Douglas Magazine - October/November 2019 by Page One Publishing

HOW SMALL BUSINESS CAN CUT THROUGH THE B.S.

TALL-TREE TOURISM VERSUS OLD-GROWTH LOGGING

BUSINESS SURVIVAL LESSONS FROM THE WILD

OCT/NOV 2019

ARE WE GETTING IT YET? Diversity, inclusion and equity — if you don’t get it, you’ll be left behind.

SPECIAL SECTION

MEETINGS & RETREATS

Ruth Mojeed, founder of The Inclusion Project PM41295544

SM A L L BUSINES S ISSUE

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Audi Victoria

A Division of GAIN Group

2929 Douglas Street, Victoria | 778.746.1848 | audivictoria.com European model shown for illustration purposes only. Subject to availablility. Some conditions may apply. Please call Audi Victoria for full details. See Owner’s Manual for complete details on system operation and limitations. Ratings are awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Please visit www.iihs.org “Audi”, “e-tron”, “Vorsprung durch Technik”, and the four rings emblem are registered trademarks of AUDI AG. DL4991427 #31246.

Bellewood Park offers a unique opportunity to experience natureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a place from which one can engage with their senses and have everything Victoria has to offer so close. Comprised of Premium Residences, Penthouses and Townhomes, this rare collection of 1, 2 and 3 Bedroom homes is thoughtfully oriented in a truly natural setting, nestled amongst large heritage Garry oaks on two acres of parkland in the historic Rockland neighbourhood.

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OCT/NOV 2019

CONTENTS 34

FEATURES

46 How Small Business Can Cut Through the B.S.

So much business advice is geared to big companies — and it’s misleading to small businesses. BY KERRY SLAVENS

56 Are We Getting it Yet?

Ruth Mojeed of The Inclusion Project leads the charge toward a more diverse, inclusive and equitable Victoria. BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI

78 Old Growth, New Ideas

Old-growth logging and raw-log exports continue on Vancouver Island, but critics say big-tree tourism is a far more sustainable economic force. BY ANDREW FINDLAY

SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE

Meetings + Retreats

The hot trends, tips to find the best speaker, gamification and top planning apps.

DEPARTMENTS 8 FROM THE EDITOR 13 IN THE KNOW The orca’s tenuous fate, B.C. bud’s slow roll out, lessons from Y Combinator, Ogden Point’s rebrand and Songhees Innovation Centre’s appeal.

22 CASE STUDY Bidgood + Co brings a

90 When Breakfast is the Business

fresh take on the workplace to xMatters’ new office. BY ATHENA MCKENZIE

24 BIG IDEA These local entrepreneurs are planning an immersive, transcendent attraction reminiscent of Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf. BY ALEX VAN TOL

Douglas explores why breakfast is such a hot ticket in Victoria and the challenges and successes of the restaurateurs. BY CINDA CHAVICH

34 IN CONVERSATION From a botched

expansion to multiple medical crises, Paul Underhill talks about Rumble’s tumultuous few years. BY ATHENA MCKENZIE

102 LAST PAGE COCO Café is thriving thanks to its philosophy of embracing people for who they are. BY SUSAN HOLLIS

INTEL (BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE) 96 ENTREPRENEUR Lessons from the Yukon River. BY JIM HAYHURST

98 COMMUNICATIONS Storifying social media. BY CORALIE STERN

100 GROWTH The big lies about feedback. BY CLEMENS RETTICH

41 VIEA 2019 A look at the 13th annual State of the Island Economic Summit. 6 DOUGLAS

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

FROM THE EDITOR

Enriched Thinking™ for your family, business and future. A team-based approach for a total wealth strategy that addresses the entirety of your life. C.P. (Chuck) McNaughton, PFP Senior Wealth Advisor 250.654.3342 charles.mcnaughton@scotiawealth.com

themcnaughtongroup.ca

Scotia Capital Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. For more information visit www.scotiawealthmanagement.com

8 DOUGLAS

LOG040-Jul-AD-McNaughton-2x9.indd 1

2016-08-04 12:33 PM

Climate Change: The Risk is Real

I HAD A FEISTY AND FASCINATING CONVERSATION last week with an Island business person who was concerned that Douglas did not present the views of people who believe climate change is a hoax. I explained to him that belief did not come into it, only fact. The fact is, there is consensus in the world’s scientific community — based on vast evidence — that humanaccelerated climate change is happening. As much as I enjoyed our “debate,” there is absolutely no debate in my mind. We don’t have time to entertain the hoax theory any longer. Our province not only has to find ways to adapt to the changes already upon us and those coming, we have to transition with haste to a low-carbon economy. A report released quietly in July (and dubbed the “oh sh*t report” in some circles) should serve as a shove in the right direction. Prepared for the B.C. Climate Action Secretariat and B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy by ICF consulting group, the Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment for British Columbia looks at climate-driven risks to B.C. over the next three decades. The reports looks at 15 events, including storm surges and heatwaves, on a scale of risk, from low to catastrophic. The report makes clear that, if greenhouse gas levels are not controlled, our future will include a “high risk” of seasonal water shortages and severe wildfires, as well as “high risk” from ocean acidification, glacier-mass loss, long-term water shortages and saltification. Some of these events could occur simultaneously, resulting in everything from loss of life to a crisis of emergency services to the loss of an energy or water supply. The report makes it clear that if we fail to act, we could see devastating losses in excess of $1 billion to agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism and other water-dependent sectors. The NDP government released this preliminary report with none of the fanfare with which they released their Clean BC plan in late 2018. The rather furtive release online was met with criticism that they tried to “bury” it. Was the goal not to worry us? We should be worried. Canada is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. On our coast, sea levels and sea-surface temperatures are rising. Ocean species are moving north in search of cooler water. Warmer ocean-surface temperatures are also decreasing the habitable range of shellfish, and increasing ocean acidity will affect their reproductivity. So, to my acquaintance who wishes Douglas would take a “balanced” approach, I bring to his attention something called false balance, which happens when an issue is presented as being more balanced between opposing views than the evidence supports. Put simply, hoax conspiracy theories do not carry the same weight as scientific findings. The scales have already tipped. Now we must do everything in our power to reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate future risk. There’s an important role for business to play in this, and the growth and innovation coming from B.C.’s CleanTech industry does give me cause for optimism. I choose science over superstition, and hope and positive action over hoaxes. — Kerry Slavens kslavens@pageonepublishing.ca

Put simply, hoax conspiracy theories do not carry the same weight as scientific findings.

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Paradise in the Rockland. Rarely does a south-west full ocean and city view sub penthouse corner condo come to market.

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Our Local Experts

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Andrew Maxwell

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Custom oceanfront home perched above a small cove on the southern tip of supernatural Vancouver Island. A must see.

Located in the coveted Rockland neighbourhood. This home boasts over $600,000 in professional updates.

Beautiful west coast inspired luxury home nestled among brilliant old growth trees, in exclusive Oceanwood Estates.

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SOTHEBYSREALTY.CA

www.douglasmagazine.com VOLUME 13 NUMBER 6

We believe the ultimate measure of our performance is our clients’ success. It has guided our approach for over 30 years.

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kerry Slavens

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet

PRODUCTION MANAGER Jennifer Kühtz

SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER Amanda Wilson LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ben Barrett-Forrest, Jo-Ann Loro

DEPUTY EDITOR Athena McKenzie

ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER Janice Hildybrant

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rebecca Juetten

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Belle White

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Deana Brown, Sharon Davies, Cynthia Hanischuk, Nicole Mackie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Carolyn Camilleri, Cinda Chavich, Andrew Findlay, Jim Hayhurst, Susan Hollis, Clemens Rettich, Coralie Stern, Alex Van Tol CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeffrey Bosdet, Jo-Ann Loro, TJ Watt, Belle White

Ian Clark, CIM, CFP 250-405-2928 iandavidclark.com

Joseph Alkana, CIM, FCSI 250-405-2960 josephalkana.com

Steve Bokor, CFA 250-405-2930 stevebokor.com

PROOFREADER Paula Marchese

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES All Canada Photos p. 13, Getty Images p. 68, 70, 72 Stocksy p. 66

GENERAL INQUIRIES info@douglasmagazine.com

SEND PRESS RELEASES TO editor@douglasmagazine.com

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ADVERTISING INQUIRIES sales@douglasmagazine.com ONLINE www.douglasmagazine.com FACEBOOK DouglasMagazineVictoria TWITTER twitter.com/Douglasmagazine INSTAGRAM @douglas_magazine COVER Ruth Mojeed of The Inclusion Project. Photo by Jeffrey Bosdet Published by PAGE ONE PUBLISHING 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 1C7 T 250.595.7243 E info@pageonepublishing.ca www.pageonepublishing.ca

Printed in Canada, by Transcontinental Printing Ideas and opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Page One Publishing Inc. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement and any and all representations or warranties made in such advertising are those of the advertiser and not the publisher. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in all or part, in any form — printed or electronic — without the express written permission of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #41295544 Undeliverable mail should be directed to Page One Publishing Inc. 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria, BC V8Z 1C7

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ADVERTISE IN DOUGLAS! Douglas is a premium magazine dedicated to innovation, leadership and business lifestyle. Established in 2006, Douglas is the first choice for business leaders and achievers. Align your business with Douglas. For more information or to request an advertising rate card, please call us at 250.595.7243 or email us at sales@douglasmagazine.com.

12 DOUGLAS

INNOVATION | DESIGN | BUSINESS | STYLE | PEOPLE 

[IN THE KNOW ]

MORE THAN MASCOTS Images of orcas are plentiful on the South Island. They star in tourism brochures, entertain us as mascots, and they lend their names to dozens of companies and brands. But the real orcas, the southern residents who live in our local waters, are in big trouble. With just 73 individuals left, their numbers are at a 30-year low. According to the World Wildlife Fund, “Survival has become uncertain for the southern resident killer whale.”

Major threats include the decline of Chinook salmon stock, chemical contaminants and noise from marine traffic, which makes it hard for orcas to use echolocation to find and hunt salmon. As a note of hope for the population, which hadn’t experienced a successful birth since 2016, two calves born this year have been spotted swimming with their mothers. The next few years will tell if the southern residents can recover to healthier numbers — or continue toward extinction.

Southern Resident Killer Whales STATUS: ENDANGERED POPULATION TIMELINE:

PRE-1900

1973

1995

2019

Estimated population. The first recorded survey was not until 1973.

Decimated after decades of shootings and live capture.

Population reaches a new peak before several periods of decline.

In crisis following threats from contaminants, marine noise and the Chinook salmon decline.

PACIFICSTOCK/ALLCANADAPHOTOS.COM

200+

THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DOUGLAS 13

Alex Robb, CEO of Trees Cannabis, which recently suspended operations while it waits for its retail licences.

BELLE WHITE/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

THE PROBLEMS WITH BUD INC. DESPITE HIGH HOPES, THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN B.C. HAS BEEN SLOW TO ROLL OUT, FALLING BEHIND OTHER PROVINCES. FOR BUSINESSES LIKE TREES CANNABIS, IT MEANS LAYOFFS AND LIMBO. BY ATHENA MCKENZIE

hen recreational cannabis was legalized across the country in October 2018, B.C. was expected to be a model for the rest of the country. Many municipalities, including Victoria, had already zoned businesses for cannabis retail sales, and there was a healthy medical marijuana market. But a recent report from Statistics Canada says B.C. sold less legal cannabis than any other province except for Prince Edward Island in the first nine months of legalization. The report’s data shows B.C. sold $19.5 million worth of legal pot from October 2018 through June 2019. P.E.I. only took in $10.7 million but has a fraction of B.C.’s population. Officials in B.C. blame supply shortages and a slow rollout of retail stores. There have also been significant delays in licensing. Only licensed retailers are permitted to sell cannabis — and that cannabis must come from a licensed producer. Retailers must navigate a complex approval process, with both provincial and municipal input. “Creating a legal cannabis market takes time,” says a spokesperson for the BC Ministry of Attorney General. “Our robust application process has stringent security and financial checks to ensure illegal activity doesn’t take place. Unlike some other provinces, our government gives 14 DOUGLAS

communities input into if, where and what kind of cannabis stores they want. We are working to continuously improve and speed up the application process for cannabis licences, without compromising the safety of British Columbians.”

CANNABIS CRACKDOWN The Community Safety Unit (CSU) — under the policing and security branch of the BC Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General — recently started to crack down on unlicensed dispensaries. Victoria dispensary Trees Cannabis suspended its operations and laid off more than 150 employees after multiple raids this summer.

ineffectual governments, but there were circumstances at the time of legalization that could explain why this took so long,” Robb says, pointing to the new provincial government having to get settled in 2017 and then the municipal elections around the time of legalization. “The governments really did have to come up with this whole system very quickly,” he adds. “It did cause so much confusion.” Trees Cannabis intends to open licensed retail stores as soon as its applications are approved. In the meantime, it is running Trees Restaurant, which Robb hopes will eventually be a licensed cannabis consumption space once regulations are established after edibles become legal this fall.

“I really think that by not seeing cannabis legalization as a real economic opportunity, the government is shooting itself in the foot.” Trees Cannabis CEO Alex Robb says the company, which had been selling medical cannabis for five years, applied for its retail licenses in October of 2018, but is still in the financial screening stage of its application. According to Robb, the intensive process has caused significant delays for Trees. “A lot of people have been laying the blame squarely on

The stringent regulations and delays in licensing have led the B.C. government to adjust its estimated cannabis revenues from $200 million to $68 million. “I really think that by not seeing cannabis legalization as a real economic opportunity, the government is shooting itself in the foot,” Robb says. “This could have been a real boon to the B.C. economy.”

BY THE NUMBERS Cannabis sales in first nine months of legalization:

$123.7M ALBERTA

$121.6M ONTARIO

$119.2M QUEBEC

$38.2M

SASKATCHEWAN

$32.2M MANITOBA

$19.5M

BRITISH COLUMBIA SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, AUGUST 2019

Number of private nonmedical cannabis retail licenses issued:

289 63 25 ALBERTA

BRITISH COLUMBIA

ONTARIO

AS OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

BELLE WHITE/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

SMART BUSINESS

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

LESSONS FROM Y COMBINATOR Getting into Y Combinator (YC) in San Francisco is a big deal. It’s a signal to influential tech investors that you have an investment-worthy venture. At YC’s Summer 2019 Demo Day, Victoria-based start-up Cuboh — one of only 11 Canadian companies (out of 197 companies in total) — showcased its restaurant platform, which consolidates different delivery services like Grubhub and SkipTheDishes onto one easy-to-use dashboard. The company was also recently included on New Ventures BC Top 10 list. CEO and cofounder Juan Orrego shares his take-aways from YC.

10 TO WATCH AWARDS DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? It’s time for Douglas magazine’s 10 to Watch Awards, the most prestigious awards of the year for new Island entrepreneurs. Here’s what you need to know.

1 Your business must be based on Vancouver Island and be three years old or less.

TO WATCH YOU CAN’T GET IN IF YOU DON’T APPLY With a rumoured acceptance rate of 1.5 per cent, there’s fierce competition for the coveted spots at YC, which are offered twice a year through its winter and summer programs. But you have no chance at all if you don’t apply. “It’s one of those things you don’t think is going to happen to you, so many companies don’t even try,” Orrego says. “I wish more companies from Victoria applied. They might be surprised.”

DON’T BE MARRIED TO A BUSINESS PLAN As YC outlines on its site, it doesn’t consider business plans in the application process, so reconsider the use of your time before you develop that eight-page plan. “Business plans are a little bit tricky because with startups things can change really quickly,” Orrego says. “I like the Lean Canvas model where you outline your hypotheses and then prove each, one by one. When one doesn’t work, then you change it.”

KNOW YOUR TALKING POINTS “We had five days to prep for the interview [to be accepted into the program], and I don’t like to practice too much because I don’t sound natural if things are too rehearsed,” Orrego says. “But I did go for dinner with our operations guy, Tyler, and we ran through the questions on ipaulgraham.herokuapp.com.”

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NETWORKING The weekly dinners are an important component of YC. Along with the influential speakers, they’re an opportunity to share that week’s progress. “All startups have similar stages so you could see how others were solving problems and where you were doing well.”

SET YOUR GOALS AT THE START “Our goal for the end of the three months was to grow our existing customer base and our revenue,” Orrego says.” We wrote that on the wall and thought about that metric literally every single day.”

2 Nominating your company (or one you admire) is easy. Just fill out the online form at douglasmagazine.com by 5 p.m. on November 8. If your business is shortlisted, we’ll contact you for further details as part of the application process.

3 10 to Watch winners will be featured in the April/May 2020 issue of Douglas, celebrated at an exclusive awards gala and will join a distinguished group of winners that includes Flytographer, SendtoNews, Stocksy, Indochino, FreshWorks, AdrenaLINE and more.

TAKING GUESSWORK OUT OF STARTUPS Entrepreneurs bring passion to new businesses, but it’s hard for them to be unbiased about their ideas. And that can lead to wasted time, wasted money and big disappointment. But what if you could refine the quality of your ideas before you invest your emotional energy — and your money or someone else’s — in an idea? That’s where Core Evaluations comes in. Built on 15-plus years of Ph.D.-backed entrepreneurial research, Core Evaluations has synthesized the 15 critical attributes proven to make the most significant difference between business success and failure. Using Venture Intelligence Quotient (VIQ) methodology, Core Evaluations provides a comprehensive, dispassionate evaluation of any new venture. It uses the On average, 96,000 same type of modelling the new firms enter life-insurance industry uses to into the Canadian determine critical factors of a economy each person’s health. year. Here are their It’s a revolutionary survival rates: departure from traditional YEAR 1: business evaluation processes, which company CEO Dr. Brent Mainprize, the creator of VIQ, says are tainted by biases and human error. “We provide a series of YEAR 3: questions in a particular order — questions people might gloss over if it’s their own idea,” says Mainprize. “If they go through the process of really answering those questions honestly and YEAR 5: early on, they’ll have a much better understanding of what the weaknesses are in their business and what to do.” The VIQ, which has been YEAR 7: in development by Mainprize since 1987, has been used by more than 3,000 new ventures, is taught in universities worldwide and has been used SOURCE: ISEDC, 2018 by CBC’s Dragons’ Den for its application process. Mainprize took VIQ mainstream this year by launching Core Evaluations with his wife and partner Natalia, who has extensive experience in high-growth company development, new-venture financing and tech commercialization. “I guess I was trying to be a better entrepreneur and lower my own risk initially,” Mainprize says. “Then I saw that there are other people who have these same questions and challenges I had, and so maybe this was really worth a more intensive focus and a deeper dive.”

