For Rick Filipovic, business isn’t just about building companies. It’s about building people, communities and legacies. From immigrant roots to corporate leadership and community impact, Rick’s story proves that the strongest brands are built on unshakeable values.
Roots and Rhythm
Rick grew up in a Croatian household where culture and discipline were at the centre of daily life. His parents, who escaped Communism in the 1950s, worked hard to give their children better opportunities. English was off-limits in the home, weekends revolved around folklore, music and soccer and trips back to Croatia every few years kept the family rooted.
Those fundamentals shaped who he is today— making do with what you have, learning practical skills and being part of a close-knit community. It’s also why he’s determined to pass those same tools on to his kids, even though their lives look very different from his own upbringing.
At just eight years old, he joined Croatian folk dancing, later picked up string instruments and eventually spent 35 years playing in a wedding band across Western Canada and the U.S. He also threw himself into sports, competing in junior national volleyball, playing hockey for 20 years and studying martial arts for two decades. Whether in music, athletics or business, Rick has always chased growth and balance—a philosophy he captures with the yin-yang tattoo on his arm, a reminder to keep life in harmony.
Trial by Fire
Rick’s business career began almost by accident. After marrying into a family with a successful engineering firm, he found himself managing massive crane projects around the world, including military contracts with the U.S. Navy.
There were wins, such as overseeing major builds for the Port of Vancouver. But there were also near-disasters. In one instance, a financial misstep nearly bankrupted his company. Another time, a safety lapse that could have cost lives—an incident that still haunts him and fundamentally changed how he approached workplace safety forever after.
“Every mistake you could make in business, I made,” he reflects. “But that’s where you really learn. You don’t forget the hard lessons.”
After years of manufacturing, including starting his own facility in Vancouver, Rick eventually moved back to Calgary, shifting into leadership roles with major oilfield and drilling companies. Along the way, he pursued his MBA, deepened his leadership skills and learned the importance of process, culture and emotional intelligence within a business.
A New Mission
By 2021, Rick had built a successful career, but he was searching for something more meaningful. Then a chance meeting with a neighbour changed his path. Together, they launched Elevated Abilities, a Calgary-based company providing therapy and support services for children with disabilities. What began as a leap of faith quickly grew to 52 employees serving 200 families.
While the business itself is demanding, Rick says the work is deeply rewarding—and for good reasons: navigating government funding, recruiting specialized therapists and managing complex care plans requires constant attention. One family’s son, nonverbal and struggling with severe behavioural challenges, made his first real breakthrough after months of therapy. Watching the parents cry tears of relief reminded Rick why he’d made the shift. “We don’t realise how fortunate we are to have our health and for our kids to be healthy,” Rick says. “It feels good to give something back.”
“If people feel listened to, respected and part of something bigger, they’ll give everything they’ve got—not because you asked, but because they want to.”
The Brand of a Life Well-Lived
Ask Rick what defines his personal brand and he’ll tell you: integrity and respect. For him, leadership isn’t about barking orders from the top. It’s about building cultures where people feel valued, trusted and motivated to give their best.
“I’m a culture builder,” he says. “If people feel listened to, respected and part of something bigger, they’ll give everything they’ve got—not because you asked, but because they want to.”
Rick’s definition of success isn’t measured only in profits. It’s about legacy: raising sons who live by his values, leaving behind stronger communities and being remembered as someone who helped others along the way.
“I don’t need to be a billionaire,” he says. “If people can say, ‘Rick was a good guy, he helped me, he made me laugh’—that’s enough for me.”
As Elevated Abilities continues to grow, Rick is already thinking about the next chapter: expanding services, mentoring the next generation of therapists and perhaps even franchising the model to help more families across Canada. For a man who’s spent his life building, the work is far from finished.
That is the true measure of a brand.
