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/1458960
A World of Difference O ne of the perks of this job is that I get to help change the world for the better. Sure, businesses and entrepreneurs like those celebrated in our third annual Busi- ness of Good Awards (p.29) are doing the heavy lifting. But by sharing the stories of their efforts to support the community, their employees and the planet, I hope we can inspire others to do the same. The 2022 awards celebrate winners and runners-up in six categories. This time around, I had the pleasure of interviewing most of the finalists, an impressive group from around the province. We had some illuminating conversations. Amelia Warren, CEO of Community Involve- ment winner Epicure, shared the vision that drives her food company. "Ideally, your busi- ness at its core is doing good work on the planet, and any community stuff should be on top of that," Warren said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that our busi- ness is ultimately doing good." Great Pacific Media president David Way acknowledged his duty to make a difference. "I'm obviously extremely privileged," said Way, whose TV and film production outfit won the Diversity and Inclusion cat- egory for bringing under-represented voices and groups to the screen. "For- tunate that I was able to travel the world, meet a lot of different people and get influenced by their cultures— and realized that you've got to let people tell their stories." Elaine Alec, co-founder of Alder- hill Planning, our Indigenous Pros- perity winner, told me that when she facilitates meetings, the first thing she does is ask everyone to say what's on their heart. The idea: before get- ting down to business, people should share any feelings that might hold them back from meaningful engage- ment. "Once we let those things go, we're able to move a lot more quickly." Alec, whose firm does planning for Indig- enous communities, also explained that Alder- hill's work is rooted in decolonizing business and government—by bringing everyone along. "It's not about reclaiming space as an Indig- enous person and telling everybody else that you've been here long enough, it's our turn," she said. Excluding people will only discourage them from helping to bring change, Alec added. "And as we try to shift the system, they're going to be the first ones that try to stop us." Congratulations to all of the Business of Good finalists. And thanks to everyone who participated in the awards, as well as our panel of judges: Vivian Chan, Darian Kovacs, Monika Marcovici, Matt O'Grady and Tessa Vanderkop. Your support means the world to us. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) I N M AY/J U N E We honour the winners of our third Women of the Year Awards in eight categories C ON T R I B U T OR S Courtenay-based freelance journalist Andrew Findlay has always been fascinated by the Chilcotin region. In "Staying Power" (p.15), he highlights the local Xeni Gwet'in First Nation's legacy of independence and self-determination. "Now they're charting a new path, and it's a rocky road," Findlay says. "The opening of a First Nation– owned lodge is a big step for a people who have for too long been bystanders in the regional economy." Inspired by the Nemiah Valley, where he grew up on the Xeni Gwet'in reserve, Keith Carson (Kanative) got into photography five years ago. Carson, who shot the portrait of Chief Jimmy Lulua for "Staying Power" (p.15), says he wanted to share the beautiful landscape and his community's unique perspective with the rest of the world. "It's a healthy land that people don't get to see often." Carson is also an avid explorer who loves hiking in the mountains with his dogs. 10 BCBUSINESS MARCH/APRIL 2022 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG. TOP RIGHT: LISA HALLSTROM