A MATTER OF SURVIVAL

98%

78%

63%

54%

DOUGLAS 15

MEET UP

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WHERE BUSINESS HAPPENS

“We’ve seen so many collaborations already. For example, Animikii now orders all of our swag from Jared at BRANDIGENOUS. He offers the same quality and prices, but he’s here in the space and we can work together more easily on projects.” — JEFF WARD, FOUNDER OF ANIMIKII INC. AND PARTNER IN THE SONGHEES INNOVATION CENTRE

Songhees Innovation Centre is a hub for Indigenous innovators

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

Songhees Innovation Centre is designed to foster collaboration.

Investing is about working together. Your goals. Our solutions. Jeff Cohen, BA, CFP, FCSI Wealth Advisor Tel: 250-361-2408 jeff.cohen@nbpcd.com

COWORK = COLLABORATION “For solo entrepreneurs, the centre gives them that sense of having coworkers,” says centre coordinator Samantha Vanderdonck. “Collaboration happens very naturally. I think that’s really inherent to the Indigenous way — for people to be working together towards common goals and shared values.”

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE Along with panoramic seaside views, the space’s location inside Songhees Wellness Centre means exposure to inspiring Indigenous art, including carvings by renowned Lekwungen artist Clarence Butch Dick.

GET SCHOOLED The centre also features regular lunch and learns. “We bring in outside speakers to help our cohort continue their professional development,” Vanderdonck says. “They are open to people outside of our membership as well.”

Checking Victoria’s Vital Signs for 2019 BMO Wealth Management is the brand name for a business group consisting of Bank of Montreal and certain of its affiliates, including BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., in providing wealth management products and services. ® “BMO (M-bar roundel symbol)” is a registered trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence. ® “Nesbitt Burns” is a registered trade-mark of BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Montreal. If you are already a client of BMO Nesbitt Burns, please contact your Investment Advisor for more information.

Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

16 DOUGLAS

The numbers for Victoria’s Vital Signs annual check up on community are in. This year 1,695 citizens weighed in on the vitality of Greater Victoria and issues critical to quality of life.

Their feedback shows they are most concerned about: cost of living, housing, healthcare and climate change. The region received an overall grade of B+, the same as in 2018.

Find out where you can get a copy of the report: victoriafoundation.bc.ca

[ HERE + HAPPENING ] Fall/winter is a big season for business events on the Island, including the exciting gatherings listed below, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll connect with change-making people and ideas. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget, October is Small Business Month, so check douglasmagazine.com for event updates.

Disciplined Value Investing That Works Odlum Brown Model Portfolio: A Proven Track Record Average Monthly Performance1

3.1% 3.5%

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[ IDEATION ]

Compound Annual Returns2

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Odlum Brown Model Portfolio* S&P/TSX Total Return Index

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1 Performance measured mid-month from December 1994 - July 2019. 2As of August 15, 2019. *The Odlum Brown Model Portfolio is a hypothetical allequity portfolio that was established by the Odlum Brown Equity Research Department on December 15, 1994 with a hypothetical investment of $250,000. It showcases how we believe individual security recommendations may be used within the context of a client portfolio. The Model also provides a basis with which to measure the quality of our advice and the effectiveness of our disciplined investment strategy. Trades are made using the closing price on the day a change is announced. Performance figures do not include any allowance for fees. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

Feel free to contact me for a copy of our monthly Odlum Brown Report.

Ideation is an exciting new series from Douglas that explores big ideas, brave conversations and bold moves. The October session of Ideation, at Club Kwench, features Paul Underhill, Rumble; Nicole Sorochan, One Net; Heidi Sherwood, Sapphire Day Spa and Sattva Spa; and Bruce Williams, South Island Prosperity Partnership. Victoria | October 9 | douglasmagazine.com

R. H. Mark Mawhinney, CPA, CMA Investment Advisor

Tel 250-952-7755

mmawhinney@odlumbrown.com

Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund Odlum Brown Limited

@Odlum_Brown

Odlum Brown Community

OdlumBrown

[ DISRUPT HR ]

DisruptHR is designed to shake things up in the world of talent, culture and tech in a fast format of 14 speakers who each have 5 minutes to present their ideas. Topics include Balance is Bullshit! with Tammy Brazier of GoodLife Fitness and Is Your Office Hiding Assassins? with Geoffrey Lane. Victoria | November 20 | disrupthr.co

CREATE YOUR OWN FUTURE. LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS TODAY.

[ IMPACT TOURISM ]

The goal of the 2020 IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference is to align tourism operators and stakeholders behind a vision of economic, social and environmental sustainability. Featuring National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence Wade Davis, the conference explores topics such as climate change and cruise sustainability. Victoria | January 19-22 | impactnational.ca

RESOURCES. FINANCING. MENTORING.

futurpreneur.ca/BC DOUGLAS 17

BUSINESS IN ACTION Vancouver developer ARAGON PROPERTIES has launched THE DISCOVERY CENTRE in Cook Street Village as an information hub to liaise with the community on Aragon’s projects in Greater Victoria. Aragon has projects in development in Cordova Bay, Cook Street Village and Esquimalt, including Esquimalt’s Town Square, a master-planned community, and a renovation of the English Inn with the addition of townhomes and condos on that property.

Design 3D renderings, conceptual planning and permit drawings

Build Full-service construction company

Element Lifestyle Retirement has announced AQUARA, an $88-million, 65-plus, harbour-side project, part of the BAYVIEW master-planned community in Vic West. With its intergenerational, aging-in-place approach, Aquara is the first 65+ community in Victoria to offer a combination of rentals, condos, independent and supportive living. TUTELA has been acquired by Boston-based COMLINKDATA, a North American leader in telecom market data and insights. Tutela CEO Hunter Macdonald says the move “perfectly complements our own offering and mission to help improve the world’s internet.” The combined company will offer both Tutela and Comlinkdata services while looking for ways to add value and create new services. Tutela‘s founders, leadership and team will remain with the company.

Canada’s longest running social media conference, SOCIAL MEDIA CAMP, is changing ownership. Founders Paul Holmes and Chris Burdge have sold the event, which has taken place annually in Victoria, to Tami Tate of 365 DAY MEDIA GROUP, which provides social media and marketing for businesses and events. Social Media Camp takes place May 7 and 8, 2020, at the Victoria Conference Centre. TOFINO RESORT + MARINA has launched its Fish for the Future Foundation, in partnership with the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, with the goal of raising $100,000 in 2019 to protect wild salmon and the waters they inhabit. Cyber-security company PLURILOCK CANADA has been awarded a Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) contract. The project is designed to enhance DND/ CAF’s ability to combat advanced persistent threats in government cyber-systems and enables Plurilock to further develop its behavioral biometrics technology.

CORVETTE LANDING was one of 11 winners (out of 51 submissions) of the CleanBC Net-Zero, EnergyReady Challenge, recognizing the most energy-efficient buildings in the province.

DOUGLAS READS FLIP THE SCRIPT: GETTING PEOPLE TO THINK YOUR IDEA IS THEIR IDEA BY OREN KLAFF (PORTFOLIO, 2019)

250-880-1188 FLINTSTONESDESIGNBUILD.COM 18 DOUGLAS

If there’s one lesson Flip the Script author Oren Klaff knows after years of pitching and closing long-shot, high-stakes deals, it’s this: The more you push people to buy, the more they resist. So Klaff tossed out the old play book on persuasion and created a new approach that works on a simple insight: People trust their own ideas. Rather than pushing your ideas on them, guide them to discover the idea on their own. Then they’ll trust it, buy into it — and they’ll even feel good about the chance to work with you.

VLAD VITSENKOU/DREAMSTIME

IDEA | IDENTITY

OGDEN POINT GETS A REBRAND Douglas talks to Greater Victoria Harbour Authority CEO Ian Robertson about the rationale for renaming Ogden Point as the Breakwater District.

hat’s in a name? A great deal if you are trying to bring new vitality to a part of Victoria most people never see unless they are cruise ship passengers, marine professionals or Breakwater Barge party-goers. Revitalization is one of the aims behind the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s (GVHA’s) decision to rename the 14-hectare area known as Ogden Point as the Breakwater District. “We’ve seen in Victoria that the Hudson District has evolved and is really helping to revitalize that area where the former Hudson’s Bay building was,” says GVHA CEO Ian Robertson. “I think calling Ogden Point The Breakwater District ...

will help to bring some vitality to that side of the city over the next few years.” Robertson refers to Toronto’s Distillery District as an example of a name change done to signify the revitalization of a particular area. “I think that’s the same type of idea we’re trying to accomplish over the long term.” Does the name change herald a move forward with Ogden Point’s Master Planning process, which was first introduced four years ago? “The unveiling of this name is an independent initiative,” Robertson says, “but it relates to the master plan because it highlights the great potential of the public amenities we have at Ogden Point.”

AG124_see what unfolds_douglas_X1a.pdf

2019-08-09

9:27 AM

He says peer review of the master plan is underway and that more consultation is needed. “We recognize that the city has seen a lot of very dynamic growth over the past few years ... so it’s important for us to reengage with the public and the community and re-engage with city staff and council to perceive what’s changed over the last four years.” Despite some criticism, Robertson says Peter Ogden’s name will

continue to be featured and that the name will not change on nautical maps. The new name and multi-faceted logo, designed by Trapeze Communications, was unveiled on September 18.

SEE WHAT UNFOLDS.

VISIT THE UNEXPECTED

1040 Moss St | aggv.ca

Peter Schuyff, Folding Man, acrylic, 91 x 168.5 cm, Women's Committee Cultural Fund, 1981.196.001.

DOUGLAS 19

M AGA Z INE ’S

11th ANNUAL 10 to Watch Awards

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

TO WATCH

Know a NEW BUSINESS worth watching? The Douglas 10 to Watch Awards shine a spotlight on the best new businesses on Vancouver Island. Now in their 11th year, these prestigious awards provide the publicity and

PAST WINNER: Rootd

PAST WINNER: Aux Box

PAST WINNER: VitaminLab

positive “rocket fuel” that startups (three years old or less) need in those critical early years of enterprise. Nominate your own business or a business you think is worth watching.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A WINNER?

Check out the 10 to Watch video on douglasmagazine.com

• The credibility of winning a well-recognized award and recognition at an exclusive awards gala in front of an audience of hundreds of the Island’s business movers and shakers • Positive exposure to 120,000+ Douglas readers • Featured in the April/May 10 to Watch issue of Douglas magazine (30,000 copies in circulation) and on douglasmagazine.com

douglasmagazine.com/10 -to-Watch-2020/

NOMINATE A NEW BUSINESS Go to douglasmagazine.com/10-to-Watch-2020 for details and rules. Nomination deadline: 5pm on November 8, 2019

PRESENTING SPONSOR

CASE STUDY ■ BY ATHENA MCKENZIE

A FRESH TAKE ON THE WORKSPACE For xMatters’ new offices at 1515 Douglas, Bidgood + Co didn’t just focus on the esthetics — the designers helped the tech company approach its workflow in a new way.

hen Kyla Bidgood and her team at Bidgood + Co start a design project, they usually get to see the space before they envision its look and layout, but for xMatters’ Victoria location at 1515 Douglas, the design strategy had to be approached from a set of floor plans. Luckily the designers had other projects in the new development — including Workday on the top floor and Sherwood Cafe & Bar on the first — so they were familiar with the potential within the building. “The architecture of the building very much dictated the layout,” says Bidgood, who worked on the project with Mary McNeill-Knowles. A walk-through of 1 xMatters’ existing space on Fort Street also gave them an idea of what the company wanted moving forward. “What was really interesting about this project was, rather than just trying to improve on what their old space was lacking, they were also open to looking at working in a new way,” Bidgood says. “The first impression of that existing space was that it was very dark, which was on purpose, as they had all the lights turned off — and the engineers spent a lot of their time with their headphones on, zoned in on their work. The layout felt a bit congested with a series of private offices and one big



RETURN TO ANALOG 22 DOUGLAS

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‘‘

What was really interesting about this project was, rather than just trying to improve on what their old space was lacking, they were also open to looking at working in a new way.

BELLE WHITE/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

OFFICE INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES JONES

open workspace. And their kitchen was in the middle of the corridor, so it didn’t really have a designated staff area. That was one of the mandates with the new space — having a better social area.” Bidgood describes the approach to the design as very collaborative with the client. “We’re not here to tell them how to work,” she says.

DITCHING THE OPEN OFFICE The client was led through a series of questions to determine the ideal setup. These questions included looking at how the staff worked in the old space, which groups needed to sit together, what were the ideal adjacencies, which people had to collaborate and who needed to focus. “Maybe they should be furthest away from the lunch area, for example,” Bidgood says. “It was through these conversations that we came up with this concept of team rooms, rather than one big open space.” The space was broken into five team rooms, with six to eight workstations in each. These rooms run along the exterior windows — so each team can control their own lighting — and have clerestory windows so some natural light passes into the centre area, which faces the rotunda. The central zone houses the social areas, including the kitchen and lounge. “And a nice banquette where people can break out and sit with their laptop and work, or take a break if they want to,” Bidgood says. “We

also created additional meeting spaces, including one large meeting space and some smaller breakout areas.”

COLOUR CONNECTIONS To ensure the look and feel was heading in the right esthetic direction before it got too far along in the process, the designers put together a “splash page” to gauge the client’s reaction. “It highlights colours and images of other spaces to get their feedback,” Bidgood says. “That is their time to say, ‘We hate pink,’ or ‘It has to have this in it.’ It really sets the groundwork before we spend too much time developing something that they’re not going to be happy with.” The rich use of colour throughout the space was inspired by the company’s branding colour, chartreuse green, which was prevalent in the previous space. “We used the branding colour as a direction, as opposed to overtly splashing it over every surface, which has more of a startup feel,” McNeill-Knowles says. “We did that by balancing it out with other colours, such as the darker green and peach. It makes the space feel more polished and reflects their current status.”

4 5 1 The designers used colour blocking to delineate spaces, choosing pastel tones that complemented the brand colour, a vibrant green. 2 A social area was a key mandate for the new office. Distinct wordmarks on walls throughout the space create a quote from Star Wars when put together. 3 Floor plans for the space show the team rooms along the outer wall and the common spaces facing the central rotunda.

... SO ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Having completed a successful Indiegogo campaign, the Tempo is an hourglass with three settings — so you can avoid your phone timer with its built-in distractions.

4 Kyla Bidgood and her team at Bidgood + Co added a sense of playfulness to the office with the use of colour and wordmarks. 5 Along with smaller breakout spaces there is a large meeting room, the “Blue Room.” 6 The waiting area and banquette for breakout work benefit from the natural light from the open rotunda with its skylight.

SIGN WITH STYLE

Fountain pens, and their accessories like ink and nibs, are making a comeback. The LAMY Lx is a stylish choice.

DOUGLAS 23

BIG IDEA ■ BY ALEX VAN TOL ■ PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET

WE’RE ABOUT TO TRANSCEND Four successful Victoria entrepreneurs are preparing to take Victoria deep into the experience economy, blending tech, arts and theatre arts into an immersive, interactive experience in the style of Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf and New York’s Sleep No More. It promises to be a powerful way for tourists and locals alike to experience a feeling of connection in the age of rage.

n the winter 2017, Jim Hayhurst, then-CEO of Pretio Interactive, was out walking on the sandy beach in Cordova Bay when he noticed a guy whose kid was splashing around in the ocean. Who the hell lets their kid play in the water in February? Hayhurst thought. Nevertheless, he decided to introduce himself, because, you know, that’s how Hayhurst rolls. The other beachgoer turned out to be Mike Wilson, a 25-year veteran of the video game industry and cofounder of four independent publishing companies, who had recently transplanted his family from Austin, Texas. The men got talking and uncovered some common interests. Both were delighted to find another person with huge ideas for the city of Victoria. The ideas began to zip back and forth: “Something new and creative!” “Digital but analog too!” “ART! Like Meow Wolf!” “THEATRE! Sleep No More, but cooler!” “Burning Man!”

24 DOUGLAS

SOMETHING SACRED Before long, Hayhurst introduced Wilson to someone he’d already been throwing ideas around with: Nicole Sorochan. The multi-talented Sorochan is co-owner of the creative agency One Net, co-creator of the augmented location-based music discovery game Hipster Bait, and producer/director of Amplify Her, a documentary about women DJs currently making its way around the world. The three were joined by Wilson’s daughter, Deaven, a marketing and communication specialist from Austin. With the team in place, the stage was set for Something Sacred, Victoria’s most innovative experience. A mash-up of museum, theatre and art gallery, Something Sacred falls under the header of interactive art experience, along the lines of the smash successes Meow Wolf (Santa Fe), Atelier Des Lumières (Paris), Sleep No More (New York) and teamLab Borderless (Tokyo). With development planned to begin in 2020, Something Sacred will include an immersive series of detailed, intricately rendered rooms — each designed by a professional artist — linked by a common theme of sacred spaces: The places we go to feel part of something bigger. Part permanent exhibit, part theatrical production where participants are free to wander as long as they like, in whatever order they like, Something Sacred is more experience than venue, where visitors take meaning from the stories their own minds create. Anchored by the themes that humanity has found peace in — not divinity, per se — Something Sacred unfolds in labyrinthine non-linearity, promising places of rest and healing like a dance studio, an Italian dinner table, a Mexican ofrenda or a library. Cast members will wander throughout: a Tibetan monk meditating in a coder’s lair; a dervish whirling in the forest. When visitors finish or want to rest, they can gather in a decompression chamber of sorts — likely a café — where they can talk, think and plan their next exploration. The idea is to make the experience affordable and family friendly, so people will come back again and again — and it’ll be a different trip each time.

