BCBusiness

B e a team player, game on, knock it out of the park—those oce chest- nuts remind us that business and sports have much in common. But there's more to the connection than win- ning big-league, as Donald Trump would shout. In a 2014 study based on a global sur- vey of 400 female executives, advisory -rm EY and espnW found that almost 95 per cent of respondents had participated in sports. Among that group, nearly three-quarters agreed that a background in athletics can help women realize their leadership and career potential faster. More than 60 per cent said sports had contributed to their own success. David Sidoo can probably relate. As Kerry Banks recounts in a keenly observed pro-le (p.40), the Vancouver philanthropist brought his competitive spirit and entrepreneurial zeal to the UBC Thunderbirds football team, for which he played before moving on to CFL and business careers. With -nancial and other help from Sidoo and the 13th Man Foundation, the T˜Birds raised their game so high they won the 2015 national championship. Their bene- factor, who has also o™ered academic support and personal encouragement, won't settle for just one Vanier Cup under his watch. If Sidoo likes to keep score, so does our annual ranking of B.C.'s most in›uential brands (p.33). In its fourth year, this partnership with Ipsos deliv- ered surprises, good and bad, for the companies on the list. Names rose and fell for a host of reasons, but engage- ment with British Columbians -gured heavily in the results. Speaking of brands, BCBusiness is one that I know and respect. I've written for its last -ve editors, including the talented Matt O'Grady, who handed me the keys when he departed in November. For the past decade, after serving as editor-in- chief of Vancouver magazine and as a sta™er at the Georgia Straight, I've made a living freelancing for the likes of the Globe and Mail and New York-based Institutional Investor. When I was asked to take over as editor of BCBusiness, I couldn't say no. Things have changed since I started work- ing with the magazine back in 2002, and I don't just mean real estate prices. For example, Vancouver now has its own tech unicorns in Hootsuite and Slack. On the other hand, the B.C. Liberals remain in power, with a shot in May to extend their reign to 20 years. Some- thing else that hasn't changed: BCBusiness still o™ers a unique opportunity to tell stories that matter to you—and shed new light on doing business in this province. Being here is an honour and a big responsibility. I'll do my best not to drop the ball. 12 BCBUSINESS FEBRUARY 2017 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG C O N T R I B U T O R S Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness Veteran business writer Christopher Donville has worked for Bloomberg News—most recently as Vancouver bureau chief—the Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald. For "A Tale of Two Burger Joints" (p.37), Donville spoke to a woman and her 10-year-old son at an A&W restaurant in North Vancouver. When the boy called A&W's steroid- and hormone-free beef no big deal, his mom looked shocked. "But that's the reason I bring you here!" she said. editor's desk Our annual list of B.C.'s most inuential women. Plus: the case for and against an MBA IN MARCH Stepping Up Paul Joseph became UBC's official photographer last October, but he still finds time to shoot for BCBusiness. For "The Rainmaker" (p.40), Joseph photographed David Sidoo at UBC with the Thunderbirds football team, which Sidoo backs through the 13th Man Foundation. Sidoo told the squad that in their studies and in life, the foundation is there for them, Joseph says. "It was nice to see his enthusiasm."

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