not yet finishing a degree. For the past eight months – as European coffee maker Caffe Vergnano’s Australian distributor – he’s been working to pin down a deal with Coles supermarkets to stock the fourth-generation family company’s 1882 brand of capsules.
The capsules are compatible with Nespresso machines (yes, the George Clooney ones) of which there are about 800,000 in Australia.
The Coles deal kicks in in July and Max chalks it up as one of his biggest achievements to date. Along the way, he’s inked a contract for Caffe Vergnano capsules to be sold via more than 250 nationwide Officeworks outlets plus a deal with an organic distributor too for a separate blend.
When the Surfers Paradise resident isn’t busy with that, he’s helping promote the concept of an underwater hotel in Australia.
His XVentures has an agreement with the developer Deep Ocean Technology – committed to one in the Maldives and potentially Dubai – to drum up investors and interest for an underwater hotel in Queensland.
“My role is dealing with investors, introducing the concept to the community, councils, government, any regulatory bodies that have an interest in the waterways or where the hotel would be placed.”
Regarding any benefit XVentures will reap from any underwater hotel depends on the region it occurs but he can’t disclose more than that.
“I obviously have an interest in it – but the most important thing is I’m not the founder, I’m not the brains behind it. I’m just someone who facilitates marketing of the concept.”
A Gold Coast site isn’t being explored at this stage, he says, adding:“...without disclosing too much, we’re talking with a company that wants to do half and half – an underwater observation point open to the public and the other half would be a hotel.”
Just how did this go-getter 25-year-old get his firm in the thick of it with the hotel and coffee projects? His European and particularly Polish background helped for starters – Deep Ocean Technology originates out of Poland.
He had a mutual contact with the founder, while he met Caffe Vergnano’s former Australian distributor and things went from there.
Max, whose firm employs a general manager and several staff, says he never saw himself working for someone else: “Trouble these days is you apply for an entry level job but employers want you to have experience. I didn’t want to stand in that line and see what happens.”
Having lived in Europe for a large chunk of his life until his family’s permanent move to Australia when he was 17, he appreciates the pace of life though didn’t initially: “In Europe it’s a lot busier. I resented the Gold Coast for being a bit slow. Now I kind of appreciate that. I appreciate I don’t have to stand in traffic everyday.
“I’m fortunate to do something so interesting to me. If someone said ‘Do this or be a lawyer and make a lot more money’ I don’t think I could give it up.”
He is proud of Caffe Vergnano capsules being compostable and environmentally friendly while the underwater hotel projects can be developed in tandem with research facilities and coral reef regeneration.
“It’s not like I chose these businesses because of environmental consciousness but I’m fortunate enough to work with people where the environment is important to them and so is social responsibility.”
WILL NIKIFORIDES, 28
Title/Business interests: Niecon Developments, developer
Motto: Where there is a Will, there is a way
When Will Nikiforides finished his schooling at first St Kevin’s and then The Southport School the plan was to get into medicine.
He completed a biomedical science degree at Griffith University.
“I was going to be a doctor – then I finished and I started to work with my dad at Niecon Developments on Oracle at Broadbeach and I fell in love with the business.”
Other projects included Nirvana at Kirra and Reflections at Coolangatta.
“It was challenging and exciting, keeps you on your toes. And there is an element of risk about it that is exhilarating and motivating.”
More study beckoned but this time in a different direction – he did a Masters in Urban Development and Sustainability at Bond University, finishing in the middle of 2009.
During the award-winning Oracle towers project, he shadowed his dad Con as junior development manager.
In other roles, Will has recently been a consultant on a two-stage 160-unit apartment building on the Gold Coast plus a 100-lot land development.
He’s comfortable handling projects worth tens of millions of dollars and deals with the risks by continually moving forward: “I just keep going and do the next thing – whatever the next thing that is important to do. Don’t get stuck – you just have to keep moving, do the next job, roll with the punches.”
Asked about lessons he learned from his dad, he says: “Think things through and then act, act, act on what you have thought through. You don’t want to be stagnant. That’s worse than whether you make the right or wrong decision.”
Will works closely with his younger brothers John, 27, and James, 26, in pursuit of having their own successful “fully-fledged development company” and in keeping with his medical training hopes to one day develop a hospital project.
“We’re always aiming to make the community better when we get into a project, aiming to make the place better than what it was.
“We have a small project up and coming, with more on the cards, it’s a family business. It’s as if my brothers and I were born on a building site.”
His advice to others?
“Work smart and hard, see your vision for yourself and the business, set achievable goals to reach the vision, plan to reach the goals, and action the plan – remember making a decision is always better than indecision.”
ZAC POTTER, 21
Title/Business interests: Project manager at the Potter Group, project managing two motel developments in Toowoomba, luxury beachfront development in Yamba
Motto: Small sacrifices now pay off in the big picture
He grew up on blue-chip Hedges Avenue, attended prestigious private education institutions like TSS and Bond University, and at age 21 his first real job is in a sweet spot at his dad’s company.
But don’t hate Zac Potter — this millionaire millennial is working hard for his money.
Despite growing up learning first-hand from father John Potter, the veteran developer and former Villa World head, Zac says his career path hasn’t been as straightforward as it appears.
“I never really thought I would be following in Dad’s footsteps,” he says.
“I admired what he did but I thought I would take a different path. But then suddenly I was done with high school and it was time to choose a course at university — and strangely the thing that appealed most was a Bachelor of Property Development.”
Zac says even his role as project manager at the Potter Group was not one he chased.
But less than a year into it, he now can’t see himself leaving anytime soon.
“I was starting to look for jobs before I graduated but my dad just said to come work for him for a year because I’d get so much more exposure.
“He was right. I’m currently project managing the development of two motels in Toowoomba and then I’ve got a luxury beachfront development to oversee in Yamba.
“I know I never would have got this sort of opportunity so soon anywhere else so I’m just soaking in everything I can. I may have got to this point quickly but I’m not going to waste it.
“I won’t be leaving after a year either, now that I’m attached to these projects I want to see them through.”
But Zac says he won’t be at his father’s company forever.
“In five years I’ll be running my own development company, specialising in residential units. And that’s probably exactly what my father would have done too.”
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