Mike Wilson, Nicole Sorochan, Deaven Wilson and Jim Hayhurst are the minds behind Transcend Entertainment, which plans to bring interactive, experiential entertainment to Victoria.

THE FACE OF INNOVATION Anita Pawluk | CPA | RaceRocks Hire a CPA bccpa.ca

MOVING INTO THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY The four enterpreneurs have a calling card: Transcend Entertainment, a company serving the fast-growing experience economy with a series of compelling shows, venues and human-centred attractions aimed at getting people out of their homes, off their devices and reconnecting with each other. Earlier this year, Transcend had a seed round and is still seeking investors. They have reason to be optimistic — in May of this year, Meow Wolf raised $158 million U.S. Transcend is also actively looking for a home for Something Sacred. At press time, discussions were underway regarding iconic, but perhaps underutilized, buildings and spaces. (Meow Wolf was started in an old bowling alley.) Other projects include an installation in the Victoria Press building, a partnership with the building’s owner David Fullbrook. Something Sacred will be governed by a high-level vision, with a story and central theme woven throughout, but it’s the artists and their voices that will bring the project to life. Transcend plans to engage local, Canadian and international artists to create and direct each space, with an overarching spirit of collaboration and mutual betterment. 26 DOUGLAS

Keeping it Simple®

DREAM ON Laketown Ranch was Greg Adams’ dream of world class bands performing in the natural amphitheatre of the hills Similar to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, shown here, Something Sacred will create an immersive and interactive experience to transport its audience into the fantastical.

of Lake Cowichan. It was a big dream, and Island Savings was proud to work with Greg to not only bring Laketown Ranch to life, but we also see the vision of what it can become. With our Unlimited Chequing for Business® Account for just $30/month we can help you grow by directing your revenue into big dreams – not big fees.

WHY VICTORIA AND WHY NOW? Victoria has a five-billion-dollar tech industry and a long list of shiny condo towers slated for development — all good from a growth point of view. But there’s a delicate interplay between urban development and the socio-cultural ethos that attracts people to a city in the first place. Something Sacred is a proactive step in preserving the city’s arts community and holding space for the creative souls that lend texture and life to the city. “I think we’re in a very unique time right now in Victoria,” says Sorochan. “There’s a ton of new construction happening and the city is growing. We need to ensure that we carve out art and entertainment and new ideas that will keep the city vibrant, versus making it a liveand-work-only style city.” Transcend definitely doesn’t want the city to be all work/live and no play. Rather, they’d prefer to help develop an arts district in our city that will continue to grow and flourish and showcase our world-class local artists, groups like MonkeyC Interactive, Limbic Media and DreamCraft Attractions.

WATCH VIDEO

SCAN ME

See the full story at islandsavings.ca/LTR

Bank. Borrow. Insure. Invest.

DOUGLAS 27

“Thank you to all our local business owners. You bravely take on the risks that make our economy thrive.” Al Hasham, President of Maximum Express

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www.crd.bc.ca/catchbasin 28 DOUGLAS

Says Hayhurst, “If you go experience great Victoria-driven art at Burning Man or an installation at Coachella or wherever, and if you think about the great artists, the great creators, even the set directors and designers that are working all around the world … many of them are from here. But we don’t get to see it.” Guided by other successful immersive art experiences worldwide, the plan is for Something Sacred to make it possible for artists to make money, and for art to make the city money via a unique offering. Transcend has based their healthy projections on resident traffic alone; tourists and cruise-ship visitors are gravy. “The comparables for the cities that are finding success with this are pretty stark,” Mike Wilson says. “These things work in towns where there is other competition. There is an expectation of high-value art or tourist attractions or festivals.” Hayhurst agrees, noting there’s a clear business case for this kind of experience and attraction in Victoria. “The nice thing is, it’s not dependent on cheap labour subsidies or wildly overenthusiastic projections,” he says. “It’s based on [knowing that] this is the kind of city that we have; paying people more than a fair wage to create art; and having a long-term vision of the investment. That’s what our investors would expect. The investors that we’re speaking to will not be looking at this as a donation to the arts community.” THE DEEPER MISSION Transcend is on a bit of a social mission with Something Sacred, seeking to create something where, once people have toured the experience, they will feel their view of the world has grown ever so slightly. “Whenever we think about something that was profound, that shifted us to our core, we talk about it having come from an experience,” Sorochan says. “Maybe we’ll get the odd, occasional conversation that will really lift [us], but where it really comes from is when we’re given the time and space in a place that might feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable, and we get to experience it.” It’s an experience the team wants for themselves. As such, they want to bestow the gift back to the city, so others can experience enjoyment and growth and self-discovery too. “We’re in a pivotal moment with a lot of angry men running the world, and I feel like we need the opposite,” Sorochan says. “We need to start shifting the way we understand things, the way we understand the idea of collaboration, the way we care about each other, the way we care about each other’s perspectives. And if we can do that through something that’s entertaining — and not finger pointing — then this is exactly what I want to be doing.”

FEATURED BUSINESS

f you ask nearly anyone who has lived in Greater Victoria long enough to know, they’ll tell you it sure has changed in the past 10 years. Some might say for the better, others might say for worse, but they’ll likely all agree 2020 Victoria is going to be noticeably different from 2010 Victoria. Which begs the question, what will Greater Victoria look like in 2030? That number may still sound like the setting of a science-fiction story, but time has a way of sneaking by us all. And if we don’t start thinking about how we want our region to look in 10 year’s time, and start taking the steps to make that happen, we will find ourselves catching up rather than leading the way. So as this decade draws to a close, this is the issue the Victoria Foundation decided to tackle for its 2019 edition of Victoria’s Vital Signs: What will Victoria look like by the end of the next decade? “We live in a region, and in a society as a whole, that is in transition,” said Robert Janus, Victoria Foundation director of communications.“ From climate change to politics, from rising costs to aging infrastructure, I think we’re all very curious, and confused, right now as to what the future holds. What reating ato Google Business FEATURE FOR HOTELS “GET A QUOTE” BUTTON we’re attempting do withMy this year’s report is lookNEW at where is free and and what easy to Thanks to this new addition from Are you getting more messages of we mightlisting be heading wedo, canbut do to maybe nudge business ownerwe who Google, hotels will be able to log in to late? That may be the case if you have ourselvesthe toward the future all takes want.” the time to her listing GMB and easily update details concerning Google My Business messages turned on. Inspired byoptimize and directly relatedcan to the United Nation’s win more hits on her website. Christian their amenities and services. This If you have opted into messaging, you Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint for achieving Thomson, Marwick by Marketing, information may now have new call-to-action buttons global peaceCEO andof prosperity 2030, the 2019 Victoria’s Vital is summarized by Google in provides new opportunities to woes and triumphs Google Search and Maps, so it is worth in the local knowledge panel for your Signs takesthese a deep dive into the current of optimizeVancouver your Google My Business keeping up to date, which may require business listing. If so, when users search Southern Island. listing. occasional review and editing. for the name of your business they will For instance, when asked To update your information, simply log withColonist a “Get aeditor Quote” And Times and “We live in a region, and in a society as abe presented what the most important in to Google My Business and choose the buttonpublisher appearing in blue (desktop) Dave Obee weighs or in issues facing Greater is in you transition ... What we’re white (mobile). BULK REVIEW MANAGEMENTwhole, that location want to manage (if more than on where our region is heading Victoria are today, Vital This newrespondents GMB feature allows you attempting to isdo withFrom this year’s one available). there, click Info.report If you do notculturally have thisand button socially, as anbut Signs survey to see all your reviews from multiple Find “Hotel and click edit. make sure thatcommunity. you have listed “Cost of Living,” is look at where weAttributes” might be heading and wish to,interconnected sources gathered into a single page for Once you have found the attribute to edit messaging Asturned always,on. the report also “Housing,” and “Health what we canand do tothe maybe nudge ourselves This looks easy viewing. According to Google’s made necessary changes, click new button standsfrom out nicely, at our region the Care” as the Top 3. The announcement, your can now the Save future wedone! all want.” and you’re makingperspective it obvious that is hoping of 12Google key issue areas, price and availability ofbusiness toward “view reviews for multiple listings at once. If, for some reason, you find yourself to entice searchers to survey make use of it. using data and results to housing has changed With bulk reviews, you’ll be able to view, unable to edit, contact Google and they Make sure have Google Messaging paintyou a picture of how it’s faring significantly in the last reply to,how andwill flagthis reviews forby multiple assist you. turned Economy on and get ready toareas start of fielding in regards to Housing, Transportation, and other vital decade; change 2030? Alternatively,will when listings in one place.” With growing numbers of searchers questions! importance. Projects and organizations looking to make asked what the best things are about our region, residents FINALa difference in The newwith feature involves simply and are pricing ourreviews community also highlighted, and “Looking Back…” facts provide responded “Natural Environment,” “Climate,”turning and to Google for Marwick Marketing Tip: Simple. logging in toAll Google Mythese Business and related to of climate hotels, it’s criticalato stayatup to date peak where we and were 10 years ago. “Air Quality.” three of are directly Turn it on! accessing the “Manage Reviews” by over the thisnext feature makes it easier forfind youall toof dothis and more by picking up a copy of Victoria’s Vital You can change; to what degree will they betab affected just that. Signs today out in the community, or by visiting victoriafoundation.ca. 10clicking years? on the left side. This will bring up To learn more about how to your reviews, nice and neat on one page. To help answer these questions, Victoria’s Vital Signs Marwick Marketing Tip: Be sure to fill optimize your website, visit us at If you manage more than one listing or includes three feature articles from local experts, who were possible element for maximum in every marwickmarketing.com. location, thisto will prove useful by the future. asked to look the pastvery to help predict optimization of your listing. saving you from having to click on each CEO Catherine Holt Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce individual listing to seeholds its reviews. looks at what the future for the economy in our region and all thatMarketing plays into it,Tip: from housing Marwick Make sure prices your to transportation. Then, Doucette, founding partner of Synergy Enterprises, replyJill contains a focus keyword for your gives herand take climate how it will affect our brand is on detailed in change, response. #200 – 703 Broughton Street 250-381-5532604-390-0065 | victoriafoundation.ca region and how our business community can help curb it. marwickmarketing.com

A D V E R T O R I A L F E AT U R E

FEATURED BUSINESS

MARWICK FOUNDATION VICTORIA MARKETING LATEST VITAL SIGNS: UPDATES MEASURING FOR YOURWELLBEING. GOOGLE MY CREATING BUSINESSCHANGE. LISTING

FEATURED BUSINESS

he marine industry is undergoing an exciting resurgence in Port Alberni. Multiple initiatives and significant capital investments being made by the Port Alberni Port Authority, many private sector companies and the City have laid the foundation for new directions that look to continue the industry’s long, proud and diversified history in Port Alberni. With the most affordable lifestyle on Vancouver Island, business owners and employees are excited about the growth opportunities in seafood cultivation, harvesting and processing; warehousing, cold storage and shipping; ship building, maintenance and repairs; commercial fishing; and marine tourism and recreation from individual water sports, to recreational boating to the hosting of cruise ships and shore excursions for passengers. Port Alberni is the ideal “hub” for reating a Google My Business commercial fishing and processing with listing is free and easy to do, but direct access to the productive waters of the business owner who takes the Somass River, Alberni Inlet, Barkley the time to optimize her listing can Sound and the Pacific Ocean off the west win more hits on her website. Christian coast of Vancouver Island. These waters Thomson, CEO of Marwick Marketing, are home to many species of salmon, provides these new opportunities to halibut, ground fish, shell fish and a myriad optimize your Google My Business of aquaculture products in high demand listing. across the globe. The city itself boasts experienced, skilled and available labour for such essential roles BULK REVIEW MANAGEMENT as deck through to vessel Thishands new GMB feature allowscaptains; you product offload, processing shipping to see all your reviews fromand multiple activities; as well as into whatever supplies and sources gathered a single page for services are needed to support the fleet. easy viewing. According to Google’s To further stimulate this the can Portnow Alberni announcement, yoursector, business Port Authority offering uplistings to $500,000 in “view reviewsisfor multiple at once. matching funds towards the improvements With bulk reviews, you’ll be able to view, necessary to start operate a seafood reply to, and flagand reviews for multiple processing facility. Additionally, the listings in one place.” City The is working with an exciting mix of new feature involves simply stakeholders on a Regional Food Innovation logging in to Google My Business and and Processing Hub project that may inject accessing the “Manage Reviews” tab by additional funds into the terrestrial and clicking on the left side. This will bring up water-based farming andneat processing sectors your reviews, nice and on one page. with support services, such one as warehousing, If you manage more than listing or

cold storage, training and transportation. A business case study for a new floating dry dock in Port Alberni was recently completed. The study demonstrated a demand around the coast for vessel construction, repair and maintenance thousands of sports enthusiasts who visited services provided in 2019 clearly agree! Port Alberni is a by such infrastructure. The Port, City “work hard and play hard” community that and industry partners are committed to is authentic and welcoming to all. This is achieving this project to capitalize on the consistently demonstrated to every visitor. market opportunity to bring marine work NEW FEATURE FOR HOTELS “GET A QUOTE” BUTTON We are proud to showcase back to Canada, Thanks to this new addition from Are you getting more messages of our community to the back to Vancouver Google, hotels will be able to log in to late? That may be the case if you have world and look forward to Island and continue The timing is right GMB and easily update details concerning Google My Business messages turned on. welcoming more cruise to grow jobs and the opportunities their amenities and services. This If you have opted into messaging, you ships, building tours and throughout the information is summarized Google in for those may now have new call-to-action buttons are by endless excursion capacity. The marine sector. Google Search and Maps, so it is worth in the local knowledge panel for your seeking an up and timing is right and the The Alberni keeping up to date, which may require business listing. If so, when users search opportunities are endless Valley offers coming destination occasional review and editing. for the name of your business they will for those seeking an up and picturesque, pristine To update your information, simply log be presented with a “Get a Quote” to open a business coming destination to open and diverse outdoor in to Google My Business and choose the button appearing in blue (desktop) or in the tourism and a business in the tourism experiences. location you want to manage (if more than white (mobile). and hospitality sector. From the peak of hospitality one is available). From there, click Info. sector. If you do not have this button but The marine and related Mount Arrowsmith, Find “Hotel Attributes” and click edit. wish to, make sure that you have business cluster is only one which majestically Once you have found the attribute to edit messaging turned on. of the many economic development sectors presides over the entire valley, to the and made the necessary changes, click This new button stands out nicely, that is already achieving returns and is ripe streams, rivers, lakes, harbour, and Inlet that Save and you’re done! making it obvious that Google is hoping for further investment. The City of Port served to create this port community, the If, for some reason, you find yourself to entice searchers to make use of it. Alberni and Port Alberni Port Authority are region surrounding Port Alberni is being unable to edit, contact Google and they Make sure you have Google Messaging also working to grow existing businesses discovered as an outdoor and active sports will assist you. turned on and get ready to start fielding and attract others in manufacturing, enthusiast’s paradise. Offering a myriad of With growing numbers of searchers questions! visitor accommodations,FINAL transportation, trails and fresh water adventures; unique turning to Google for reviews and pricing Marwick Tip: Simple. aerospace andMarketing clean technology. culinary, cultural and heritage experiences; of hotels, it’s critical to stay up to date and it on! If Turn you are looking for a great place as well as an unparalleled collection of this feature makes it easier for you to do to invest, work and live where you are sports facilities for a community of its size; just that. welcome balanced lifestyle Port Alberni is the place to be. In fact, the To and learna more about how tois Marwick Marketing Tip: Be sure to fill achievable, then Port Alberni is for you! over 3,000 cruise ship passengers and optimize your website, visit us at in every possible element for maximum marwickmarketing.com. optimization of your listing.

location, this will prove very useful by saving you from having to click on each individual listing to see its reviews. For more information about any of these opportunities, incentives and initiatives please contact: Marwick Tip: Make your Port AlberniMarketing Port Authority’s Davesure McCormick, Director of Public Relations & Business Development: reply contains a focus for your 250-723-5312 ext. 227 orkeyword City of Port Alberni’s Pat Deakin, Economic Development Manager: 250-720-2527 brand and is detailed in response.

alberniport.ca portalberni.ca 604-390-0065 marwickmarketing.com

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FEATURED BUSINESS

PORT ALBERNI MARWICK MARKETING PORT AUTHORITY LATEST UPDATES YOUR MY BUSINESS LISTING RISING FOR TIDES ANDGOOGLE NEW HORIZONS: INVESTING IN PORT ALBERNI’S MARINE CLUSTER

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#200 – 703 Broughton Street 250-381-5532 | victoriafoundation.ca

FEATURED BUSINESS

VICTORIA FOUNDATION VITAL SIGNS: MEASURING WELLBEING. CREATING CHANGE.

