BCBusiness

September/October 2022 - ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

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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BCBUSINESS.CA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 BCBUSINESS 57 He acknowledges that the last product will be compli- cated to produce and will force BE to scale up its engineering department. "Some people think its scary, for sure," he says. "Yeah, the core business could change, but I look at it as really exciting." That's something that's been bred into Braber since he was a kid. His father and grandfather, both immigrants from Holland, instilled in him a global mindset. "From a very young age it was always about learning the world and finding the best opportunity for pur- chasing technology." There are, however, some old school elements to the job that Braber can't help but incorporate into his routine. "I like to put the face time in, that's one of the keys to my success, I think," he says. "I like to keep that one-on-one feel, remember names, check in to see how people are doing and remember experiences." As for how to keep those 400 or so people happy and gainfully employed, Braber points to a heavy emphasis on culture. "I think it's a pretty awesome place to work," he states. "The culture is mapped out on a wall—how we host meetings, what kind of egos we don't enjoy, what we celebrate. Growth sounds great, but if you're doing acquisitions and stuff and you don't have the right people, you can't do it. The goal is to make this a great place to work and attract tal- ent and continue that organic growth."—N.C. F U N F A C T S NA M E ON E T H I NG P E OP L E WOU L D B E S U R P R I S E D T O L E A R N A B OU T YOU I'm quite the Elvis Presley fan. In fact, all meeting rooms in BE are named around Elvis. W H AT D O YOU D O T O R E L A X / U N W I N D ? I love to surf. I keep a surf van in Tofino filled with surfboards and wetsuits so I can pop up on day trips whenever the waves are good or if my body is telling me it's time to unwind and clear my head. E N T R E P R E N E U R S N E E D A L O T MOR E . . . Connection with other entrepreneurs. There is so much to learn from others who are on the same path.

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