September 2017

In this issue
There are a couple of time-honoured strategies for dealing with business partners, clients and the public. One is to treat others with respect, expecting to be treated the same way in return. Another is to establish your authority via displays of dominance. There is no doubt which approach Nina Durante favours. As founder of the Social Graces International Etiquette consultancy...
Few business folk point out how their labour adds nothing directly to their company’s bottom line. But driven by a “boorish, unapologetic exploration and celebration of all things creative,” Mark Busse is unequivocal about the merits of his year-old position as director of creativity and engagement at HCMA Architecture + Design. “I’m not a profitable endeavour for HCMA—I bring them...
Classic rock blares from the wheelhouse radio. Skipper Quincy Sample layers on fibreglass in a waist-deep cockpit at the stern of his boat, making repairs to the 42-foot vessel in anticipation of a commercial salmon fishery opening in June. Gulls squawk as the guy lines of sailboats moored nearby sing in the breeze.Sample, 43, was born in Saskatoon but raised...
I have been gardening with my children since 2007. They range from age seven through age 11. I think it’s important for the kids to know where food comes from, to understand that they can grow their own, and what it means to build something and grow something.My grandma was a farmer in Richmond. Our house was down the street.
Coast Hotels is adding a fourth Okanagan location to its existing properties in Kelowna, Penticton and Osoyoos. The B.C.-headquartered company plans to start construction of the 80-room Coast Oliver in October, with an opening planned for May. Outdoor gear supplier Mountain Equipment Co-op has launched Good Times Outside, a website that helps city dwellers find outdoor activities near urban centres, along with advice...
During the provincial election campaign in May, the NDP promised to phase in a minimum wage of $15 an hour for general workers. In July, to find out what B.C. residents think about that, Mustel Group asked 300 of them: Should the minimum wage be increased to $15 an hour in B.C.? What surprised principal Evi Mustel was the number...
COMPANY: Joseph Richard Group FOUNDED: 2010 OWNER(S): André (Joseph) Bourque and Ryan (Richard) Moreno RESTO-PUBS: 13 (including two Alberta locations) EMPLOYEES (APPROX.): 750 VIBE: New meets old with retrofits of character rooms JOINT WE DIG: Oceanside Yacht Club & Public House, White Rock POPULAR BEVERAGE(S): Watermelon mojito POPULAR DISH(ES): Lettuce wraps CELEBRITY GUESTS: Natalie Langston, Mijune Pak, Nathalie Rees COMPANY: Donnelly Group FOUNDED: 1999 OWNER(S): Jeff Donnelly and operating partners RESTO-PUBS: 12 (including...
That’s how many Canadian businesses are subject to reporting requirements under federal laws against money laundering. They include banks, accounting firms and the fast-growing fintech industry, the main focus of companies in the emerging regulation technology sector—like Vancouver’s Trulioo, whose identity verification systems help businesses prove they aren’t helping hide dirty money. But after Postmedia Network Inc. revealed that more...
Eric Jordan expected to be debt-ridden and unemployable when he graduated from UVic with a fine arts degree, specializing in painting, in 1993. Instead, he co-founded an enterprise software company, PureEdge Solutions Inc., which sold to IBM Corp. 12 years later. Jordan joined founders David Whittaker and Justin Stocks as a partner in Victoria-based Codename Entertainment Inc. in 2012. This...
Dean Turner noticed that more people were buying bedding plants this spring at his Ace Hardware store in Tumbler Ridge. With more than 100 departments, including lumber, major appliances, toys, pet supplies, health and beauty, and ammunition, the shop is an economic barometer for the northeastern town. “Those are little indications,” Turner says. “As silly as it may sound, it’s...