Sarah Fullbrook

180 kilometres off the southeastern coast of China, the island state of Taiwan is the perfect jumping-off point for an Asian-inspired holiday. Accessible via direct flights from Vancouver, the capital city of Taipei showcases a split personality of the best kind—one part of the city features dizzyingly busy streets filled...

GREETINGS Handshakes are expected, but at a first meeting it is common for Taiwanese associates to first acknowledge each other by offering a slight nod or bow of the head. GENEROSITY PAYS It is customary to give gifts at a first meeting, but if you decide to pass out favours, be...

NAME GAME When first addressing someone, use only the last name until told otherwise. Practise the pronunciation of business associates’ names before meeting them in order to avoid embarrassment for both parties. BE SELECTIVE Don’t pepper everyone present with one of your business cards; instead, offer one only to whoever is...

An artist rendering of what Seylynn Village will look like when all three buildings are complete.By 2015 the first of the three new buildings making up Seylynn Village will be completed. An artists rendering of Seylynn Village's Beacon building development.By 2015 the first of the three new buildings making up...

The inability to afford single-family detached homes in the Fraser Valley is not simply a problem for young families struggling to get started, but is also increasingly becoming a concern for the region’s Baby Boomer population. A survey released today by Colliers International found that many Boomers are looking to downgrade...

Seven years after founding Sotheby’s International Realty Canada in Vancouver, president and CEO Ross McCredie found himself at a crossroads: “What I recognized is that we had grown quite a bit and I wasn’t going to be able to take it on my own to what we believed we were...

TITLES Showing respect is key in Mexican culture and courtesy titles such as Señor (Mr.) and Señora (Ms.) should always be used when addressing business partners. First names are generally reserved for family and close friends—you shouldn’t use them unless invited to do so.SHAKE ON IT Handshakes are common and...

This morning Deloitte offered a preview of its quarterly Crane Survey, due out by the end of May, which examines major construction and development projects in greater Vancouver. The survey considers the affect of residential development along with retail, office and industrial space as well as infrastructure projects and community...

The Vancouver Airport Authority’s Annual Public Meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon, where the organization will discuss the results of the 2012 Annual and Sustainability Report. YVR maintained its place as Canada’s second busiest airport in 2012, seeing 17.6 million passengers—a 3.5 per cent increase over 2011, although it did not...

This morning the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA) unveiled a series of new automated kiosks, which will act as an expedited customers entry process for travellers coming from the Vancouver International airport to destinations in the U.S. In a partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, YVR’s Automated Passport Control system is...

“I used to hate gin,” says Hornby Island-based Island Spirits Distillery Corp. owner Pete Kimmerly with a laugh. Not a comment you’d expect from the owner of a gin-producing distillery, but then again the 61-year-old ex-icebreaker captain is full of surprises. After working for 18 years as the captain of...

The Vancouver downtown skyline is changing—and fast. With highrises like the 29-storey residential tower on Beach Avenue and the 63-storey hotel and residential building at 1151 West Georgia Street already approved, development is surging upwards with no sign of slowing down. Immigration is on the rise, American retailers are moving...