Jessica Barrett

As the first person in five generations of her family to be born outside of New York City, Alexandra Samuel always figured her career ambitions would lead her to a life in the Big Apple. But 17 years ago, the then-Toronto-based technology researcher and writer followed her now-husband to Vancouver. With...

Two or three decades ago, the personnel departments of many organizations were decidedly impersonal. Or at least that’s how Cissy Pau remembers it. When she graduated with a degree in business administration from UBC in 1995, the days of managing the workforce with a tight, paternalistic grip were still fresh...

As vice-president, director and portfolio manager at Odlum Brown, and with spots on the boards of BC Lotteries and the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, Christina Anthony’s resumé alone commands attention. But it is her work as chair of the non-profit Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, which she founded in 2002, that...

From the Northern Gateway pipeline to the Site C dam, doing business in some of B.C.’s—and Canada’s—most lucrative sectors means navigating the murky legal framework governing aboriginal territories, not to mention the more opaque waters of cultural relations. Yet while the intersection of business and First Nations’ interests is an undeniable...

Winding up chief fundraiser and partner in an Internet startup wasn’t exactly what Paul Summerville had in mind when he turned up at a mentoring event for graduate students at the University of Victoria’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business two and a half years ago. But then that’s the...

Among the artwork hung in Robert Helsley’s office at the Sauder School of Business is a prominently displayed panorama of the Vancouver skyline at dusk. The painting’s image of Yaletown’s twinkling towers reflected in False Creek is nearly as arresting as the brilliant sunshine bathing the UBC campus outside Helsley’s...

Dreams of an alternative economy live on with a do-it-yourself currency. Jordan Bober doesn’t wear a suit, have the backing of national banks or command the ear of the nation. In fact, rolling up to a Commercial Drive café on his bicycle, the 29-year-old bears little, if any, resemblance to Mark Carney or Ben Bernanke. Bober does have one thing in common with those men, however: they’re all in the business of printing money.

One glimpse of Michael Fergusson and it’s obvious the CEO didn’t take the well-worn path to becoming top dog at his own business, Ayogo Games Inc. Even in the ultra-casual world of high-tech Gastown startups, Fergusson’s dreadlocked mane and pearl-buttoned...

Abbotsford International Airport general manager Mike Pastro seized the opportunity to expand YXX from a minor regional player to an international gateway. If you were alive and conscious on September 11, 2001, chances are you know exactly where you were and what you were doing. Now, just imagine if you were managing operations at an airport on that fateful day.

From the moment the house lights dim, casting a hush over the matinee crowd, the Cuban National Ballet has us eating out of the palm of its hand. A few gasps punctuate the orchestra’s swell as the prima ballerina appears...

A government program opens up university research labs to help new businesses find their way to market. Cadmar Larson is the first to admit it: he doesn’t know a thing about electronics. He sure does know hockey, though. A father of seven, Larson has logged a lot of rink time shepherding his flock through hockey practice at North Vancouver’s Karen Magnussen Community Recreation Centre. In the process, the part-time Vancouver schoolteacher was inspired to develop a unique treadmill designed to improve...

As the top five companies in hospitality and tourism can attest, training employees well is an investment in 
company culture. A dedicated team committed to excellent customer service is the best line of defence against the ups and downs – both seasonal and economic – facing the tourism and hospitality industry. But when there’s no work to be had at all for four months of the year, retaining a loyal employee roster can be a daunting challenge.