FEATURED BUSINESS

CAMPBELL RIVER ALWAYS ADVANCING

ampbell River is a progressive and creative community; a city steeped in economic opportunities. It’s a community of diverse demographics that is expected to attract more families as they look for communities that offer lifestyle amenities and real estate that is more affordable than other urban centres on Vancouver Island. As Rose Klukas, Economic Development Officer says, “Campbell Riverites have a spirit of resilience, adapting to economic change and embracing new opportunities. Our people are our greatest asset.” Entrepreneur-Friendly, Investor-Ready Campbell River is open for business! Its backdrop of technology, land and natural resources uniquely positions it to grow innovative businesses that will thrive alongside key existing sectors such as energy, aquaculture, forestry and aerospace. This is a large part of why it was the Winner of Small Business BC’s Open for Business award in 2018. City of Campbell River Economic Development strives to promote the next generation of businesses that honour place, tradition and existing industry and that look to support the development of a culturally rich, inclusive and resilient economy. “We provide resources and services in education, business development, and networking events to encourage and promote growth from within the community and to set a foundation for economic development opportunities,” says Rose, “Ultimately we want existing businesses to stay and grow in a climate that co-exists with larger industry sectors.”

The City boasts Modern Entrepreneur professional development workshops and networking opportunities that provide high calibre business development support. In addition, there is also the award-winning Investment Portal, an online presence ensuring that Campbell River is investorready. Campbell River’s City Council supports a creative culture by embracing technology and innovation. Recognizing that businesses benefit from the City owning its own broadband, Council invested in municipally owned, high speed, equal upload and download Internet access called CRadvantage, https://cradvantage.com/. In fact, Campbell River is the only municipality on Vancouver Island that owns a municipal broadband network. For over 100 years, Campbell River has been known as the salmon capital of the world. Now it is positioning itself to be a community of innovation with the launch of TECHATCHERY, the City’s economic development tech attraction umbrella. Exciting initiatives are in the works including NexStream, a series of contests with cash prizes, mentorship and programs designed to attract innovators that use technology to address real issues impacting people and businesses.

The Right Tools in the Toolbox Supported by modern infrastructure and plenty of access to natural resources, the City’s economic development activities focus on relationship building, connecting and collaborating with First Nations, local businesses and developers, industry, educational institutions and community groups to ensure it has the tools necessary to respond to a marketplace that has become increasingly global in nature. Campbell River is involved in BC PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) Entrepreneur Immigration – a pilot program focused on attracting entrepreneurs from around the world who propose to establish and actively manage new businesses in regional communities. As a result of City of Campbell River Economic Development’s many initiatives, innovative thinkers in Western Canada are sure to find a welcoming port in Campbell River’s healthy, culturally rich and sustainable economy.

campbellriver.ca/invest invest@campbelriver.ca | Facebook: /campbellrivereconomicdevelopment | Instagram: @lifeincampbellriver A D V E R T O R I A L F E AT U R E

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SOUTH ISLAND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP

Three years ago, leaders from local governments (municipal and First Nations), businesses, institutions (like the three post-secondaries), non-profits, and other stakeholders, including business & industry associations took a leap forward in creating a regional alliance to pursue economic development across the Greater Victoria region. The South Island Prosperity Partnership was founded by 28 members. Today, we stand united together with more than 55 members. Our collective belief is that through collaboration we can achieve results that would not be possible working alone. We’re honoured to work together with our members to boost prosperity in this incredible region we call home. Every day we aim to create a lasting and sustainable economy. Nothing could be more important than ensuring South Vancouver Island remains strong, resilient and future proof for the next generation. How does SIPP boost prosperity in the South Island? Here are some of the approaches the region undertakes through this collaborative approach:

901-747 Fort Street

southislandprosperity.ca

Cluster and Innovation Development The regional economy is comprised of multiple businesses and employers, but did you know that when like-minded firms locate near each other, their productivity increases? Only at the regional level can we pursue bold strategies that transcend borders and create the next generation of careers right here at home. Business Growth and Expansion Research shows up to 80% of job creation can come from existing business growth. This means that by providing services and programs that help growthoriented companies expand, we will achieve the result we want. SIPP has a focus on increasing exports and internationalization by offering both oneon-one guidance and workshops to help facilitate export and international trade. Business and Investment Attraction By taking the “Greater Victoria’s story” abroad, SIPP works to attract values-based companies that care about the future of the region. We do this through developing a diverse mix of marketing and recruitment strategies.

@SIProsperity

First Nations Economic Development We are not a truly prosperous region unless everyone is included. The South Island is home to ten First Nation communities and over 17,000 Indigenous people. SIPP supports First Nation-driven economic development activities by collaborating with communities, sharing leading practices, and creating an inclusive platform for broader collaboration. Collaboration, Communication, and Research Working together requires a number of key ingredients. Among these are a compelling regional vision that achieves buy-in, a solid strategy that moves us toward the vision, good governance that is accountable, and solid data that tells us where we need to improve. SIPP brings partners together through shared governance, special projects, dialogues and roundtables, citizen engagement activities, economic research, exploring big ideas through thought leadership, and by advocating on behalf of regionally significant issues. For more information, please visit our website to read our 2018-19 Annual Impact Report.

@Southislandprosperity

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South Island Prosperity Partnership

IN CONVERSATION PAUL UNDERHILL CREATOR OF RUMBLE

SURVIVING

THE STORM BY ATHENA MCKENZIE

PHOTO BY JEFFREY BOSDET

Between almost losing his business due to a hurried expansion into the U.S. and a string of devastating health and personal crises, Paul Underhill has had a tumultuous few years. Now, taking the lessons from those experiences, the cofounder of Rumble knows to trust his instincts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to stick to the plan.

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Despite health setbacks caused by cystic fibrosis, Paul Underhill remains an avid cyclist and kite surfer, displaying the same tenacity that has helped him and his team bring Rumble back from the brink. DOUGLAS 35

DESIGNER Q & A

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f having a compelling backstory was Douglas connected with Underhill in his all that was required for a business to Cook-Street neighbourhood to hear more about attract its market and succeed, then those ups and downs — and the lessons he’s Rumble would have it in the bag. With learned along the way. his inspiring journey through lifeImmediately after you won a Douglas 10 to Watch threatening illness, Rumble’s creator Award in 2013, Rumble appeared on Dragons’ Den. and cofounder Paul Underhill brings an What came of that? irresistible story of perseverance. “Paul is the heart and soul of the brand,” says We were very fortunate to get the level of interest we did from all five dragons. We James McQueen, another Rumble cofounder did a handshake deal with and its general manager. “We Arlene [Dickinson], who then have a deep-rooted authentic joined with David [Chilton] story that starts with Paul “It’s been a real for negotiations. Often in these and his health needs. Then Dragons’ Den appearances, roller-coaster. It’s there’s the other side. When there’s an intent to make a a cliché but the you interact with our brand, deal, but most of the time the term definitely there’s a playfulness and dragons will back down. But quirkiness that ties back to applies in this Arlene was quite serious about Paul’s personality. As does case — rarely have pursuing it, and we were as the product’s efficacy because I been in a place well. Where it became difficult he uses it … so he’s a pretty in my life where was the amount of money. We’d important guy.” so many things asked for $200,000 because we Underhill initially created already had a pretty solid lead were going wrong the Rumble supershake in his for $500,000, but [the Dragons] simultaneously.” own kitchen. Born with cystic wanted to come in at the fibrosis, a genetic disease that $500,000 level. At the end of the affects mainly the lungs and day, we found them to be really digestive system, he needed premium nutrition professional. Arlene said it might be better for but didn’t always have the time — or the us to work with the [initial investors] because appetite — for full healthy meals. they had beverage experience. Realizing that other people would also benefit from these shakes, Underhill worked with some What did you do? friends, including McQueen and a nutritionist, Instead of moving forward with the Dragons, to perfect the formula and develop the Rumble we did a deal with another investor group out brand. But before the product could make it to of Toronto called BrandProject, which at the market, Underhill’s health deteriorated to the time felt like the right decision. They did have point where he was forced to undergo a lifeexperience on paper that was relevant to us. In saving double-lung transplant. retrospect, you wonder if maybe it might have Just one year after the operation, Underhill been different if we went with the Dragons. It’s completed the 140-kilometre Tour de Victoria. hard to say. Another year after that, in 2013, the Rumble supershake hit more than 500 stores across So it didn’t work out? Canada. Our original plan was to stay in Canada and “Rumble fits in perfectly, as our grocery then go into the U.S. regionally. Instead, department is 100-per-cent non-GMO,” says [BrandProject] encouraged us to go essentially Carmine Sparanese, general manager of nationwide in the U.S. prior to getting what we Lifestyle Markets, one of the first retailers to would now call sufficient capitalization. We carry Rumble. “I remember when I first spoke got into Whole Foods in the toughest regions to Paul back then, how his story really touched in the U.S., which was fantastic. But with the me. He’s very inspiring.” increase in orders came additional expenditures. With its healthy and tasty nutritional Cash flow became our number 1 challenge. beverage, Rumble has the quality product to The number 2 challenge was keeping sufficient go with the memorable story. But as Underhill Rumble on the shelves because the demand knows first-hand, there are many factors that was higher than we expected. We were having play into a business’s success — and not all of to do more production runs, which were costly, them are in the owners’ control. and that meant we didn’t always have sufficient “It’s been a real roller-coaster,” he says of funds. the business and personal challenges he’s faced in the years since the launch of Rumble. “It’s What did that mean in the long run? a cliché, but the term definitely applies in this It culminated in an unfortunate series of events. case — rarely have I been in a place in my We were out of stock, and while we were life where so many things were going wrong consistently making our loan payments to the simultaneously.” Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC),

200m

200m 200m

we missed a royalty payment on purpose, so we could divert those funds for a production run. I guess the BDC thought that out of stock meant we had no sales and were in dire straits, so they called the loan. It was highly punitive terms. That was a major factor, I would say, in what ended up being the necessity of the complete financial restructuring we did in 2016/2017.

brand and hopefully find investors who were better aligned with our values and ambitions. We were very fortunate to find backers here, right in Victoria, with the Pomme group, who have experience in grocery. Those guys — who are looking to invest in more businesses — are our principal backers now.

and retailers — to allow the growth to be more organic and regional, rather than trying to go too far, too fast. The secondary lesson is to be as careful as possible in choosing investors and partners and making sure that they are fully aligned with your ambitions, goals and values.

How did Rumble recover?

What lessons did you learn from almost losing the business?

As we failed to complete the round of financing that would have allowed us to continue on in the original legal structure, we had to essentially find a solution that would allow us to keep the

Looking back at what we did, the number 1 lesson is that we really should have listened to our instincts and followed our desire to make deep connections with our customers

We sat down with Pomme and found ways to make the brand continue. We’d always been interested in improving the viability of the business. One of the things we did was put more money into the ingredients by doing a reformulation, removing some allergens and adding grass-fed proteins. We paid for that by switching to new packaging, which is also fully recyclable and has a lower carbon footprint. We don’t yet have the retail footprint we had previously in Canada because we still haven’t got into all of the stores we used to be in. That’s the goal over the remainder of 2019.

BRIGGS & STRATTON & ASSOCIATES

How is Rumble moving forward?

I understand that during that time of Rumble’s financial stress, you were also going through some personal challenges.

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38 DOUGLAS

It was one thing after the other. I shattered my femur in a cycling accident. My wife had a second bout of breast cancer. I was having health problems and needed abdominal surgery. My dad, who had been slowly dying of prostate cancer, was also in hospital. I visited him and said, “Dad, I’ll see you after my surgery.” When I came out of surgery, the nurse said, “We just want to let you know your dad passed away when you were being operated on.” That was shocking. It was just seven weeks later when my mom passed away. I also got shingles in that time. It was a rapid succession of one thing after the other, which caused a lot of stress and then a decline in [my] lung function. All of that, it was basically simultaneous. There was a big parallel between the bumps on the road with Rumble and in my personal life with my health and family.

Did you ever consider not continuing with Rumble? This is where having the team was crucial — when I had to step back and focus on my health or healing or on Mom and Dad. At those times, James [McQueen] really carried a lot of weight on his shoulders personally, especially as he was the lead on financing. Right now, he plays the role of general manager, but as cofounder in the first iteration, he was the one stuck with leading that charge. To answer your question, I knew in the short term the absolute necessity of stepping back to look after my health, which is what I’ve done. And I’ve never been back to full time. But Rumble has always been something my heart goes into. And as long as the brand is alive, I will always be a part of it. ■

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Purchasers will receive the “GST included” benefit on the closing of their purchase of a suite through a credit on the statement of adjustments. The credit will be for 5% of the base purchase price only and not for any optional extras. Purchasers will be required to pay all applicable GST on their purchase of a suite as detailed in the purchase agreement. Prices quoted are exclusive of all applicable taxes and may be subject to change without notice. Move in dates noted are an estimate only, subject to change and not to be relied upon. The developer reserves the right to make changes, modifications or substitutions to the building design, specification and floor plans should they be necessary. Images, drawings and digital renderings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon. This is not an offering for sale. Any such offering can only be made with a Disclosure Statement. E.& O.E.

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

VIEA

13th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo, B.C.

THE LONG GAME OCTOBER 23 & 24, 2019

THE LONG GAME WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR VIEA? BY JEN GROUNDWATER

Improving the bottom line for an entire island with almost a million residents doesn’t happen overnight, especially when there are complex factors at play, from a lack of skilled labour and rising housing costs to child poverty and climate change. That’s why the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA, pronounced Vie-Ee-Yah) plays the long game. This not-for-profit organization, established in 2006, exists to promote economic opportunities all over Vancouver Island. Its mandate is not just to help businesses produce more widgets — although that outcome is certainly welcome. Rather, it brings stakeholders together to solve challenges, discuss opportunities and make change happen. The ultimate goal? To create a sustainable and diverse economy for everyone on Vancouver Island. For more than 13 years, the organization has been spearheading various initiatives to help attract investment, create opportunities for value-added and advanced manufacturing and increase sales of Island-produced items. It’s important to talk about issues like child poverty, homelessness, and climate change, says VIEA President & CEO George Hanson, because “everything that is happening in our culture and in our society and in our communities in one way or another is affecting our economy.” At the annual State of the Island Economic Summit, he adds, the organization can “familiarize Island decision-makers with challenges that need solutions, opportunities that are maybe running under the radar and things that are trending that we think people should know about.” The resulting conversations help VIEA to identify and prioritize future projects in the short and long term. DOUGLAS 41

Wherever Business Takes You

For example, a Summit keynote presentation in 2016 encouraged delegates to think about climate change as both a challenge and an opportunity: Though there is uncertainty about the cost of extreme weather, Vancouver Island has a growing cadre of companies focusing on clean tech, which is going to be in increasing demand. “The ripple effect of those changes is going to be enormous in our economy,” says Hanson. And discussions on advanced manufacturing in 2015 led to VIEA applying for Foreign Trade Zone status, which is now being used as a tool for strengthening the economy.

At MNP, we believe in being your partner in business. That means offering services and expertise to ensure your business keeps up with your vision. From start up to succession, across Vancouver Island and beyond, our professionals look at your business from all angles and provide clear, straightforward advice to help you succeed — wherever business takes you.

FOREIGN TRADE ZONE AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT Think globally, act locally is a familiar slogan, but the fact is that sometimes you need to act globally, too. Vancouver Island’s advanced manufacturers may create high-margin products at home, but they need to consider duties and taxes, attract foreign investors, send employees overseas (or hire employees from overseas), and take advantage of international trade agreements, in order to thrive in business.

Contact Steve Wellburn, CPA, CA at 250.338.6554 or steve.wellburn@mnp.ca

Mike Williamson, CEO of Cascadia Seaweed, checking a seaweed growth line on a test site in Barkley Sound.

Victoria | Duncan | Nanaimo | Courtenay | Campbell River

42 DOUGLAS

And although advanced manufacturing already generates $1 billion annually on Vancouver Island, there’s room to grow. “Anything that would advance Vancouver Island’s competitiveness on a global scale is what we’re after,” says Bill Collins, President of CollinsWorks Ventures Inc., and a Sidney, B.C.-based business development specialist who helped to spearhead VIEA’s successful application for Vancouver Island to become a federally designated Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). The designation, which has been in place

THE 13TH ANNUAL VANCOUVER ISLAND ECONOMIC SUMMIT

SUPPORTING ISLAND BUSINESS The State of the Island Economic Summit, an annual gathering of Vancouver Island’s forward-thinking business, community, First Nations and government leaders, has seen ever-increasing attendance and impact over the past dozen years. Sessions include workshops, presentations, and forums about various aspects of the local, national, and global economy. Opportunities and trends are presented, challenges are frankly discussed — and yes, business cards are exchanged — as leaders from public and private sectors work together on initiatives to enhance the bottom line for Vancouver Islanders. VIEA President George Hanson attributes the event’s success to its grassroots content: “[It’s] always close to the ground, addressing the primary questions of the day.” Over the years, he adds, the Summit’s topics have included climate change and poverty because “the economy is not a silo distinct from the public issues, the social issues, the housing challenges, etc. Wherever and however human resources are engaged, there are implications to our economy.”

since September 2018, sends a powerful signal that Vancouver Island is open for business. As Collins puts it, “When you have business backed by federal, provincial and even municipal governments, that provides credibility [to potential investors].” One of VIEA’s early successes since the establishment of the FTZ has been to develop a database of companies exporting from Vancouver Island to improve communication with these businesses. The next step is to create a buzz around Island-based industries that are poised to take advantage of investment. VIEA can tap into a network of provincial and federal contacts who have already developed relationships in the countries where Canada has strong trade relations. The process is targeted to investors in specific countries who are already running businesses or invested in the sector in question. VIEA has prepared several business cases in the areas of eco and cultural tourism, aquaculture, wood waste and clean technology. The business cases paint a picture for investors of why they should consider Vancouver Island — beyond “it’s a great place to live” — and include advantages like the Island’s abundance of industrial land, infrastructure with plenty

Topics for the 2019 Summit include: Food and shelter — making a difference Foreign trade opportunities Marine tourism and conservation Skilled labour — overlooked sources Climate change mitigation & adaptation

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of capacity, access to ports, and good transportation systems. The cases, which also detail operations costs, the Island’s workforce, support programs, real estate values, and more, have inspired local entrepreneurs like Mike Williamson. He and three partners launched Cascadia Seaweed after learning that one of Vancouver Island’s largest opportunities was in coastal aquaculture, particularly ocean plants. This new company is aiming to become one of Canada’s largest producers of highquality seaweed. Fast-growing, ocean-friendly, nutrient-rich kelp will be the first crop, sown in December 2019 and ready for harvest just six months later. Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood is partnering with Cascadia on harvesting and preliminary processing. The Island is the ideal place from which to launch a global seaweed empire, thanks to a combination of pristine waters, good legislation, and sound infrastructure, along with an everincreasing global demand for seaweed. Seaweed cultivation will put equipment and people that aren’t engaged in fishing anymore back onto the water. Growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, and onward shipping will be done within communities up and down the Island.

