BCBusiness

October 2019 – Making Waves

With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.

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R U N N E R - U P Aaron Chin C E O , O R G A N I K A H E A L T H P R O D U C T S n Aaron Chin never had any doubt about what he wanted to do when he grew up. His father, Thomas, founded Richmond- based Organika Health Products in 1990, and when he was in his teens, the younger Chin would walk by the sales manager's office and joke to himself that his seat was just being kept warm. "I've always known from a young age that this is something I'm passionate about and care about," says 29-year-old Chin of Organika, which produces natural health solutions. "I wouldn't be in it if I didn't think I could bring value and also build on what my dad had built." Chin earned a master of international business at France's Grenoble Graduate School of Business. Since joining Organika full-time almost six years ago (he started as a purchaser and moved up to national sales lead and VP of sales and marketing before taking over the top role), he's worked to advance its foot- ing in the marketplace. "Innovation is our bread and butter," he says, noting that Organika, which has 150 staff and three offices–two in Rich- mond and one in Scarborough, Ontario–was the first to launch a plant-based collagen and is Canada's top brand for four natural health products. –N.C. n In an era where high-end food is accessible at the touch of a finger, 950-employee Joseph Richard Group has had to pivot. But guest experience is still at the centre of the company's mission. "We've used that as a guiding principle in everything we do," stresses Ryan Moreno, who launched the restaurant chain, headquartered in his hometown of Surrey, with childhood friend André Bourque. "The chairs we sit on, the food we create, the light- ing, the washrooms, whatever. That was sort of how we started, even in the nightclub days." But things have come a long way since the two were slinging drinks and good times at the Joseph Richard Nightclub, which closed in 2017. This April, for example, they started Meal Ticket Brands, effectively opening 100 ghost restaurants (delivery-only concepts with no brick-and- mortar locations) across the Fraser Valley. "Gone are the days when you can just order pizza or Chinese food to your house; now you can pretty much order anything," says Moreno, who, in addition to the 100 new ventures, operates restaurants, pubs, liquor stores, a hotel and a winery in more than 20 locations in B.C. and Alberta. "And that pushes the envelope of where you have to be and what fits and what doesn't; you're talk- ing about the guest experience to a guest that's sitting on their couch." –N.C. charges the same for all menu items—but after nine years, he got the price up to $5.95 in 2018. And despite the low price point, the duo contends that Warehouse Group's food is on par with competitors' across the country. "We ensured that our chef did a value- driven menu that was food we could sell for $13.95 that we were doing for that price," Wilson insists. Having grown the busi- ness to about 1,500 staff, their ultimate goal is to double in size every five years. "From 2010 to 2015 we definitely did it, and from 2015 to 2020 we're almost there now," says Wilson. "So just trying to keep that streak going." No word on whether they'll be celebrating with Jäger. —N.C. BCBUSINESS.CA R U N N E R - U P Ryan Moreno C O - F O U N D E R , C E O A N D P R I N C I PA L , J O S E P H R I C H A R D G R O U P OCTOBER 2019 BCBUSINESS 39

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