BCBusiness

10 BCBUSINESS APRIL 2019 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG O ne of our favourite tasks here at BCBusiness is choosing the 30 Under 30. OK, the selection process itself can be agonizing—every year we receive many excellent nominations, and there's plenty of debate as the editors narrow them down to the winning group. But the 30 Under 30 competition is a pleasure, for several reasons. For starters, we get to interview and meet the winners, who are always an impressive bunch. As innovators, leaders and decision makers with a head start on their peers, these young women and men will help shape our province's business future. Second, we have an opportu- nity to show that B.C. entrepreneurship knows no bounds when it comes to gender and eth- nicity, this year highlighted by the 18 females on the list. Third, by and large, these are kind and civic-minded people who see business as more than a way to make money. In the sixth annual 30 Under 30 (p.22), you'll meet forward-thinking dig- ital marketers, the CEO of a tech startup that could help millions sleep better and the 24-year-old developer of a wildly popular messaging app. But you'll also hear from the owners of an overland adventure travel out‹it, an electrical company, and a restaurant and hotel. Joining them are a workplace diversity and inclusion consultant, makers of sus- tainable women's fashions and the head of a business improvement association for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. As the 30 Under 30 celebrate their success, the 2019 Ernst & Young Entre- preneur Of The Year competition for the Paci–c Region is accepting nominations until April 22. A proud long-time spon- sor of EOY, we will pro–le the winners and runners-up in our October issue. Best of luck to all of the contenders, and we hope to see you at the annual EOY gala on October 3. Competition and cooperation are the themes of "The Promised Land" (p.40), contributor Ng Weng Hoong's intriguing look at the recent push to build research, investment and trade ties between B.C. and Israel. By talking to key players from gov- ernment and industry in both places, Ng shows that an infusion of Israeli ingenuity could give the province—which, like the rest of Canada, has fallen behind on R&D spending—a much-needed boost. While this eŸort gathers steam, a growing number of talented young expats from Israel are moving to the Vancouver area. Their choice to make a home here is a win for B.C. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) From automation to recruiting to your daily commute, we peer into the future of work in B.C. I N M AY Youth Movement C ON T R I B U T OR S Amid teaching, authoring a book and speechwriting, former BCBusiness editor-in-chief Matt O'Grady squeezed in his new column, It's a Good Thing (p.62). "I'm excited to be writing about people and businesses making a difference—those trying to find a new paradigm for profit- oriented enterprise," O'Grady says. "Making money and solving the world's social and environmental problems doesn't have to be a zero-sum game." Suharu Ogawa moved from Japan to the U.S. in 2000 as a university student. In 2011 she relocated to Toronto and became an illustrator. Not knowing much English slang, when she received the manuscript for Guy Saddy's latest Pot Shots column ("Doobie Brothers," p.19), "The first thing I did was to ask my beloved Google, 'What's Doobie Brothers got to do with pot?'" Ogawa says. "I learn something new every day."

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