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With the world’s population projected to hit 9.7 billion by 2050, food pressures will continue to increase, and much more food is going to come from the ocean, says Williamson. North Americans are just beginning to wake up to the appeal of sea plants, but Asians have been cultivating and consuming them for centuries. “We believe we can profitably compete at a very large scale with the best in the world.” – MIKE WILLIAMSON, CASCADIA SEAWEED

ISLAND GOOD — LIFE AFTER THE PILOT PROJECT In 2018, VIEA released the results of the Island Good initiative, a six-month collaboration among Island-based grocery chains (Thrifty Foods, Quality Foods, 49th Parallel Grocery, and Country Grocer) that measured the willingness of shoppers to buy locally produced goods. A multi-media ad campaign and point-of-sale messaging in 45 stores reminded consumers that buying locally produced items is good for

jobs, the economy, and sustainability — and more importantly, pointed them towards items branded “Island Good” to show they were produced here on the Island. The retailers tracked the sales of the items included in the campaign and on average, sales increased by 16.4 per cent. VIEA President George Hanson says, “The results were astounding — beyond anything anyone could’ve imagined — and so we moved on to trademark Island Good and and license

ISLAND GOOD LICENSEES How’s the campaign been so far? VIEA recently asked this question and was delighted with the responses from licensees, which included words and phrases like “huge success,” “we love,” “excited,” “pride,” and “important.” Here is a selection of the responses.

TAMMY AVERILL Marketing Manager, Country Grocer

ROBYN BARCHEN Marketing, Level Ground Trading (Victoria)

PAUL KLEINSCHMIDT Owner, Yeshi Dressing (Mill Bay)

SARAH ROSS Operations, Pepper’s Foods (Cadboro Bay)

WHY WE JOINED  We are Island owned and operated, so being part of Island Good made sense for us!

WHY WE JOINED  We wanted to support Country Grocer, one of our best customers.

WHY WE JOINED  We believe in buying local and supporting local business.

WHY WE JOINED  It is a large part of our identity to always support Island products.

RESULTS  We’ve strengthened our partnership with local stores and joined a network of likeminded people.

RESULTS  Joining Island Good in response to retailer requests has helped us to expand our business.

RESULTS  Giving our local artisans, farmers and butcheries a greater platform benefits the entire community.

RESULTS  It has increased sales and visibility for our Island suppliers.

Small business health and safety — what you need to know Access the new small business manual and other resources at worksafebc.com/smallbusinessweek 44 DOUGLAS

Cindy Stern — the forestry consultant heading up VIEA’s waste wood pilot project — at a cut block near Port Alberni.

producers and retailers to use the brand.” (And VIEA has just announced a three-year partnership with Tourism Vancouver Island to help ensure that tourists find Island Good wherever they go!) In 2019, increasing numbers of food producers, processors and retailers are joining the Island Good movement. It’s not clear whether consumers are buying into the idea that they are stakeholders in the economy, or they just want to get the freshest produce, but the brand’s success to date shows, without a doubt, that consumers love to buy local. Attendees at the 2019 State of the Island Economic Summit will be able to judge the campaign’s success for themselves in a delicious way: VIEA has pledged, for the second year, to serve only Island Good products at every meal during the two-day event. WOOD WASTE You can’t accuse VIEA of not being able to see the forest for the trees. Since its earliest days, the organization has been discussing ways to diversify Vancouver Island’s traditional economic reliance on forestry and wood industries. But it’s a complicated issue that doesn’t have one simple solution. In 2019, VIEA launched a new pilot project to explore ways to make better use of the Island’s forests, specifically the material traditionally known as waste wood, which represents a tremendous opportunity. After an area has been harvested, plenty of wood material tends to be left behind. It’s called waste wood, but as forestry consultant Cindy Stern explains, “It’s only waste if you don’t use it.” In reality, this material represents a viable source of fibre, which is in demand worldwide for a variety of uses. “What we’re trying to do here [is] to some extent change the mindset of how forestry is done, so that we’re no longer just creating waste. We’re actually utilizing as much as we can so it’s all a valued product,” she adds. The two-year pilot program, facilitated by Stern, is just getting underway with

participation from a number of stakeholders, including Cowichan Valley Regional District, the municipality of Lake Cowichan, the Qala:yit Community Forest, and Khowutzun Forest Services. In the first two months, the partners have been sharing information about what kind of ideas, new technology and innovative approaches are being explored to deal with waste wood. Then they will design one or more studies in specific areas in order to gather information on how this material can be used. The goal is to find ways that this formerly wasted wood can be used, processed and have value added here on the Island. What it will be turned into and where it will be sold remain to be seen; however, this is definitely a project that fits squarely into VIEA’s long-game process. ■

VIU Welcomes New President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Deborah (Deb) Saucier

An accomplished neuroscientist, dedicated educator and experienced administrator who is Métis, Deb Saucier is deeply committed to student success, Indigenous education, reconciliation and community engagement. She has worked at institutions across the country as a psychology professor, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, dean, provost and vice-president, and, most recently, president of MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.

“I would like to help VIU strengthen the achievements of the last decade, particularly related to the university’s engagement with Indigenous learners and their communities, and increase the prominence of VIU’s variety of programs, particularly in the communities that we serve, so that we can meet our commitment to providing access to high-quality education.”

Visit gov.viu.ca/president for more details. 12-08-8101

DOUGLAS 45

B.S. HOW SMALL BUSINESS CAN CUT THROUGH THE

With so much business research, education and media focused on big businesses, small businesses often get steered in the wrong direction. Douglas talks to experts who understand small businesses need their own rules. B Y K E R R Y S L AV E N S

46 DOUGLAS

long-held myth is that small businesses are just like big businesses, except with smaller payrolls, lower sales, fewer assets and fewer problems. Those who buy into this myth believe, therefore, that small businesses should play by the same management rules as the big guys. But that’s mostly B.S. pedaled by people who have never owned or managed a small business. The truth is, small businesses are different. Typically categorized as companies with 99 paid employees or less, small businesses are not only more vulnerable to market fluctuations and changes to tax rates, interest rates and labour laws, they simply do not have the resources that big businesses can often rely on to weather the storms. And that means they have thinner margins for error.

8 MYTHS ABOUT RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS

WORK ON YOUR BUSINESS, NOT IN IT You’ve heard that phrase before: Work on your business, not in it. In fact, most small business owners need to do both, walking a balance beam between developing strategy and sweeping floors. Whereas big-biz CEOs may employ teams to help with day-to-day business needs, small business owners need to juggle budgeting, HR, payroll, customer service and myriad other tasks. Now, you may be asking, “What’s the big secret?” When do I get to work on my business? How do I actually get to delegate so I focus on the strategic thinking?” “The short answer is that it’s a slow, painful, circular process,” says Clemens Rettich. A senior manager of business consulting and technology with Grant Thornton LLP, Rettich has counselled

many businesses, small and large, in a variety of sectors, from retail to tech. “The Japanese have a phrase for it: It takes a thousand raindrops to make an ocean — and it just takes time. It’s an iterative process — what we refer to as the virtuous cycle or circle.” What that means, he says, “is that you do a little bit of delegation so you can work a little more on the business. If that works, then you free up a few more resources so you can delegate a bit more and get to be a bit more strategic, and so on. It’s not about ‘I’ll delegate a whole bunch so I can immediately become entirely strategic and everything’s going to be roses.’” Of course, adds Rettich, you can accelerate that process if you can find someone who is prepared to invest in your business, but that comes with its own risks and rewards, which we’ll talk about later in this article. Despite the frustrations of trying to carve out time and resources to work on your business, there is a big advantage to being small. As a small business owner, you’re closer to the front line, which provides deeper insight into your operations. And small business owners often enjoy unique relationships with customers that simply can’t be replicated in larger corporations. That’s huge!

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FAST GROWTH IS MANDATORY AND GOOD Spurred on by wild (and rare) stories of entrepreneurs who started tiny and zoomed to the top in no time, small business owners may chase fast growth. After all, it’s tough to stay patient when you’re putting in long hours and constantly feeling cash-strapped. One of the ways businesses try to accelerate growth is by borrowing, but trying to grow too fast or aggressively can land you with debt that works against you. “People say there’s good debt and bad debt,” says Rettich. “Good debt is when

you’ve developed a great relationship with a lender who’s helped you look at your borrowing based on future sales, continuing contracts or receivables, and there’s a 24- or 36- month runway that makes sense both in terms of the cost of the debt and the money that’s going to come in as a consequence of assuming that debt.” “Bad debt,” he adds, “is not borrowed on the basis of good support from the lender. It’s personal debt, credit-card debt or line-of-credit debt a bank gives you just because you’ve opened an account or whatever. It’s not well-structured debt that has a tight and intelligent relationship to receivables and future sales pipeline growth.” Bad debt, says Rettich, is not contributing to growth. “It’s now corrosive of growth because it’s starting to eat at cash flow in service of the debt.” Before you borrow, create positive relationships with lenders who have

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reputations for working well with small businesses. And do your homework. Businesses can be swayed by promises that “we’re a small business bank,” but remember: When dealing with banks, the bottom line matters. Debt will have to be repaid. For businesses experiencing fast growth that feels uncontrollable, programs like VIATEC’s RevUP may be able to help with common issues like building scalable revenue, ensuring efficient operations and accessing capital.

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EVERY JOB MUST BE FILLED Another issue around growth is thinking you must engage in rapid hiring to keep up. Sure, it’s nice to have someone to answer phones, process invoices and manage people. But don’t be surprised that in the beginning most of those jobs will be done by you, and possibly a small team, off the sides of your desks. And that’s as it should be because hiring employees is a big deal for small businesses. You want to make sure hiring is absolutely necessary before you take that leap, because once someone is on your payroll, you have a responsibility to pay their wages like clockwork, manage the EI and CPP deductions and abide by labour regulations. Ingrid Vaughan, human-resources architect and founder of Smart HR, suggests that, before hiring, you do a gap assessment, ideally with the help of an HR consultant who can see the blind spots and offer advice. Not all gaps are equal, says Vaughan. For example, you may have a huge gap in training and development in an area that isn’t high risk, but if you have a gap in legal and employment standards, that’s an area that could cause you a huge amount of risk. Many employers aren’t aware, for instance, that there’s a legal requirement to do bullying and harassment training. “It’s actually the law,” says Vaughan, “and if you don’t do it you can get in trouble or fined.” Once you’ve assessed where the gaps are and which ones are high risk, you can prioritize. Vaughan often works with clients to create three-year, prioritized HR plans that deal with high-risk issues in a timely manner and set out a road map for tackling other issues. “Then it’s a manageable thing,” she says, “instead of just feeling like ‘I have to do everything and I’m spending all my time doing this and none of my time running a business.’”

Captain Alec Fraumeni of FV Nordic Spirit at age nine, during his first salmon fishing trip.

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Cut 5 or 6 slits into the skin along the body of the salmon. Squeeze lemon juice into the belly cavity of the salmon. Melt butter in skillet, add onions and celery, cook until onions are soft. Remove from heat, stir in breadcrumbs, shrimp, sour cream, fennel and salt. Pack the stuffing mix into the belly cavity and secure with butcher’s twine. Rub outside of salmon with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Grill for about 20-30 minutes on med heat, turning once. Gently unwrap foil and release steam – Careful, it will be VERY hot! Serve on a platter and garnish with fresh lemon wedges and fennel sprigs.

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YOU NEED TO PAY THE BIG BUCKS Many small businesses think they can’t hire good talent because they can’t pay corporate salaries. But Vaughan says employees are not always driven by big paycheques. “For today’s employees, especially millennials,” she says, “money isn’t as important to them as a sense of independence, work autonomy and flexibility. “They would rather be able to work from home sometimes or have flexible hours. That would be more of an attractor than a job that was really rigid but had a higher salary.” Vaughan also points out that millennials want the ability to do lots of different things and do not like to be pigeonholed. What better place for employees who like to do lots of things than a small business, where there are lots of things that need doing? Another big draw is the ability to make a positive difference. “These days,” says Vaughan, “compensation, benefits and workplace perks pale in comparison to impactful work, opportunities to grow and learn, meaningful feedback, and connection

PERKS CAN ATTRACT NEW EMPLOYEES OVER HIGHER PAY Percentage who said the perk would be taken into consideration when choosing a job

to both the company’s purpose and the people they work with.” Says Rettich: “Be a business where people want to work, where they can say, ‘I believe I’m part of something really cool here. I’m going to dig deep and give more because I believe I’m going to be a piece of this journey, and down the road there’s going to be something in this for me.’” And that comes down to workplace culture. “Does culture matter? The short answer is hell yes,” says Rettich. “It’s a big difference maker when you don’t have the money. A powerful culture will buy you a lot of goodwill from your people and a lot of productivity.” But culture is not the soft fuzzy thing people think it is, Rettich says. “Culture is the great equalizer with any size of business. It’s not a happy accident — good culture is thoughtfully built with foundations that consist of safety, belonging, purpose, knowledge and motivation. “Those five powerful drivers of a healthy culture have to be carefully layered in,” he adds, “as you would in building a machine shop or constructing your finances.” What kind of business culture draws people in and reduces employee turnover? A businesses that knows the power of appreciation, whether it’s a formal recognition system or something as informal as stocking the fridge with healthy snacks, keeping a few bikes onsite for lunchtime rides, or taking the time to stop in your busy day and personally thank an employee. “An appreciated employee,” says Vaughan, “is an engaged employee.”

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SMALL BUSINESSES NEED TO THINK SMALL Wrong, wrong, wrong. Work with the reality of being a small business, but do dare to dream and think big. Many of the world’s most successful businesses began as tiny ventures, often out of someone’s garage. Famous examples include Apple, Google, Disney and Mattel. Nike began out of the trunk of

SMALL BUSINESSES ARE MORE FLEXIBLE Are small businesses more flexible than big businesses? Not when it comes to cash flow. In fact, cash flow issues have been the end of many a promising small business. It’s vital to manage your cash flow well, keep your inventory in line with your growth so it doesn’t drain on your cash flow, and collect your receivables on time. “Receivables feed your business, so be diligent about getting invoices paid,” says Joe Collins, CPA, CA and co-founder of Avalon Accounting. “You need to keep your business alive — you’ve put so much time and energy into what’s gone into that invoice. Don’t let things slide.”

founder Phil Knight’s Plymouth Valiant. Whole Foods began out of a small store in Texas. Ben & Jerry’s started out in an abandoned gas station. So set your vision and then take steps to work toward it. And if you decide that your vision is to remain a small business, know that you are part of a movement that is embracing the power of small. An excellent book out this year that offers all kinds of advice for small companies is Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis. While you may have no desire to be a company of just one, Jarvis makes an excellent case for intentionally staying small. His book is also full of advice on how to determine your desired revenue, deal with unexpected crises, keep clients happy and generate ongoing cash flow.

The problem, says Collins, is that while big businesses have accounts receivable people to chase invoices, small business owners may be on their own. If they have a close relationship with a customer, they may feel awkward about trying to collect. His suggestion? Automate the process. “It takes that hesitation out of the equation,” he says. “Many accounting programs, including QuickBooks and Xero, have a functionality where you put a due date on invoices, schedule to send, and if they’re not paid, [the system] sends a reminder, and another reminder every seven days.” “Depersonalizing can sound like a bad thing,” Collins adds, “but I know, as a business owner myself, that you need to automate some of these things so you don’t let your ‘unconfident self,’ the one who worries over losing a client, take over. So take that out of the equation and let it go automatically.” Another reason to stay on top of invoicing? “If an account goes too long without being paid,” says Collins, “your customer tends to devalue your service because the benefit is further removed the more time goes on.”

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YOU’RE ALL ALONE IN IT Running a small business can feel lonely. While you may not have a team of dozens or hundreds, what you do have is an increasingly robust and welcoming local entrepreneurial ecosystem to draw upon. Many savvy small business owners team up with other owners to form advisory groups or advisory boards. Advisory groups are ideal for confidentially sharing information with others who may be going through the same issues and seeking solutions. There are also a huge number of

organizations dedicated to helping businesses survive and thrive. Your local chamber of commerce is a great place to begin, as are organizations specific to your industry, such as VIATEC, Innovation Island, Vancouver Island Construction Association, Destination Greater Victoria and Tourism Vancouver Island. All of these organizations host networking events and most offer educational opportunities for members to learn about industry best practices. Check Eventbrite for business meetups in your area that are appropriate to your business. Another tip: Keep your eyes open for someone who would be a good mentor for your business. A great mentor is worth their weight in gold and should be someone with extensive experience in your field, a track record of success and who shares your values. Having trouble connecting with a mentor? Try MentorshipBC.ca to get a sense of organizations that specialize in connecting people.

