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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1159085
SEPTEMBER 2019 BCBUSINESS 61 J im Bussey is making up for his misspent youth. The Victoria native got a bachelor's degree in philoso- phy and history from UVic in 1980, followed by a master of architecture at UBC. He's hung around Vancouver ever since, establishing himself profes- sionally by working for other people and then starting an architecture firm with a part- ner in 1988. Now full propri- etor, he says, "My career's been wonderful, but I kind of missed out on a lot of that sort of fun stuff—and then jumping in late in life, felt like I was making up for something." What he's jumped into is high-speed motorcycle racing and water-skiing. Growing up, Bussey was "only marginally" interested in water sports. He did some sailing, tried a bit of canoeing and loved swimming, but he didn't discover water- skiing until about 10 years ago at an all-inclusive Club Med in Cancun. He gave the sport a try, and "it was one of those things I couldn't get enough of," he recalls. Finding the learning curve steep, he wore himself out struggling to get up before eventually managing to stay upright. After several more Up to Speed Formwerks Architectural owner Jim Bussey discovered a passion for water-skiing late in life by Felicity Stone W E E K E N D WA R R IOR ( quality time ) WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT Best-known for its single-family houses, Vancouver-based Form- werks Architectural also designs multifamily and infill projects for its Formwerks Boutique Properties divi- sion and other developers. The full-service firm, which has about 40 staff, offers interior and landscape design, and heritage restoration, too. Current projects include designing a 32,000-square-foot house in Vancouver and, through Formwerks Boutique Properties, designing and developing 115 townhomes in Coquitlam. "Some might be bigger, some might be more fashionable, others might be more intense as far as a city approvals project goes," says principal Jim Bussey. "But they're all interesting because it's a personal connection to the client that is very satisfying to me." –F.S. O FF T H E C LO C K WATER SPORT Bussey slalom skis off Keats Island, where he has a beach house KASSANDRA UTZINGER