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What Was the Scariest Moment of Your Career?

By BCBusiness /

GREGORY BOROWSKI, principal, Merrick Architecture – Borowski Lintott Sakumoto Fligg Ltd.


“Our office was a contender for the design of a museum. Everything would be interactive, virtual reality, state of the art. We prepared with all the appropriate high-tech visuals. The client would be dazzled with our media-savvy approach. As I launched into the presentation, our PowerPoint melted down completely. With no visuals, I continued to describe how incredible and futuristic the museum would be. Needless to say, we 
were not successful.”

LORI JOYCE, co-owner, Cupcakes by Heather and Lori
“Recessions are scary and we just experienced our first. All of our bakeries are in high-premium rent locations; when averaging $100 a square foot, you have to sell a lot of cupcakes, and with spending and tourism down it was very scary. The positive experience from the recession, though, was it forced you to really evaluate the business and take it back to the fundamentals.”

JOHN MCKEARNEY, fire chief, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services


“One night we responded to a fire on West Fourth Avenue when a colleague stepped onto the roof and plummeted directly into the flames. We scrambled inside; seconds seemed like minutes and I felt I was failing when it counted most. Then the radio blasted out orders from the chief to evacuate; Lieutenant Gill had been rescued. The helplessness I felt that night when my friend and colleague was lost was the scariest moment of my career.”