THE BENEFITS OF AN ADVISORY BOARD ADVICE A board can challenge your perspective, and offer alternative views — even if it’s not always what you want to hear.

NETWORKING With their industry connections, members of your advisory board can give you access to advice from top experts in their respective fields.

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YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MARKET

products to feature, or a restaurant owner with photogenic menu items? Instagram is a very visual platform. Facebook is a good all-round platform, while LinkedIn is more suitable to B2B businesses. Remember, businesses that are most successful at social media understand it’s for conversations, not for simply posting promotional content. Advertising should also be part of your marketing plan. You want it to be on brand, consistent and compelling. Do research to find

out what your target market reads, watches or listens to, then work with a trusted media professional to craft the right advertising plan for your business. Finally, don’t forget the value of word of mouth that comes with a great reputation built by treating employees, customers and the community like gold. They’ll tell their friends and their friends will tell their friends, and so on. The main takeaway for any small business: Dream big, work to scale, and don’t be fooled by the B.S. ■

POV_Yam_1-2 Page Island_Brand Ad_Scream_X1a.pdf

Wrong. So wrong. You can’t afford not to market. Never before has it been so simple to market your own business and to get your message out at a reasonable cost. The first thing to do is get your brand in order. You don’t have to spend big, but do make sure that you work with a graphic designer to get your company image in good shape. Many independent graphic designers are happy to work with small businesses to build their portfolios. No, they won’t work for free, but new designers often keep their costs in line with the budgets of small businesses. You may argue that design is an unnecessary expense, but we’re living in a design-centric world where image speaks volumes. Invest in a great logo or wordmark and brand identity. Next, develop your online presence. WordPress has excellent templates, but if WordPress is beyond your skill set, Wix is a template-driven solution that allows you to easily create, design, manage and develop your web presence. Another solid platform is Squarespace. Shopify is a great platform for businesses with products to sell.

NEVER BEFORE HAS IT BEEN SO SIMPLE TO MARKET YOUR OWN BUSINESS. Do keep your website up to date, including location and business hours. It’s usually the first place prospective customers go. Next, get your social media in gear. You don’t have to be on every platform; choose the one best suited to your business. Are you a retailer with

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DOUGLAS 53

Expect the Unexpected in Sidney by the Sea What makes Sidney so unique? It could be the incredibly beautiful environment with its stunning views across the Salish Sea, or it might be the clean, safe, walkable streets, or maybe it’s the many fun things to do in Sidney. Most likely it’s all of these, plus all the great shops, restaurants, cafés and professional services available.

“

ll together,” says Devon Bird, owner of the boutique clothing store, Moden, “it’s the full Sidney experience that makes locals and visitors return time and again to our bustling downtown. People leave happy!” As a young, creative entrepreneur, Devon established Moden in Sidney because she felt it was the ideal place to start a new business. “I looked around,” she

says, “and saw many thriving businesses that had been here for years, which meant they were successful. I wanted to be another Sidney success story!” Since starting her business 18 months ago, Devon has been impressed by many things, although two stand out: “I see customers from all over. Many locals come to shop regularly, and we have visitors from around the globe! I think people are

truly looking for the total experience,” Devon says. “They come to shop and then head for a coffee or lunch, maybe even a wander on the beach. There aren’t many places in the world where you can do all that without moving your car!” Devon, along with other Sidney business owners, is also very impressed with the collaborative spirit that exists among the downtown business owners. “People help

one another and regularly cross-market. I love recommending Sidney’s great shoe, accessory or other clothing shops to customers. We’re all in this together, so why not enable customers to have the best possible experience? ” Devon’s not alone in her enthusiasm for Sidney’s inclusive and friendly business culture. Chris Straub, lawyer and partner of Henley and Straub agrees. “It’s all about the customer,” Chris says. “We make every effort to provide the best possible service, and, of course, sometimes that includes making a referral to one or more other fine businesses. It’s an incredibly welcoming, responsive and helpful business environment.” Murrae Wilson is another passionate Sidney business owner. She opened

Le Petit Lapin, an eyelash and waxing boutique that features other services and locally made jewellery. She agrees that Sidney is a “great” place to do business and is delighted to see so many other young entrepreneurs settling into Sidney. Behind all these exceptional business ventures, the Sidney BIA and the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce creatively market, promote and support businesses in Sidney and on the Peninsula. “We are so fortunate,” says Morgan Shaw, Executive Director of the Sidney BIA. “We have an extraordinary array of businesses and are always happy to assist others who may be interested to learn more about Sidney’s thriving business community.”

Left to right: Chris Straub, Henley & Straub LLP; Devon Bird, MODEN Boutique; Murrae Wilson, Le Petit Lapin Boutique; Abbey Lopez, Studio A Hair & Beauty Bar; Marc Bourdon, Gravity Insurance Brokers; Anna Savage, Cottons & Blues; Todd Wiebe, Salvador Davis & Co

To arrange a tour or learn more, contact Morgan at morgan@sidneybia.ca or check out sidneybia.ca.

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“You look at Ruth or you listen to her, and you know she’s talking from the heart. She’s genuine. She’s original.”

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JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

— Moussa Magassa of Magassa Intercultural Capacity Building

ARE WE GETTING IT YET? How one woman from Nigeria is leading the charge towards a more diverse, inclusive, equitable Victoria. BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI

n Saturday, March 30, 2019, more than 170 people from the business, government, non-profit and post-secondary realms gathered at Royal Roads University for The Inclusion Project 1.0. It was a full-day event from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. to discuss issues around gender equity, racial inclusion and youth engagement. Speakers included Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps; Mitzi Dean, parliamentary secretary for gender equity; Dr. Chris Kilford, director of the Canadian International Council; and Catherine Holt, CEO, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. “I was astonished at the turnout,” says Holt. “But what it showed me was that there were a lot of people experiencing a lot of frustration in Victoria in trying to connect. That was a real insight from my perspective.” Holt wasn’t the only one who was astonished. So was Ruth Mojeed, founder of The Inclusion Project (TIP). But just as astonishing is that Mojeed, who has only been

in Victoria since 2015 — when she arrived from Lagos, Nigeria as an international student to attend Royal Roads University — was able to convince so many of the region’s influencers to gather in one place.

A POSITIVE FORCE People who know Ruth Mojeed describe her as a force of nature. She’s a catalyst, disrupter and bridge-builder and, by all accounts, a brilliant networker who has engaged Victoria’s inner circle with grace and humility. “She’s an amazing woman, period, full stop,” says Mayor Lisa Helps. “She’s just been an amazing addition to our community because she brings with her absolute intelligence and skill and experience and also a global perspective.” Mojeed is noted for directness. “She’s pretty fearless at naming and describing things that make people a little uncomfortable, but in a way that invites conversation about it instead of being accusatory,” says Holt.

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(Left to Right) Asiyah Robinson and Patrick Woo meet with Ruth Mojeed at the Victoria Foundation to discuss the vision and strategic plan for the future of The Inclusion Project.

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Sandra Richardson, Victoria Foundation CEO, is widely credited for having the foresight to hire Mojeed for a six-month internship, a position that didn’t exist until Mojeed walked into Richardson’s office. “I was struck by her values, focus and commitment to building an inclusive community. She is a positive energy,” says Richardson, adding that Mojeed taught them about their community through the lens of a newcomer. “She was courageous in asking challenging questions about recognizing educational credentials, job opportunities, issues of gender equality,” says Richardson. “She has taught us that one person can make a difference.” It’s a good thing Mojeed got that internship. “Being with the Victoria Foundation was what really sealed my stay in Canada,”

says Mojeed, “because if I didn’t get that opportunity, I probably would have gone back to Nigeria.”

COMING TO CANADA Mojeed grew up with the goal, common among Nigerians, to complete her undergrad degree, work for a few years, then go to the U.K. or France. She was studying French to prepare for Europe when someone mentioned Canada. She confesses that, previously, she thought Canada was part of the U.S. “I say Victoria picked me because there was no world in which I would have thought I wanted to come to North America,” she says. “It was all last minute. At the time I was applying, Royal Roads was one of the very few schools that had anything close to what I wanted to study, with its MA in Intercultural

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and International Communication.” Another point in Canada’s favour: A non-profit Mojeed had worked with had a Vancouver branch. “Then I got here and realized, ‘Oh, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, two completely different things,’” she laughs. “I didn’t know anybody. I had no connections to the community whatsoever.” But what she found at Royal Roads fascinated her: orderliness, accountability and a real introduction to a global community. “It was a shock, but, at the same time, it was showing me that a different world is Promotional logotype possible, a different world where chaos is not Used our the orderin of the day national and where you could live your life.” campaign and brand After all, she grew up in a big, busy, chaotic marketing materials. The place.

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“Typically, when you hear about Nigeria, it’s that experience, but also from the employer about the corruption. It’s about the terrorism. perspective, because employers are always Especially the corruption. It’s something that’s telling me they are having a tough time eaten really deep into the fabric of society.” attracting and retaining workers in Victoria.” Sift through that, she says, and you’ll In frustration, Mojeed used her networking find Nigerians are some of the world’s most skills and her “spirit of Nigerianness” to create accomplished and educated people, known to TIP, with the goal of getting everyone to the be very industrious, focused and dedicated and table to talk about issues and take action. imbued with what Mojeed calls “the spirit of “The same opportunities I have gotten in this Nigerianness” — an ability to make something community — to have that replicated in better out of chaos and still be hopeful. ways and bigger ways in government, across “Nigerians are known to be quite assertive. the country, in business, in civil society, with We can be very determined, and that’s not to educational institutions bridging the gap — that say every Nigerian is like that. I just haven’t is our goal.” placed any limitation on myself,” she says. WHY THIS MATTERS NOW “These are things I’m bringing from there.” People have been talking about inclusion in She calls herself a Victorian Nigerian. “I Victoria for a long time, so why are people like to say these days that I did not realize listening now? how Nigerian I was until I came to Canada. “Ruth came at the right time and she I appreciate more that society that I come finds herself at the right place,” says Moussa out of, now that I’m here, because I see the Magassa. “Her project, her personality, differences.” everything came to the right place, at the right That six-month internship at Victoria time.” Foundation led to a B.C. public service role. Magassa knows. He has been working in Currently, in addition to her work with TIP, this realm in Vancouver and Victoria for a long Mojeed is an equity and communications time. He is a human rights educator at UVic, consultant and TV talk-show host. a member of the associate faculty at Royal But before you pat yourselves on the back, Roads, and an instructor at UBC’s Centre for thinking Mojeed is evidence that Victoria is Intercultural Communication. He is also the welcoming to newcomers, understand this: Her experience is not the norm. Far from it, in fact. And that’s “This conversation around diversity, how TIP got started.

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inclusion and equity is key nowadays all over Canada. [Ruth is] bringing a topic that is current, that is on everyone’s mind. And she is able to say it in a way that is very appealing and inviting.”

Although Mojeed secured an internship, she saw her classmates and other newcomers struggling to find placements, which forced many to return to their home — MOUSSA MAGASSA, HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATOR countries. It made her angry, especially when so many companies here boast about being diverse, civilian co-chair on the Greater Victoria Police inclusive, equal opportunity employers. Diversity Committee and owns a consulting “You have a different accent. You have a company, Magassa-Intercultural Capacity different skin colour. Your experience is not Building. exactly what they’re used to, so you don’t “This conversation around diversity, inclusion end up getting that job ... even jobs in the and equity is key nowadays all over Canada. service sector. And they’re talking about equal [Ruth is] bringing a topic that is current, that is opportunity.” on everyone’s mind,” says Magassa. “And she is That’s providing you get an interview. Most able to say it in a way that is very appealing and don’t. Then there’s the “Canadian experience” inviting. She invites them in and that’s crucial. barrier. She does not say, ‘Give it to me, give it to me.’ Holt agrees there is a disconnect. She says, ‘Here is something I want to do, and “There are all of these international students I thought you might be the best person to bring arriving in Victoria. They go through the poston board.’” secondary system here. They get comfortable It’s also because of Ruth herself. with the culture, with the language and “You look at Ruth, or you listen to her, and they’re looking for employment and find it you know she’s talking from the heart. She’s very difficult,” says Holt. “So what are the genuine. She’s original,” he says. “I have lived barriers in their way? It was a very pertinent and worked in Victoria for many years with question both for those students going through many people, and I have lived and worked

in Vancouver for many years and all over the world, but I can count how many Ruths I have met in my life on my fingers.” Magassa says a key reason inclusivity is important now is that smaller cities are especially susceptible to white nationalists and white supremacists. “Once they are in a small community, they can do real damage,” he says, noting recent issues in Quebec. “Small communities like Victoria are very appealing to those kinds of groups.” That kind of damage is social but also economic: Newcomers won’t invest in places they don’t feel welcome. “That’s why, in Victoria, we need to take action and now,” he adds. It’s a point Helps also makes. “When intolerance and incivility and all of these things are on the rise, it’s important to put a stake in the sand and say, in our city, we know inclusion is important, not only socially but also economically.” Helps believes Victoria has an opportunity to be a small powerhouse and even a global influencer. She references the Victoria Forum, held in November 2017, which focused on diversity and inclusion. “The research that came out of it was that not only is it better socially, for social

integration and inclusion and creating a sustainable inclusive community, but also — and I think this is what people, particularly the business community here and abroad, are starting to see — that companies actually make more money. They have a stronger bottom line if they have more diverse workplaces.” In her keynote address at TIP 1.0, Helps said a one per cent increase in ethno-racial workplace diversity leads to a one per cent increase in productivity and a 2.4 per cent increase in revenues. “In Victoria right now, we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, and so every single workplace, whether it’s a café or a hightech firm, is in need of workers,” says Helps. “I think there’s a real opportunity to send a signal to people who are choosing Canada from other countries, whether they’re newcomers or refugees or both, that Victoria is a place where we need people to work in various industries.”

but she is concerned about what it will take to keep it going. “[Ruth] has put an enormous amount of her personal energy, effort, time and connections and everything she could bring to it, to put The Inclusion Project together, to start the conversation,” says Holt. “Now she’s putting the same level of time and energy into keeping it going. I think that’ll be the real challenge.” Mojeed says if “traditional holders of power” don’t step up to the plate, youth definitely will. Her upcoming TIP Labs will be amplifying some very bright young voices, and she will be supporting them every step of the way. “This is a program you either get with or it leaves you behind,” she says. ■

ARE PEOPLE GETTING IT? While Mojeed is certainly having an effect in Victoria, it’s early days to know whether people really get it. “I think people are open to getting it,” says Mojeed. “But in terms of how it plays out, time would be the best way to tell.” Holt calls TIP “an amazing accomplishment,”

Read more about inclusivity at douglasmagazine.com “Inclusivity Done Right” looks at the steps FreshWorks Studio and other local businesses are taking to be more inclusive. “The Inclusion Project: Upcoming Labs” introduces Asiyah Robinson and Teka Everstz of The Inclusion Project.

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Top Retreat Trends for

2020 When it comes to company retreats, gathering everyone in the boardroom for a speech about teamwork isn’t going to cut it anymore. Make your retreat memorable and foster team building with these fresh trends.

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Experiences Over Events Instead of planning an event, create an experience for your team. Millennials now make up 35 per cent of the workforce and, according to Eventbrite, three out of four of them prefer experiences over things. That means your retreat should be experiential if it’s going to be effective. Stimulation and interactivity are key, whether you’re touring vineyards or art galleries, ziplining over the treetops or helping a charity build housing. Creating memories together fosters long-lasting bonds and increases personal connections — something that’s more important than ever, given that advances in technology often mean less face-to-face time between team members and departments.

Focus on Plant-Based Menus Planning an experience means creating something for each of the senses — including things to thrill the taste buds. Much of the world is trending toward plant-based eating (something else attributed to the influence of millennials) — and this global shift looks like it’s here to stay. This movement means vegan cuisine is having a moment, with chefs and venues offering innovative and exciting dishes. Why not up the experiential factor by gathering your team together for a vegan cooking class? You can even add an experiential element by working with a local forager to gather ingredients for a team meal — and even ask the forager to do a presentation on the found edibles.

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Go Ahead and Gamify your Event Gamification gets everyone’s attention. With the tech era squashing attention spans, event planners are having to deal with the “entertain us” attitude from attendees. Instead of fighting it, many planners are turning to gamification to re-engage audiences. “To gamify means to take the mechanics of a game (like challenges, point systems, completion bars and narratives) and give them non-gaming applications in workplaces,” writes Kaitlin Colston of Endless Events. “It works by accessing the emotions and the motivations of attendees — because, at heart, we like to collect, complete and compete.”

Workplace Wellness

Sustainability

Mindfulness and wellness are big

An eco-friendly mindset is trending everywhere, from fashion and travel to food, so it’s no surprise we’re seeing sustainability as an important consideration for meetings and retreats. It’s easy to make your team-building retreat green-minded. Try biking to venues or renting a fleet of electric cars. Be sure to use biodegradable or recycled materials for any mementos, such as T-shirts or tote bags. Offer sustainable, local or fair-trade food options and donate leftover or unused items — such as food, flowers and beverages — to community organizations. like homeless shelters or senior living facilities. Making eco-conscious decisions is something your employees can be proud of, a sure morale booster.

buzzwords this year. As employers try to combat poor mental health and sedentary lifestyles, wellness initiatives are becoming popular elements of corporate retreats and team building. To incorporate wellness moments into your retreat, try a morning or midafternoon meditation, lunchtime yoga or a walk-and-talk icebreaker. Take the wellness theme further by fully focusing on mental and physical well-being at a full-day retreat that nurtures lifestyle changes. Not only will employees have a chance to work together as a group, a wellness retreat will help them to release and manage stress and instill healthy habits.

