Proving a family business can fuel innovation and reinvest locally
Age: 34
Job Title: Chief Executive Officer of Sapphira Developments
Sukhwinder Johal’s childhood didn’t smell like crayons or glue sticks — it smelled like sweet, sticky soda syrup. His father, an immigrant from Punjab, ran Quasar Bottle Depot in downtown Edmonton, and Johal much preferred weaving between towers of cans to sitting in daycare. Between the bins, the staff and the occasional Happy Meal, Johal discovered not only the family business but also a way of seeing community.
Today, he’s the owner of four bottle depots in Edmonton and another in Maskwacis. “I saw how hard my parents worked as immigrants coming to Canada, and I wanted to keep that alive,” says the CEO of Sapphira Developments, a holding company for his depots and commercial real estate investments.
As the youngest person ever to serve as treasurer of the Alberta Bottle Depot Association, representing 215 independent depots, he’s committed to supporting those who work for these small, often family-run businesses. “We’re seeing a second generation come in, and we’re interested in improving the customer experience,” he says. Johal’s own depots were the first in Alberta to integrate Tomra, a state-of-the-art machine that delivers faster, more accurate counts — easing the workload for staff and wait times for customers.
For Johal, honesty, humility and integrity guide every venture, and he measures success in impact. His team organizes over 500 bottle drives every year, funneling the proceeds back into the community to help kids pursue their passions — whether in sports, dance, music or other interests. “Edmonton has given me so much,” he says. “I just want to give back and invest in Edmonton.”
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
