8 P o r t r ai t : A l ai n a M i c h e ll e
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 24
THIRTY AND THRIVING
One of the great pleasures of this job is getting to profile some of
B.C.'s most prolific movers and shakers and learning their stories, picking
their minds and finding out what makes them tick. Our annual Entrepre-
neur Of The Year feature (p.22) is the best chance to do that and some-
thing that I'm eternally grateful for being able to steer.
BCBusiness and EY have been partnering to deliver profiles of the win-
ners and finalists of the EY Pacific Region Entrepreneur Of The Year com-
petition for 30 years, since before I was in grade school. It's a partnership
I do not take lightly and one that I've been so proud to continue working
on during the seven years I've been at this magazine.
This year's edition in particular felt momentous. Thirty is just a num-
ber, sure, but it really is a testament to the many incredible British Co-
lumbians this magazine has profiled over three decades. I give my sincere
thanks to Anita Chang and Natalie Niedzialek at EY for their patience,
diligence and hard work in once again establishing this partnership in a
way that works for everyone.
In my interview with this issue's cover star and EOY Pacific Region
overall winner Tobyn Sowden of Victoria-based software company Red-
brick, you'll read about piggy banks. But really, what Sowden was talking
about in his story—in which he bought a full piggy bank for $5 at a garage sale as a kid growing up
in Chemainus—was embracing the unknown. Taking a chance on something. I hope that when
people stumble across our magazine at a newsstand or in an office waiting room or at a friend's
place that they find more value in the pages than the money or time they spent on it. I know that
I've found that a million times over with the time I've spent working on our Entrepreneur Of The
Year issues.
While we celebrate those who have made a huge impact in their careers, we also like to shout
out burgeoning entrepreneurs and the people who encourage them. Associate editor Rushmila
Rahman's feature on how Surrey-based PowerPlay is nurturing a new wave of B.C.'s youth ("The
Kids Are All Right," p.11) is inspiring to read and gave me a lot of hope for the next generation of
innovators in the province.
Elsewhere in this issue, we have features on how real estate developers are collaborating with
First Nations ("Culture Shift," p.18) and how climate change is affecting the ski industry ("Slippery
Slope," p.13). We also highlight some local getaways to explore (p.57).
And we pay tribute to a legend of Vancouver real estate in David Podmore ("The Conversa-
tion," p.16), who retired at the end of September after decades in the industry. As the co-founder
of Concert Properties regaled me with story after story of building Expo 86 and BC Place and
bringing the Olympics to Vancouver, I was mostly in awe. Congratulations to Podmore on an
extraordinary career. And, as with everyone in this magazine and all our past and future issues,
thanks for giving us some of your time.
DESK
DITOR'S
e
Our real estate issue looks
at the role of investors and
profiles a new developer
NEXT
NATHAN CADDELL Editor-in-Chief
bcb@canadawide.com | @bcbusiness | Follow BCBusiness on