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Audience polling is also considered gamification because people love to have their opinions noted and like to find out how they compare to others. Platforms like PollEverywhere.com transform one-sided presentations into two-way conversations and let you embed interactive polls right into a presentation. The audience responds on the web or via SMS texting.

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JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

Gamification may be as simple as awarding points toward prizes for the highest participation in everything from networking sessions and brainstorms to roundtables. Or it could be a new take on the scavenger hunt using the app Scavify.com. Scavenger hunts boost teamwork and get people out and about and energized.

Prizes for games are important, of course, because a big part of the psychology of gamification is that there will ultimately be some form of reward. Games are an ancient way to bring people together with purpose, so why not use our inherent desire to compete to energize your event?

Inspire MEETINGS THAT

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Tips to Find the Ideal Speaker for Your Event

Looking for a keynote or guest speaker for your event or retreat? Here’s how to find the perfect presenter.

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lanning and executing a conference, company-wide meeting or retreat can be daunting. You want to start off strong, to set the tone for the rest of the event and get your attendees to buy into its purpose. That’s why you want to choose a keynote speaker who helps create the mood you want and sends the message you want your audience to hear.

Striking the Right Note “The best part of bringing in a guest speaker is getting a different perspective — or a similar perspective delivered in a different way,” says Andy Spurling, president of Proline Property Management. “Sometimes it’s nice to bring in a guest speaker who’s delivering something that isn’t obviously or directly relevant to what you are doing … It can be nice to have somebody come in who presents a new idea that gets people thinking, or a new technique or experience.” So how do you find quality speakers who are local or willing come to Vancouver Island?

The (Potentially Pricey) Speakers Bureaus Speaking bureaus can be great time savers when it comes to finding quality talent. The National Speakers Bureau was Canada’s first and represents “newsmakers, thought leaders and icons.” There is also Keynote Speakers Canada, headquartered in Vancouver, which represents Canadian

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The speaker you choose will set the tone for your event.

industry experts, athletes and entertainers. GigSalad, started in 2007, was originally a simple online directory and now bills itself as a booking marketplace for performers and event service providers from across the U.S. and Canada, some of whom are based in Victoria and Nanaimo. Keep in mind that these bureaus are booking agencies, and therefore fees will likely be much higher than if you were to book a speaker directly.

Smart Sources for Speakers Alternatively, local educational institutions also have experienced public speakers, from worldfamous physicists to leaders in athletics, entrepreneurship and culture. The UVic Speakers Bureau is a community service featuring faculty, staff, graduate students and retirees who teach, conduct research, study and work at the University of Victoria.

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Features of the Mary Winspear Centre • The Charlie White Theatre (seats 310) is known as one of the premier community performance theatres in the province • 8,100-sq.-ft. Bodine Hall, (seats 900), complete with an 18-ft. vaulted ceiling and wood beams, performance stage, drop screen, lighting and sound system • 5,000-sq.-ft. outdoor courtyard, large commercial kitchen • Intimate executive style boardroom • 2,000-sq.-ft. gallery space perfect for exhibitions and receptions • 4 breakout rooms offering natural lighting, 9-ft. ceilings, attractive flooring, accent walls and wet bars • Catering services available on-site, off-site catering also permitted

Sidney Off-site Venues, Accommodations & Amenities • Over 300 hotel rooms in Sidney •V ictoria Distillers, located along Sidney’s waterfront. Group tours and tastings available. • Aquarium available for private dinners and cocktail receptions amongst the displays • Outdoor activities including whale watching, fishing, kayaking and standup paddle boarding • Over 350 unique shops and services

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INNOVATIVE WAYS TO

BREAK THE ICE W H AT:

BUILD A TOWER W H Y:

Compel people to collaborate from the start.

“It can be nice to have somebody come in who presents a new idea that gets people thinking — or a new technique or experience.” — ANDY SPURLING, PROLINE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Business visualization expert Tom Wujec delivered a now-famous TED Talk called “Build a tower, build a team” about the marshmallow challenge. Here’s how it works: Divide your team into groups of four. Give each team one marshmallow, one yard of string, one yard of tape and 20 sticks of spaghetti. Their challenge? To construct the tallest freestanding structure they can in just 18 minutes. According to Wujec, “There’s something about this exercise that reveals very deep lessons about the nature of collaboration.”

W H AT:

EXPLORE COMMON COURTESY W H Y:

Quickly discover what team members have in common. Common Courtesy is a 10-minute game where people are divided into groups of four. Each group focuses on things they have in common (obvious things like eye colour aren’t allowed) and find all of their commonalities before the other teams do or before the clock runs out. At the end of the game, teams share their commonalities with the larger group. W H AT:

PLAY WHODUNIT W H Y:

Encourage socializing. Pass out sticky notes to each person in the group, and ask them to write down one thing they’ve done in their lives that most people wouldn’t guess they have done. Put the sticky notes in a bowl and mix them up, then pass the bowl and ask each person to draw a note and try to guess which group member did that thing. In other words, whodunit? 70 DOUGLAS

You can also review the course listings at Royal Roads University, Camosun College and Vancouver Island University to find speakers in subjects that fit the theme of your event. Contact the schools’ media departments to inquire about booking one of their instructors.

The (Sometimes Dodgy) Online Hunt If you hope to find a speaker simply by searching online, remember that it’s hard to get a sense of whether they will be the perfect fit for your meeting. “It’d be pretty risky to bring in someone you haven’t seen [in person] before,” Spurling says. If you decide to take the risk, do your research and do a preliminary interview with the person first.

The (Good Old-Fashioned) Face-to-Face Connection Locally, one of the best ways to find a speaker who will impress you is to join organizations that make sense for your business — the Family Business Association

Vancouver Island or your local chamber of commerce, for example — and then attend their events. Talking to speakers he’s seen in action has been Spurling’s preferred approach.“It’s also a nice way to reach out,” he adds. “‘I saw you at X event, and I really liked what you did, and here’s what we’re doing.’ It creates a pretty seamless conversation.” Of course, if you’re looking for someone ASAP, asking for referrals from people you trust and who know your company, can give you insight into who might be your best match on short notice.

Who to Choose? Once you’ve honed in on a few options, think about what you want from your speaker. Do you want someone whose message dovetails nicely with your event’s raison d’être or do you want someone who can shake things up and make attendees think outside the box? Carefully scouting your speaker well in advance and preparing them will make your event purposeful and memorable.

Connect + Collaborate Whether you’re hosting a seminar, conference or intimate professional gathering, The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria offers more than 7,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, as well as a dedicated planning team, revitalizing food and beverage breaks and thoughtful amenities that ensure that attendees can be at their best. To book your stay or for more information on planning your event with Westin, visit westin.com/yyjwi or call 250.391.7183

©2017 Marriott International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest SPG, Westin and their logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc., or its affiliates. For full terms and conditions, visit westin.com/yyjwi

Bring your meeting to Victoria

Planning, organizing, and delivering on a meeting, conference or event is cause for reward—especially when it takes place in your own beautiful city. A local host who successfully brings a business event to Victoria can receive 1% of hotel guest room revenue paid back to the host organization or their organization’s foundation.

Ready to Bring It? It’s easy to become a host. We’ll provide you with all the tools and resources you’ll need to make it happen. Simply send an email to localhost@tourismvictoria.com or fill out the form at tourismvictoria.com/localhost

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ME E TI N G S M A RTS

Could Poor Air Quality Be Causing Sleepy Meetings? There’s a good chance it’s the CO2 levels, according to some researchers.

Ever gathered your team in a room for a meeting and felt annoyed when, half an hour in, your team seems sleepy and dull around the edges? Heads up: It’s not their fault. In a 2012 study by the University of California’s Berkeley Lab and SUNY Upstate Medical University, researchers put subjects in a room for two and a half hours and exposed them to varying levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) to test their decision-making abilities. Humans exhale CO2, so put a bunch of them in an enclosed space and the result is greater concentrations of the gas than outdoors, where CO2 levels average between 300 and 400 parts per million (ppm). The more people there are per unit of

space, the faster the CO2 levels within that space will rise. During the experiment, the researchers exposed subjects in three rooms to CO2 levels of 600, 1,000 and 2,500 ppm and made them take decision-making tests at each level. The researchers found that at 1,000 ppm, human performance declined between 11 and 23 per cent. At 2,500 ppm, performance declined between 44 and 94 per cent, a result that shocked the study authors. The good news? CO2 levels quickly diminish when using the appropriate ventilation strategies — and those tired, dull employees will soon become energetic again.

Here are some air-quality solutions:

If you don’t have an office ventilation system, ventilate naturally by opening doors and windows to allow greater amounts of oxygen inside and to allow carbon dioxide to circulate out. It’s particularly effective to position fans with their back toward the window, so they’ll blow fresh air into the room. They don’t need to be flush with the window to circulate air.

At the very least, allow for breaks, so people can move out of the room and air can circulate in. Encourage them to take their breaks outside, weather permitting.

If it’s within your control and budget, consider investing in an office ventilation system. Consult with a professional to determine which system is best for your climate and office.

If you do have a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, keep it well maintained. Have it inspected every year or so to ensure it is working properly. So the next time you are faced with a sleepy, uncreative team, open a few windows and let in some fresh air. You may be surprised how fast your team comes to life and gets innovative.

B O O K REV I EW

The Surprising Science of Meetings A provocative new book reveals how you can lead your team to peak performance in meetings. A recent study suggests U.S. employees endure 55 million meetings a day, and according to the new book The Surprising Science of Meetings by Steven G. Rogelberg, PhD, there’s lots to gripe about. Topping the list of complaints: Meetings that fail to engage inadvertently encourage participants to tune out and blatantly disregard participants’ time.

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Most companies and leaders view poor meetings as an inevitable cost of doing business, but researchers now have a clear understanding of the key drivers that can make meetings successful. In his book, Rogelberg — a researcher and consultant to some of the world’s most successful companies — draws from extensive research, analytics, data

mining and survey interviews with over 5,000 employees across a range of industries. He shares practices and techniques to help managers and employees enhance the quality of their meetings. For those who lead and participate in meetings, Rogelberg provides direction, guidance and relief, offering a how-to guide to energize meetings for better results.

The Best Apps for Planning Your Meetings and Retreats First Agenda can manage all your meetings and tasks in one place. You can collaborate, assign tasks, add due dates and keep track of your team’s progress.

Aventri helps businesses of all sizes across various industry verticals to manage event planning. You can create events, manage and customize sessions and agendas, manage speakers and generate customized reports. Features include email marketing, event surveys, networking and matchmaking, a seating-plan manager, budget management, room and resource inventory management, and venue and hotel sourcing.

BoardBookit creates better, more efficient ways for your board of directors to manage board business and to get the information they need to fulfill their responsibilities.

24me is a personal assistant for small- to midsized events. It includes integrated calendars, to-do lists and notes. It automates events by keeping your tasks and schedules in one place and sending reminders.

Slido is a robust Q-and-A polling platform for company meetings and events to engage attendees and help you find out what your audience really thinks.

Planning Pod is a massive collection of amazing tools for event planning. In just one place, you’ll have access to tools for attendee management, productivity, team collaboration, business management and customization. You can arrange seating, register guests, build event websites and manage a guest list. It can help create schedules, budgets, to-do lists and calendars too.

Boomset is an app for checking in registered conference guests. The app allows for fast check-ins to reduce lines and includes walk-in registration features for attendees who have not pre-registered. You can even print customized badges or wristbands for your event by using the Boomset web platform.

Socio offers gamification features to help ensure attendees are present and engaged once the event actually starts. Socio’s Event Game allows you to incentivize attendee actions by creating challenges and rewarding points when actions are completed. For example, you could award 100 points to each attendee who connects with 15 other attendees via the app, or award 25 points to everyone who checks in and receives your free gift bag.

HOSTING

MEETINGS & RETREATS

Located on beautiful Salt Spring Island, the Harbour House Hotel offers the perfect backdrop for your next meeting or retreat. • Full-service restaurant with 160-person capacity • 200-person event centre • 55 guest rooms • Complimentary 9 passenger shuttle

saltspringharbourhouse.com

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DIRECTORY Meeting and Conference Facilities HOTELS AND RESORTSI VICTORIA CITY CENTRE

Prestige Oceanfront Resort Sooke prestigehotelsandresorts.com

Bedford Regency Hotel bedfordregency.com

Quality Inn Waddling Dog qualityinnvictoria.com

Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites chateauvictoria.com

Ramada Victoria and Convention Centre victoriaramada.com

Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel coasthotels.com Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa delta-hotels.marriott.com Fairmont Empress (The) fairmont.com/empress-victoria Hotel Grand Pacific hotelgrandpacific.com Hotel Rialto hotelrialto.ca Hotel Zed hotelzed.com

Sandman Hotel Victoria sandmanhotels.com Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa (The) sidneypier.com Sooke Harbour House, Resort Hotel sookeharbourhouse.com Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa (The) bearmountain.ca

QUALICUM BEACH Qualicum Beach Inn qualicumbeachinn.com COURTENAY/COMOX Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community crownisle.com Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa kingfisherspa.com Old House Hotel & Spa oldhousevillage.com QUADRA AND CORTES ISLANDS Hollyhock hollyhock.ca Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge capemudgeresort.bc.ca

WILDPLAY ELEMENT PARKS

Deep Cove Chalet deepcovechalet.com

University Club of Victoria (The) club.uvic.ca

Deep Cove Winery deepcovewinery.ca

University of Victoria/CARSA uvic.ca/carsa

TOFINO/UCLUELET

deVine Wines and Spirits devinewines.ca

GULF ISLANDS

Best Western Tin Wis Resort bestwestern.com

Goward House Society gowardhouse.com

Harbour House Hotel saltspringharbourhouse.com

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort blackrockresort.com

Harbour Air Seaplanes harbourair.com

Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyjmcvictoria-marriott-inner-harbour/

Poets Cove Resort & Spa poetscove.com

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort wildretreat.com

Hatley Park National Historic Site hatleypark.ca

Oswego Hotel (The) oswegohotelvictoria.com

COWICHAN VALLEY

Long Beach Lodge Resort longbeachlodgeresort.com

Horticulture Centre of the Pacific hcp.ca

Best Western Cowichan Valley Inn bestwesternvancouverisland.com

Middle Beach Lodge middlebeach.com

IMAX Victoria imaxvictoria.com

Victoria Conservatory of Music vcm.bc.ca

Honeymoon Bay Lodge and Retreat honeymoonbayretreat.com

Pacific Sands Beach Resort pacificsands.com

Kildara Farms kildarafarms.com

Victoria Curling Club victoriacurlingclub.com

Wickaninnish Inn (The) wickinn.com

Legacy Art Gallery uvac.uvic.ca

Premiere Suites premieresuitesvictoria.com

Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay oceanfrontcowichanbay.com

Victoria Public Market at The Hudson victoriapublicmarket.com

Royal Scot Hotel & Suites royalscot.com

Villa Eyrie Resort villaeyrie.com

Strathcona Hotel strathconahotel.com

DUNCAN

Huntingdon Manor huntingdonmanor.com

Vancouver Island & the Islands

Inn at Laurel Point laurelpoint.com Magnolia Hotel & Spa magnoliahotel.com

Parkside Hotel & Spa parksidevictoria.com Paul’s Motor Inn paulsmotorinn.com

Swans Hotel swanshotel.com Union Club of British Columbia (The) unionclub.com Victoria Regent Waterfront Hotel & Suites victoriaregent.com GREATER VICTORIA Accent Inns Victoria accentinns.com Best Western Plus Emerald Isle bwemeraldisle.com Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa brentwoodbayresort.com Comfort Inn & Suites Victoria comfortvictoria.ca Four Points by Sheraton Victoria Gateway marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyjfp-fourpoints-victoria-gateway/ Howard Johnson by Wyndham Victoria wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/victoriabritish-columbia/howard-johnsonhotel-and-suites-victoria-elk-lake/ overview Lodge at Weir’s Beach (The) thelodgeatweirsbeach.com Oak Bay Beach Hotel (The) oakbaybeachhotel.com

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CAMPBELL RIVER April Point Resort & Spa aprilpoint.com

Ramada Duncan duncanhotel.ca

Dolphins Resort dolphinsresort.com

NANAIMO

Sonora Resort sonoraresort.com

Best Western Dorchester Hotel dorchesternanaimo.com Coast Bastion Hotel coasthotels.com Grand Hotel Nanaimo (The) thegrandhotelnanaimo.ca Inn on Long Lake innonlonglake.com Vancouver Island Conference Centre viconference.com PARKSVILLE Bayside Oceanfront Resort (The) baysideresortparksville.com Beach Acres Resort beachacresresort.com Beach Club Resort (The) beachclubbc.com Pacific Shores Resort & Spa pacificshoresbc.com Sunrise Ridge Waterfront Resort sunriseridge.ca Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre tigh-na-mara.com

Painter’s Lodge painterslodge.com OFF-SITE VENUESI GREATER VICTORIA Alix Goolden Performance Hall vcm.bc.ca/alix-goolden-hall Ambrosia Centre on Fisgard ambrosiacatering.ca Art Gallery of Greater Victoria aggv.ca Bard & Banker Public House bardandbanker.com Bird’s Eye Cove birdseyecovefarm.com Blue Grouse Estate Winery bluegrouse.ca Butchart Gardens (The) butchartgardens.com Canoe Brewpub canoebrewpub.com Church & State Wines churchandstatewines.com Coastal Offices coastaloffices.com Crag X Climbing Centre cragx.ca Craigdarroch Castle thecastle.ca

Mary Winspear Centre marywinspear.ca Merridale Estate Cidery & Distilleries merridale.ca Ocean River Sports oceanriver.com

Unsworth Vineyards unsworthvineyards.com Vancouver Island Technology Park vitp.ca Victoria Butterfly Gardens butterflygardens.com Victoria Conference Centre https://www.tourismvictoria.com/ meetings/victoria-conference-centre

