Industries
In the 1990s, Gail Winkelmann became co-owner of a commercial and residential garbage disposal business in Surrey. The client list, which included construction companies, grew steadily during the first two years, generating enough work to lease five trucks and hire...
The CEO is feeling a little rattled. It’s his first business trip to Japan and he must impress potential customers, which means demonstrating some newly acquired cultural know-how. At first things go well. He bows in accordance with traditional etiquette...
It’s 35 degrees Celsius in Accra on a February afternoon and former Conservative Prime Minister Joe Clark looks comfortable, despite wearing a business suit and tie in the sweltering West African heat. A frequent ¬visitor to the capital of Ghana, Clark isn’t breaking a sweat. His B.C.-based company, Clark Sustainable...
After White Rock's Official Community Plan, and its barring of any development of over nine storeys, expired, residents led by Jean Kromm fought the planned development of a 25 storey condo building till exhaustion with no avail. So why did they fail to prevent the paving of their paradise?
For years, B.C.’s biotech sector has rested on the claim that it has spawned two local giants. But the boast is wearing thin. Does B.C. have what it takes to become the next Bay Area, or will we forever be the farm team for big pharmaceuticals eager to pluck the next great drug discovery and stay stuck in an incubation period? BCBusiness sat down with a round table to discuss.
B.C. is unique in Canada with its relationship with aboriginal people. It has the largest number of distinct groups, yet the smallest percentage of land subject to treaty negotiations. While the province and aboriginal groups argue over who has the right to control the territory, private companies seeking access to natural resources are landlocked in the middle of a fight that is not their own.
A 2004 essay titled "The Death of Environmentalism" has shifted the rhetoric between activists, industry and government, from dispute to dialogue. Problem: Opposing views become entrenched, resulting in a decades-long stalemate Solution: Break out of your rut to redefine the terms of the debate
I’m shuffling nervously before a small desk while a wiry, white-coated jeweller examines the contents of my spent champagne glass. Through the optical loupe screwed into his eye socket, he has already scrutinized dozens of fake diamonds, clasping the gems...
The Dark Horse of the Year award goes to Aspreva Pharmaceuticals. This young biotech broke through the gate to not only crack the Top 100 public companies list just four years after its inception, but also claim bragging rights as the only biotech in B.C. to record a profit in 2005.
Problem: The decimation of B.C.’s $19-billion forest industry by the mountain pine beetle. Solution: A three-pronged approach that tries to help the trees, the lumber and the communities at stake. In a world trained by half-hour television drama solutions and B-school case...