BCBusinEss.CA dECEMBER/JAnuARy 2018 BCBusiness 49
home. "I don't know what I expected
to see," Berda says. "A guy in a hospital
bed, perhaps. We come in, and he's up
and doing some business at his com-
puter. He says, 'Be with you in a sec.'
I was astounded. I'm still astounded."
The following June, Paul was in
Toronto with Ericka to receive the 2015
Independent Retail Ambassador of the
Year Award from the Retail Council of
Canada.
For all those who saw Dragan lying
on the sidewalk on that terrible day in
2014, his routine existence might seem
like
HBO special effects. But staying
alive wasn't about magic. "Whenever I
go back to the hospital, people come up
and say, 'Hi, Paul, you don't know me,
but I was here the day you Žrst came
in, and I'm so glad to see you,'" he says.
"My survival is a testament to their
skills. They can look at me and say, 'All
that stu' we worked on, it really works.
We saved that guy's life.'"
Bailey and Davies o'ered Dragan
a rare memento—their "collar dogs,"
the coveted lapel pins that advanced
life support paramedics receive after
certiŽcation. "I told Paul that helping
him pull through was like winning the
Stanley Cup," Bailey says. "A once-in-a-
lifetime thing."
Dragan's physical resilience has
been remarkable, but the bike business
takes some fortitude, too. Although
Vancouver's Mobi by Shaw Go street
bike rental service has impacted sales,
he says opportunities have multiplied.
Increasingly, Reckless is teaming up
with hotels and condo developers to
provide and repair bikes offered to
guests and residents. "My focus now is,
how do I go get revenue instead of wait-
ing for it?" Dragan says. Reckless, which
has a mobile service vehicle, provided
mechanical assistance for last Septem-
ber's GranFondo Whistler ride free of
charge. "It's a way to connect with cur-
rent customers and meet new ones,"
Dragan says. "It's all about personal
relationships."
These days Paul Dragan appears to
be in excellent health. And he has a new
GP to keep him that way. The doctor's
name is Cli'ord Chase. It's just good
business—you take new customers
wherever you Žnd them.
■
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