BCBusiness

62 BCBUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2017 ILLUSTRATION: TONIA COWAN F ew business folk point out how their la- bour adds nothing directly to their com- pany's bottom line. But driven by a "boor- ish, unapologetic exploration and celebration of all things creative," Mark Busse is unequivocal about the merits of his year-old position as direc- tor of creativity and engagement at HCMA Archi- tecture + Design. "I'm not a pro€table endeavour for HCMA—I bring them into things that constantly bleed them money," the 48-year-old designer says while gesturing to one of the Vancouver-based €rm's most adventurous projects: Alley-Oop, a pink-and-yellow laneway between Seymour and Granville streets com- plete with basketball hoops. (As much a tourist attraction as a play- ground for locals, the reimagining is backed by the City of Vancouver and the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.) "But the work itself is deeply pro€table in terms of reward and impact on the company through relationships, PR and creative leadership, as well as creating proj- ects that are catalysts for good for the community." Tucking into chicken and black-bean tortilla soup at Masaladobo Cantina around the cor- ner from his o"ce, the former president of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada's B.C. chapter bounces around what he dubs the "cre- ative rogue agents" that bring long-term social bene€ts,w including a "healthier, more engaged and productive" city. His latest projects range from working with Barrie Mowatt, former gallery owner and founder of the Vancouver Biennale, on a potential biennale dedicated to architecture next year, to Tilt Curiosity Labs at HCMA ("as in to tilt your head, shift your perspective and look at the world di•erently"), which brings resident creators such as textile artist Katherine Soucie and illustra- tor Ola Volo into the architecture community. "Vancouver is an immature city—it hasn't yet tapped the real power of diversity and engage- ment," argues Busse, who grew up in Manitoba and Richmond. With 45 years of blueprints under its belt, 70-strong HCMA is well placed to cultivate this creative mindset, believes Busse, the longtime producer of CreativeMornings/Vancouver, a free monthly breakfast lecture series attended by some 200 people. "Vancouver desperately needs to be more than a pretty landscape masquerading as a real estate bank account."ž Not that Busse has much truck with typical Vancouverite kvetching. "Whing- ing's easy," he chides, adding that he'd like more organizations to copy HCMA by exposing their teams to creative and community initiatives. "Look around the world, and you know we live in a very lucky place," Busse says. "There are tremendous opportunities for anyone interested in creative pursuits here, but some of us have to get in, start poking and prodding and being provocative in trying to €nd ways to host these opportunities for people." After earning a €ne arts degree from UBC in 1991, Busse decided against following his own artistic muse. He went on to graduate from Trinity Western University's School of Business and founded Vancouver graphic design and branding €rm Industrial Brand Creative Inc. two decades ago. "I have the skills, but I didn't have the internal creative machinations for art—to produce and be original," he explains. "Going into business allowed me to €nd ways to play with a more predictable realm." Outside the o"ce, Busse gets creative in the kitchen of the East Vancouver home he shares with his wife, Andrea, an assessment manager in UBC's faculty of pharmaceutical sciences. The co- founder of the Foodists blog €nds prepping the perfect way to de-stress and recharge his "extro- verted introvert" character. "I'm pretty lucky," Busse says. "I'm a white, overeducated male oozing privilege, but I was smart enough to make decisions to have a life and career that coexisted with some purpose." § Community Minded Designer Mark Busse wants Vancouver to grow up by harnessing its creativity and diversity FrontFundr's Jill Earthy on creating a new way to connect entrepreneurs and investors by Lucy Hyslop THREE THINGS ABOUT… MARK BUSSE NEXT MONTH LUNCH WITH LUCY 1. A motorcycle aficionado, Busse has ridden since his teens, on "big honking cruisers as well as crotch-rocket sporty machines." His most recent solo two- wheel adventure on his current chopper, a Suzuki SV650, was to a leadership retreat in Montana. 2. He's been asked to consider going into municipal politics twice, by different parties. "The answer no is so easy for me because I'm actually having an impact now," he says. "Besides, I'm just not wired for all that policy stuff." 3. When travelling, Busse always takes cooking classes or finds people to teach him local dishes like pasteis de Nata (custard tarts) in Portugal, bánh xèo (savoury fried pancake) in Vietnam and green curry in Thailand. "It's a great trick, and how you get the real deal about the culture."

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