Peter Severinson

The problem with people is that, unlike coal or wood chips, they can’t simply be trucked around at the whims of supply and demand. But on June 25, a block of staff-hungry B.C. employers dispatched their recruiters to the Prince George Civic Centre to do their best. An estimated 3,000...

Looking at Paul Taylor’s career, it’s clear the man is not interested in easy jobs. He managed 9,500 volunteers for the 1988 Calgary Olympics, worked in the Alberta treasury during Ralph Klein’s budget-balancing shakeups and held an executive job with Alberta power giant TransAlta Corp.

Chat with him about his career, and he explains one move after another with a simple phrase: “I’m a builder.”He’s president and CEO of Concert Properties Ltd., a development company he built with Jack Poole, who serves as chair of...

“Then they realized I had some sort of talent,” he says, “but they weren’t sure what the hell to do with me.” Burchett, 60, is one of the world’s premier makers of industrial models of tugboats. He builds them out of fibreglass, aluminum and stainless steel for naval architects who want...

When two companies have been bitter rivals – competing in the markets and clashing in the courts – how do they forgive, forget and hold hands? Burnaby-based biotechs Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. (TKM-T) and Protiva Biotherapeutics Inc. have played out a fierce family drama in recent years. Protiva was spun out of...

Different players cite different reasons for the discrepancy: manufacturers say it’s because Canada’s smaller market isn’t as profitable as that of the U.S., while critics maintain manufacturers charge more in Canada simply because they can. Last summer, thanks largely to...

Here's a gem of an ad from VANOC, and, man, does it say a lot about the organization. The ad features a crowd of be-merchandised, cheering fans with a mannequin in their midst, clothed in obviously-fake Olympic swag. The caption...

Single mom Claudia Segovia started her home business selling hand-sewn dolls to help pay for her son’s $800-a-month speech therapy. When the market of family and friends had been tapped, she decided to buy table space at a major yearly craft market. She needed a mere $1,200 – but where does a woman with no credit history go for a business loan?

Toronto native Andrew Seymour arguably landed a pretty sweet job when he took the GM duties off the plate of Canadians president Andy Dunn in January: the Canadians have growing ticket sales, a spruced-up stadium and energetic local owners willing to spend some cash. But leaving the U.S. was no small...

Nine major developers are using top-grade golf courses to sell top-dollar homes. Bear Mountain Resort Developer: Len Barrie Location: Victoria Golf course: Two 7,000-yard courses designed by Jack Nicklaus Membership cost: $35,000 plus $375 in monthly dues Real estate: 1,112 house lots, 220 townhouses, 1,997 condos Real-estate cost: House lots, $260,000 to $1.7 million; townhouses, $700,000 to $1.6 million; condos, $189,000 to $1.8 million Course opens: The first course opened in 2003; the second opens in 2009...

When Theo Wong and a friend wanted to meet more people around Vancouver who shared their love of talking stocks, they simply logged on to their preferred social-networking website and set something up. Hardly earth-shattering stuff: these days, it takes mere minutes to find dozens of investment discussion groups in B.C. using such sites as Craigslist, Facebook or Meetup. But yawn-inspiring as most of the groups may seem, market regulators sense danger.

BC Hydro is calling on yet another alt-energy sector to add its weight to the B.C. power grid with a recent call for bioenergy. It’s a good signal for the B.C. tech companies coaxing megawatts from wood chips and other organic waste, but it’s a fairly minor boost for a sector already doing big things outside the country.