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.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1222419
10 BCBUSINESS APRIL 2020 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG I 'm not going to lie: I binge-watch a lot of television. One of my favourite characters is Kim Wexler, played by Rhea Seehorn in Better Call Saul. Wexler could be the best thing about the series, which follows the misadventures of her fellow lawyer Jimmy (Saul Goodman) McGill. A brilliant attorney, she doesn't get much respect from some of her power-suited male colleagues, even though she works twice as hard as them. More surprising, Wexler is never objectified, unlike most women in film and TV. Calculating and unflappable but also vulnerable and flawed like any real person, she redefines what it means to be a strong female lead. As Buzzfeed's Summer Brennan has pointed out, part of the explanation is that women play a major role in creating the show, from writing to production to direction. It's an exam- ple of the good things that can happen when men don't control the narrative. Which brings me to the first Women of the Year Awards (p.23), our attempt to highlight the valu- able contributions that female busi- ness leaders are making. For the past several years, we've published an annual feature on B.C.'s most influ- ential women, chosen with an expert panel. This time around, we decided to create a competition. Strong nominations reached us from all corners of the province, mak- ing for some tough choices when it came time to narrow the field. Start- ing with four award categories, at the judges' suggestion we expanded them to six, giving us and contributor Jessica Natale Woollard an opportu- nity to profile 32 winners and finalists. As you'll see, these impressive women represent a wide range of industries, from robotics and medi- cal technology to food and education. Congratulations, everyone. We thank all of the nominees, and the judges: Katie Baker, Laurel Douglas, Jill Earthy and Tina Strehlke. While the Women of the Year went for gold, there's also plenty of it up north, in a region of the province called the Golden Triangle. In "After the Gold Rush" (p.40), Matt O'Grady looks at mining companies' renewed interest in this remote area, which has spawned several lucra- tive projects over the past century and is now seeing renewed activity. Firms scrambling to fill jobs in the Golden Triangle is a reminder that despite some lean times, the industry has always been a key driver of the B.C. economy. Booms and busts are part of the deal, O'Grady notes. As a miner, you could always lose your shirt—or win the big prize. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) Our seventh annual 30 Under 30 celebrates the province's rising stars I N M AY Women in Charge C ON T R I B U T OR S Freelance writer and TV director Nicole Bergot-Browning penned "Meal Ticket" (p.13), about B.C.-China trade, after a trip to Shanghai. "It's like getting a glimpse into our future," the North Vancouver native says. "If I were an entrepreneur trying to sell my wares, I'd be looking at China." As for relations with Canada, "It felt good to write a story on the positive things happening between the two countries," adds Bergot- Browning, a Toronto resident. Peter Holst believes a portrait "should tell a story and reveal a glimpse of the person." So the Copenhagen-raised, Port Moody–based photographer set out to do just that for our "Women of the Year" feature (p.23). "Walking into an unknown environment and connecting with someone I've never met before, that's where the magic can happen," says Holst, who counts companies like Aritzia and Budweiser among his clients.