Jean-Francois de Clermont-Tonnerre, a financier based in the UK and France, has become one of the leading Canadian property developers, creating some of the fastest growing communities in the country after taking a risk and founding Storm Mountain Development Corp in the wake of the financial crisis.

"I have been to dozens of countries in every corner of the world but the natural beauty that is on show in British Columbia is without doubt the most awe-inspiring I have ever seen," Clermont-Tonnerre says.

Following the 2008 financial crisis, housing markets around the world crashed and even leading fund managers such as Clermont-Tonnerre saw their portfolios struggle. Rather than taking a heavy loss on his investments, he decided to convince investors to double down and invest more to form Storm Mountain Development Corp and develop the plots themselves.

Jean-Francois de Clermont-Tonnerre said: "I approached the investor group and managed to convince them to inject a further C$15 million."

And in 2010, Storm Mountain Development Corporation was formed, with Clermont-Tonnerre remaining as a key advisor. When it was founded, all of the investors were guaranteed a 12% return on their new investment and would hopefully recover more of their initial investment if the development worked.

A very bold and risky move from Clermont-Tonnerre but it has proven to be a stroke of genius.

With a number of projects in development, the biggest project remains The Foothills near Lantzville, a coastal community on the east side of Vancouver Island. The first phase was launched in April 2017 and 51 lots were sold on the first day they were offered. Later, within the following three months the rest were sold, generating over C$24 million in gross sales revenue and creating a great new community.

Clermont-Tonnerre emphasizes the big demand on these properties because they are in a beautiful part of the world. Earlier in the year another 26 new lots on the 1,800-acre site were released and once again they are selling well. Consequently, most of the investors have recouped their money and can now look forward to considerable profits in the coming years.

Due to the success Clermont-Tonnerre, along with Storm Mountain CEO Allard Ockeloen, are already taking calls from big developers wanting to partner with the company to complete the remaining phases at The Foothills. The total value of the project is now upwards of C$200 million leaving all the loyal investors with the idea that the strategy of doubling down on the original investment was the right move.

"By taking on the risk of developing this project ourselves, our investors have avoided a fire sale and we have created a great new community in British Columbia," Clermont-Tonnerre says.

Clermont-Tonnerre's brave move has also created a legacy: one of the planning requirements to get The Foothill development built was that it had to include a public park which Storm Mountain will provide. Once finished the park it will be nearly 900 acres in size. As ` tribute to Jean Fran ois de Clermont-Tonnerre for making a huge impact to this community, areas of the property will be named after his family.

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