Work Hard, Play Hard

Bobby Genovese

It makes sense that Bobby Genovese, the founder and owner of BG Capital Group known as the North American version of Richard Branson, would aspire as a child to be an all-around winner. Both his father and grandfather rose to the rank of champions in golf and football back in his homeland of Canada. “I grew up on a farm where I rode horses. So when I got invited to a polo match in Palm Beach, I thought to myself, I can play this game,” Bobby professes, never shamed by his humble beginnings. To simply play the game wasn’t enough for this self-professed adventure capitalist, who skies, flies planes, and is an avid rock climber. Today Genovese, owner of Vancouver International Polo Team, is also the proud winner of the Canadian Open.

Despite the vast business obligations that his growing fortune requires, polo is an imperative part of life for this entrepreneur, who founded his first company at the age of 25 with only a ninth-grade education. “You have to have a lot of passion for something that results in a $199 winner’s trophy after a $3 million-plus investment in horses, players, etc.” Taking risks is, after all, the very element that helped Genovese succeed in the first place. Part of BG Capital Group’s investment strategy includes a myriad of specialized—and at times unusual—opportunities. One of them, the Neptune Memorial Reef, an underwater memorial garden for cremated remains off the coast of Florida, is the largest man-made reef in the world. With a new office opening every six weeks, Genovese credits the discipline and group effort he exemplifies out on the polo field for his professional success. “Like in business, you can’t win in polo if you don’t put together the ultimate team,” he says. Despite the game’s surprisingly high mortality rate, Genovese has no intentions of slowing down. “I think only car racing is more dangerous. Polo is a gentleman’s game, and I plan to keep on winning.”