Age 39
Fifteen years ago, Harpreet Singh was working out of his car with a wireless printer. Potential clients often gave him the side-eye when he handed them business cards with his home address. Today, his company, AMRIK Developments, a multi-service real estate firm, has facilitated over$180 million in sales.
Singh credits his hard work and persistence to his parents, who are immigrants from India. His dad would often bring Singh, the eldest, along to jobs to help with translation. “My mom wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, and that’s kind of Sikh protocol,” Singh says. “If you don’t follow it, you’re in trouble.” However, once he saved enough money to flip his first condo, Singh was hooked on working in real estate.
One of the biggest challenges he continues to face is how difficult it is to be taken seriously in an old boys’ club. AMRIK continues to attract bigger projects, and it helps its smaller builders grow with it. Singh shares how one builder was at only five homes a year, but AMRIK helped that business grow to 40 builds a year. “When the guy shakes your hand and gives you a hug, it means so much because you’ve helped them change their path,” he explains.
Despite all his success, Singh lists his daughter as his greatest accomplishment. “I’m more productive now at work so I can spend a lot of time with her. It’s an accomplishment because I look at her and say, ‘You’re the teacher, you’re our future.’” He promises not to bring her to work as often as his father took him.
This article appears in the November 2021 issue of Edify
