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/1388249
JULY/AUGUST 2021 BCBUSINESS 85 ABCELLERA BIOLOGICS T he economies of B.C. and the world may never be the same after the watershed events of 2020. Public health protocols accelerated a new, digital era as face-to-face dealings became risky business. Thanks to pandemic-related closures and disruptions, the greatest shock since the 2008 financial crisis clipped the province's real gross domestic product by 5.3 percent. Governments stepped up with billions in support, though, helping keep the economy rolling. Aggregate revenue for the province's Top 100 companies grew 0.5 percent despite the slowdown. Consumers worried about After 2020 delivered mixed results for the players in our annual ranking of B.C.'s biggest companies by revenue, a thriving tech sector points the post-pandemic way forward continued on page 91 Go Home, and Go Big b y P E T E R M I T H A M LIFE FORCE AbCellera Biologics, a contender for next year's Top 100 list, is one of the province's recent tech-driven success stories COVID-19, but their confidence was muzzled, not maimed. RBC Economics forecasts a 5.1-percent rebound in economic growth for B.C. this year and another 5.2 percent in 2022 as restrictions lift and people—and their cash—start circulating. But consumers spent money differently last year. Although Telus Corp., Jim Pattison Group and Teck Resources maintained their firm hold on the list's top three positions, many forestry companies posted higher rev- enue as people invested in home improve- ments that made them feel comfortable.