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bcbusiness.ca July 2014 BCBusiness 121 some people say about Trevor Linden exactly what they said when you hired Gillis—no experience in his new position. If you couldn't take on a role with no experience, we wouldn't ever have a new mayor, a new prime minister, a fi rst-time CEO. Trevor has Vancou- ver and the Canucks in his blood. He knows the game and has great con- nections at all levels of the sport. He's really involved in the community, and he's a successful busi- nessman. Most important, he knows what he doesn't know, and he'll surround himself with the right people. We brought him on because he's determined to build a cham- pionship team, which is what we're all about. It's not going to happen overnight, but he's an important piece of the puzzle. What about the decision to let the coach, John Tortorella, go, less than a year after he was hired? Despite your due diligence, you never know how well somebody new is going to mesh with your organization. If the results show it's not working, the worst thing you can do is be inde- cisive and hope things will change. We're grateful to Torts and wish him well. Trevor is responsible for hockey operations and he needs to surround himself with people he thinks give us the best chance of winning. He has our total support. You look at deals every day. How do you tell whether they're right for you? A broker friend was telling me about a study they did on successful people— eight characteristics they share. You know the most important thing in the mindset of billionaires like War- ren Buffett, the one thing they all have in common? It's the ability to say no. Deals come through the door every day. For every deal we do, we look at maybe 200. We only go ahead if we know, when we say yes, we'll get really excited. If you go after too many things you lose focus. This spring, you bought the Toptable Group of restaurants—some of the best in the city. How does that fi t into your overall strategy? I've travelled to just about every building in the league, and lots have better food and beverage than Rogers Arena. We want to be the best. OK, so there's a problem, what's the solution? With Toptable, we not only get a really good business, we get the great people Jack Evrensel developed over 30 years. The synergy is perfect. These are the best people in their fi eld who can help us take food and beverage at the arena to the next level. If you're not improving, not making things better, you're going backwards. Toptable is known for excellence and you're always search- ing for excellence—in the end, that's what brings success and prosperity. ■ 1 888 755 6482 sales@nitalakelodge.com tranqulity focus inspired by www.nitalakelodge.com Nita Lake Lodge 2131 Lake Placid Road Whistler BC "iF you're noT improving, noT making Things beTTer, you're going backwards. TopTable is known For excellence and you're always searching For excellence" ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ TIP TOP Araxi in Whistler is part of the Toptable Group, now owned by Aquilini. p112-121_Aquilini_july.indd 121 2014-05-29 11:31 AM