BCBusiness

PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG 14 BCBUSINESS JULY/AUGUST 2019 I haven't been in the job three years, but around the time you read this, BCBusiness will have celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Top 100 networking luncheon. Past guest speakers at the annual gathering are a who's who of the province's business lead- ers—among them Jimmy Pattison, skilfully ren- dered on page 76 by Richard Littlemore. At this year's event, we were honoured to host another legend, Boston Pizza International owner and Dragons' Den judge Jim Treliving. The Top 100 list of B.C.'s largest compa- nies by revenue predates our shindig. But to help mark this milestone, we looked back at the ranking over the past three decades, iden- tifying the 20 biggest businesses at ‡ve-year intervals. Besides Jim Pattison Group, several names kept popping up, among them Finning International, West Fraser Timber, WorkSafeBC and what is now Telus. You'll ‡nd the latest list and pro‡les of those Top 100 all-stars, which represent the B.C. economy in all its breadth, starting on page 53. As always, the Top 100 feature is a group e'ort. We couldn't do it without researcher Peter Mitham, who patiently compiles the ranking, and ‡elds our annoying queries, year after year. Thanks, Peter, and please join us again for the 2020 edition. For this issue, I was equally lucky to work with Frances Bula, whose portrait of Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum (p.32) raises impor- tant questions about the future of B.C.'s second-largest city. To some, McCallum is a strong leader who gets things done; to others, he's an auto- crat who could hold Surrey back. Either way, what will he do? Powell River can't match Surrey in size, but the Sunshine Coast city two ferries away from the Lower Main- land is a contender. In "The Great Escape" (p.42), Fiona Morrow visits to ‡nd out why growing numbers of young and entrepreneurial British Columbians are making it their home. I'm a fan of Powell River, whose Townsite district has become a pit stop for me on kayaking trips to nearby Desola- tion Sound. Here's hoping it becomes a destina- tion for more investment, too. Speaking of Desolation Sound, a few sum- mers ago I found myself paddling out of it in a thick haze of smoke from the province's blaz- ing forests. On page 94 ("Burning Questions"), Andrew Findlay asks foresters and scientists how we can help spare our woods from the ravages of climate change. I think you'd agree that wild‡re season is one annual tradition we can do without. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) How B.C. women are fighting discrimination to break into the trades I N S E P T E M B E R Pushing 30 C ON T R I B U T OR S Veteran Vancouver business reporter Peter Mitham has been researching our Top 100 list (p.53) since 2006. Mitham says he enjoys the annual opportunity to touch base with some of B.C.'s biggest companies, and to hear their stories and perspectives on the economic state of the province. "I've communicated with some of the contacts for 20 years, making this one of my more meaningful projects each year." After the 2008 financial crash, Abbotsford-based photographer Robert Kenney launched a design/build interior renovation business. Now he's back behind the camera, too. When he shot Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum ("A Simple Plan," p.32), the two had trouble finding each other, despite being on an empty plaza early in the morning. "Other than that, it was a breeze," Kenney says. "He's obviously done it before."

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