As founder and CEO of Dallas-based Corbet Design + Build, Bryan Garvey has been a driving force behind a number of North Texas real estate projects, including Hendrick Volkswagen Frisco, the country’s largest VW dealership. In a more literal way, he also has been a driving force behind the wheel—as an international off-road racer.
This past April, Garvey competed in the prestigious Cortez Rally and NORRA Mexican 1000, where he finished third in his class and 21st out of 147 competitors overall. A few months before that, he competed in the Dakar Rally in South America. Known as one of the most grueling motorsport events in the world, the 14-day race takes drivers through rugged terrain in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. Throughout the race, temperatures varied wildly, swinging from well below freezing in the mountain passes to more than 120 degrees in the Argentinian highlands.
“The experience of it all—it’s big, it’s emotional,” Garvey says. “You’re pushing yourself so hard that you’re just on the edge of breaking all the time.”
At one point, Garvey and his co-driver were forced to dig their way out of a deep pile of dirt, after their car flipped upside down in an embankment. But obstacles like these don’t slow him down, says Garvey, who sees a lot of parallels between his passion and his career: “It’s a hobby that requires many of the same skills needed in the industry—perseverance, resilience, patience, and teamwork.”