Vista 18 Westcoast Grill and Wine Bar vista18.com Wheelies Motorcycles wheeliesmotorcycles.ca Zambri’s zambris.ca

Olympic View Golf Club olympicviewgolf.com

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Orca Spirit Adventures orcaspirit.com

BC Forest Discovery Centre bcforestdiscoverycentre.com

Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence pise.ca

Fairwinds Golf Club fairwinds.ca/golf

Raincoast Business Centres raincoast.net

Parksville Community Centre parksvillecentre.ca

Robert Bateman Centre (The) batemancentre.org

Qualicum Beach Civic Centre qualicumbeach.com/civic-centre

Royal BC Museum royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre quwutsun.ca

Royal Roads University royalroads.ca

Vancouver Island Conference Centre viconference.com

Saanich Commonwealth Place saanich.ca

Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit islandmotorsportcircuit.com

St. Ann’s Academy National Historic Site stannsacademy.com

Vancouver Island University Deep Bay Marine Field Station viu.ca/deepbay

Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre sofmc.com

West Coast Expeditions westcoastexpeditions.com

Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse seacider.ca

WildPlay Element Parks wildplay.com

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea salishseacentre.org

Conference and Meeting Support Services

theDock thedockvictoria.com The Pedaler Cycling Tours thepedaler.ca

AUDIOVISUAL/STREAMING Bigtime Special Enterprises bigtimespecial.com

Hotel Rialto The Marco Polo Room — the room with everything you need. Tucked away inside the Hotel Rialto, our private dining and meeting space is completely customizable. The room can be fully catered for breakfast, lunch and dinner by our in-house chef, and our event planner is available throughout your function. Centrally located in downtown Victoria, the Marco Polo room is perfect for: Seated dinners • Networking events • Product launches • Board meetings Our dedicated staff is ready to impress your guests and host meetings to remember. 250.383.4157 | 1.800.332.9981 events@hotelrialto.ca www.hotelrialto.ca

Gather. Connect. Grow. Vancouver Island Conference Centre is an award-winning event venue conveniently located in vibrant downtown Nanaimo. VICC is an ideal environment for reflection, networking and decision making. With awardwinning facilities, dedicated staff and a full range of complimentary services, we will help you create memories that last. Let us help you plan your next event. • • • •

Meetings Conferences and conventions Trade and consumer shows Special events and festivals

250.244.4050 www.vicconference.com

Inn at Laurel Point — New Spaces Our one-of-a-kind meeting areas feature ocean views and lots of natural light. Our new Hunt, Martin and Mackenzie meeting rooms are ideal for strategy meetings and more concentrated huddles. With over 10,000 square feet of fully equipped event space available for annual conferences or galas, corporate meetings, once-in-a-lifetime wedding receptions, and anything else you might need, you’ll be glad you returned to the Inn.

250.414.6733 salesandevents@laurelpoint.com www.laurelpoint.com

The Dock: Meeting Space in the Centre of Community The Dock meeting and event space is centrally located in Downtown Victoria, accommodating meetings and events for up to 60 people. Our space is on the top floor, has south-facing windows, skylights, secure bike storage and parking close by. Affordable and with all the amenities you would expect, The Dock is an office, meeting and event space for people, organizations and businesses that are making a difference in Victoria and the world. Book your time with us at www.thedockvictoria.com. Operations Manager manager@thedockvictoria.com www.thedockvictoria.com

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BT Media btmedia.ca DL Sound dlsound.net Four Frames Photo Booth fourframesphotobooth.com Freeman Audio Visual freemanav-ca.com Media One mediaone.ca Sensational Sound sensationalsound.ca Sound Advice Production Services soundadvice.bc.ca SW Event Technology sw-online.com Vosh Video Vision voshvideovision.com CATERERS Bread and Butter Catering breadandbuttercatering.ca Charelli’s charellis.com Cheryl’s Gourmet Pantry cherylsgourmetpantry.com Custom Gourmet customgourmetchef.com Degrees Catering degreescatering.ca Food for Thought Catering foodforthoughtcatering.net

Island Culinary Service islandculinaryservice.ca

Douglas Signs signsvictoria.ca

Smashing Glasses Event Rentals smashingglasses.ca

DSA Media Network dsamedia.ca

Kitchens of Distinction Culinary Arts chefshirleylang.com

Garside Signs & Displays garsidedisplays.com

Triple T Party Rentals tripletparty.com

Global Tents globaltents.ca

EVENT PLANNERS

Ecology of Design in Human Systems ecologyofdesigninhuman systems.com

Blue Lily Event Planning bluelilyevents.com

Engaged HR engagedhr.com

Brink Events brinkevents.ca

Get the Picture getthepicture.ca

LiveWire Catering livewirecatering.ca London Chef (The) thelondonchef.com Plates Eatery & Catering platescatering.com RedCan Gourmet redcangourmet.com

Insite Event Design insiteeventdesign.com MiniMax Media minimaxmedia.com Showtime Event & Display showtimedisplay.com Sign Zone (The) thesignzone.ca

Spice of Life Catering spiceoflifecatering.ca

SignAge Nanaimo and Comox Valley signagecanada.ca

Toque Catering toquecatering.com

Signs of the Times signsofthetimes.ca

Tria Fine Catering & Gourmet Eats triafinecatering.com

Talon Signs talonsigns.com

Truffles Inspired Catering trufflescatering.net Vancouver Island Event Catering vieventcatering.com Victoria Distillers victoriadistillers.com Victoria Events Services joethebartender.com Wandering Mollusk (The) wanderingmollusk.com

MacGillivray & Associates macgillivray-associates.com

All In One Party Shop Event Rentals allin1partyshop.com Black & White Rentals & Events bwparty.com C&C Party Rentals ccparty.ca Decorate Victoria decoratevictoria.com

Geffen Gourmet Catering geffencatering.ca

Black and White Event Rentals bwparty.com

Pedersen’s Event Rentals pedersens.ca

House of Boateng houseofboateng.ca

De.SIGNS Nanaimo designsnanaimo.ca

Scene About Town Party & Event Rentals scene-about-town.com

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is situated on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, offering 133 guest rooms, Fetch Restaurant, Float Lounge, Wild Bean Cafe, Drift Spa (with designation from Leading Spas of Canada) and expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. Meeting amenities include a ballroom to host 80 guests, wine cellar to host 50 guests and Surge Boardroom to host 10 guests. Planning a retreat? Ucluelet offers many team boosting opportunities from whale watching, kayaking, surfing, yoga and wellness offerings. Contact our sales team today to book your visit!

250.361.5663 meet@chateauvictoria.com www.chateauvictoria.com

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Every Aspect Management aspect.bc.ca

EQUIPMENT RENTAL SERVICES

Gala-Van Party Shop gala-van.com

Offering both a 20-person boardroom and an 800-square-foot multi-purpose room — as well as eight penthouse hospitality suites — the Chateau Victoria’s meeting spaces provide unmatched versatility, convenience and value. Located in the heart of Downtown Victoria, the recently-renovated meeting rooms include contemporary AV equipment, generous natural light and in-house catering options ranging from pots of coffee to large group meals. Impress and inspire your colleagues by booking your next meeting at the Chateau Victoria.

Details Planning & Event Design detailsbc.com

Titanium Tents titaniumtents.com

DISPLAYS, SIGNAGE, TENTING

Stylish Meeting Rooms in the Centre of Victoria

De Armond Management dearmondmanagement.com

Lewis & Sears Marketing and Events Management lewissears.com

Galloping Gourmet Catering gallopinggourmetcatering.ca

596 Marine Drive, Ucluelet, BC sales@blackrockresort.com 1.877.762.5011 www.blackrockresort.com

Chemistry Consulting chemistryconsulting.ca

Monica Powell Event Management monicapowellevents.ca National Speakers Bureau nsb.com Smart Events International smartevents.mk Tides Destination Group tidesgroup.com Triple T Consulting & Events Management tttconsulting.ca FACILITATORS & SPEAKERS Boost Potential boostpotential.ca

Ingrid Bergmann and Associates ingridbergmann.ca ProSpeakers prospeakers.com WestCoast Facilitators Group and Dialogue Centre westcoastfacilitators.ca University of Victoria Speakers Bureau uvic.ca/communications/ speakersbureau/ MUSIC SERVICES Alexander’s Music Service alexandersmusicservice.com Hiway Productions DJ Services djpro.ca KGDJ Professional Disc Jockeys kg-dj.com PrimeTime DJ Services primetimedjservices.com RSM Productions rsmproductions.com Vancouver Island Disc Jockeys weddingwire.ca

Discover Cowichan during Eat. Stay. Play. Come and explore the incredible food, endless adventures, and unforgettable places to lay your head - all just an hour north of Victoria. And this November, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all part of exclusive packages and getaway offers during Eat. Stay. Play.

Visit tourismcowichan.com/eat-stay-play

Tasting Launch Event Meet the makers at our Eat. Stay. Play. Launch Party. Friday, Nov. 1 6-9 pm

Harley Rustad, author of Big Lonely Doug, stands atop the stump of an ancient Western redcedar tree found in the oldgrowth clearcut around Big Lonely Doug, Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second largest Dougas-fir tree (which stands at 66-metres tall), near Port Renfrew.

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OLD GROWTH NEW IDEAS BY ANDREW FINDLAY

PHOTO BY TJ WATT

OLD-GROWTH LOGGING AND RAW-LOG EXPORTS CONTINUE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, BUT CRITICS SAY BIG-TREE TOURISM IS A FAR MORE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC FORCE FOR OUR FUTURE.

DOUGLAS 79

IN 2005, A YOUNG TJ WATT STOOD AT THE BASE OF AN ANCIENT CEDAR IN THE WALBRAN VALLEY. A few determined rays of sunlight pierced to the forest floor, illuminating electric green moss in pools of light. Branches, filigreed with lichen, arced above like the flying buttresses of a Gothic cathedral. Watt was moved by the sheer beauty of these old-growth giants and also by the realization that most Vancouver Island valley bottoms, like the Walbran, located outside of existing parks and protected areas, had already been razed to stumps and replaced with relatively scraggly second growth. Roughly 1.5 million hectares, or about 75 per cent of the original two million hectares of productive old-growth forest on Vancouver Island has been cut, according to the conservation group Ancient Forest Alliance. “Going to the Walbran completely blew

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my mind. Walking through this forest with thousand-year-old trees was stunning,” says Watt, who grew up in Metchosin and was no stranger to places of natural beauty. “But we had driven through miles and miles of clear cut forest to get there.” Four years later, he and a friend were driving up and down logging spurs in search of tall trees in the Cowichan Valley, a part of southern Vancouver Island that boosted the past fortunes of logging giants like MacMillan Bloedel. Toward the end of a so-far-fruitless day of big-tree hunting, they neared Port Renfrew and spotted huge cedar candelabras poking above the canopy next to the Gordon River. They drove up a side road for a few kilometres, parked, then walked downhill, back toward the river, into an almost magical world. “I knew right away we had found something special,” Watt recalls about the moment he first encountered the cedars of what would soon become known as Avatar Grove. It was remarkable given that this grove of massive trees was less than a half hour’s drive from Port Renfrew, on a road that almost anyone could manage in a low clearance, twowheel-drive vehicle, yet likely wasn’t known by anyone other than some foresters and local Indigenous Pacheedaht people. Avatar Grove, named for the then just-

TJ WATT

TJ Watt looks up at a monumental Western redcedar tree in unprotected Eden Grove in the Pacheedaht Territory near Port Renfrew. Ninety-six per cent of the valley bottom oldgrowth forests on the southern Island have been logged, making this one of the most significant (and rare) tracts.

released James Cameron blockbuster movie, proved Watt’s knack for coming up with catchy and marketable names. (Recently, he was party to another big tree find near Port Renfrew, this one of moss-covered maples and Douglas firs — they called it Mossome Grove.) It triggered a feverish conservation campaign and the launch of a new non-profit, The Ancient Forest Alliance, with fellow activist Ken Wu. “It was wild. People started visiting Avatar [Grove] by the thousands, and media coverage went viral — locally, nationally and internationally,” Watt says. The rest is history. Avatar Grove got protected, and its international popularity eventually resulted in sleepy Port Renfrew rebranding itself as the “Tall Tree Capital of Canada.” Thanks in large part to the tall-tree hunting efforts of Watt, fellow conservationist Ken Wu and others, more and more people, and not DOUGLAS 81

just tree hunters, are beginning to view big trees left standing as more economically valuable than trees that have been cut down and turned into lumber and paper. It’s also a sign of the times. RAW LOGS: WHAT’S THE REALITY? Vancouver Island’s forest sector is far from what it used to be. Local manufacturing capacity was in decline even before 2003 when Gordon Campbell’s Liberal government scrapped a provision in the Forest Act called appurtenance — the requirement that companies with tenures to harvest Crown forest, or publicly owned forest, must operate mills in communities located within the geographical area of given tenures. In a 2018 study for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, longtime forest policy analyst and former Vancouver Sun journalist Ben Parfitt took a sweeping 82 DOUGLAS

look at raw-log exports and mill closures. Between 2013 and 2016, approximately 26 million cubic metres of raw logs were shipped out of B.C., and old growth accounts on average for half of raw-log exports. In 2016, the volume of raw log exports jumped 6.2 per cent year-over-year, according to Parfitt’s research. The three largest exporters of raw logs happen to be big players on Vancouver Island: Western Forest Products, Island Timberlands and TimberWest Forest Corporation. (TimberWest and Island Timberlands were affiliated in 2018 under the umbrella of Vancouver-based Mosaic Forest Management.) In 2016, TimberWest, which owns 327,000 hectares of timberland on Vancouver Island, sent more than two million cubic metres of raw logs out of the province. As raw-log exports rise, manufacturing capacity stalls. Since 1997, roughly 100 mills have shut in B.C. Parfitt gathered numbers from BC Stats

Mike Beltgens on the landing deck of his family-owned sawmill in Chemainus. Jemico Enterprises is one of the biggest producers of hardwood lumber, such as alder and maple, in B.C. The family also owns a planer mill specializing in high-quality kiln-dried lumber and green timber.

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DR. JASON MAYCOCK DR. TOBY VALLANCE DR. MANDY LETKEMANN DR. NICHOLAS CATCHUK OPTOMETRISTS

CREATIVITY CLOAKED IN DELICIOUS DETAILS

CLIENT: MAYCOCK EYECARE PUBLICATION: DOUGLAS MAGAZINE - AUG/SEP SHIPPING DATE: JUNE 2019; AD SIZE: 4.94”business x 4.7” PRODUCED BY FORM CREATIVE T: (250) 589 5966

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showing that the forest industry shed 22,400 jobs over the past decade, mostly in lumber and pulp and paper manufacturing. Parfitt’s math claims 3,600 of those job losses are due directly to raw-log exports. The decline of Vancouver Island’s forest sector is writ large in Campbell River. In 2008, TimberWest shut its sawmill, putting 257 people out work, and the following year closed its sawdust, pulp and container board division, resulting in another 440 job losses. Then, in 2010, Catalyst Paper closed its Elk Falls paper mill and axed 350 workers from its payroll. Today Campbell River, a city that’s proximate to some of the planet’s most productive temperate conifer forests, watches as barge and shiploads of raw logs sail past its shuttered mills destined for the Lower Mainland booms, many

Data breach

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visit: megsonfitzpatrick.com/blog/data-breach/ DOUGLAS 83

“We’re developing markets and technology to add value. As a Canadian, I feel we should be developing something to bring manufacturing jobs back to Canada.” — KAMAL SANGHERA, PRESIDENT, THE SAN GROUP

of them eventually shipped to offshore mills. Parfitt says this decline has taken on an obscene twist at the Harmac Pacific pulp mill near Nanaimo where a dearth of fibre, a byproduct of the sawmilling sector that was once plentiful on Vancouver Island, has forced the company to chip raw logs to feed its operations. So what gives? Parfitt says the reasons are complex. The removal of appurtenance had

an impact. Downward shifting global demand for newsprint and paper is partly to blame. However, many of the big companies like TimberWest have made conscious business decisions not to reinvest in modern coastal mills and instead go for the low value, easy dollar from raw-log exports. Though domestic buyers are supposed to have the right of first refusal to buy B.C. logs, exports continue to climb.

The B.C. government recently announced changes to the Forest Act that will give the province more control over forest tenures, and Premier John Horgan has even hinted at bringing back appurtenance. Speaking at the annual Truck Loggers Association last January, Horgan noted that “employment on the coast has declined by about 40 per cent. “Lumber production has dropped by 45 per cent, pulp production by 50 per cent,” Horgan said. “At the same time, log exports from Crown land have increased by nearly tenfold.” But Parfitt believes a return to a local manufacturing regulation that died more than 15 years ago is a long shot and says the industry would likely fight it. He says he hasn’t heard anything substantive coming out of Victoria that will stem the tide of raw-log exports, curtail the cutting of increasingly rare Island

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old growth or stimulate investment in modern local mills, measures environmental groups like the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Wilderness Committee have been calling for in recent years. Pam Agnew is spokesperson for Vancouverbased Mosaic Forest Management, the firm that assumed management of timberlands owned by both TimberWest and Island Timberlands following an agreement struck in 2018. She is clear about the direction of these Island timber companies. “We don’t manufacture. We sell logs to mills,” Agnew says. According to Parfitt, there’s also a sociodemographic shift at play in once raw-resourcedependent communities that has resulted in forestry jobs and policy dropping from its position as public issue number 1 like it was back in the 1980s and early 1990s when the War in the Woods raged in Clayoquot Sound. “Many people are moving to Vancouver Island to retire or for other lifestyle attributes like recreation,” Parfitt says. “The last thing they want is a new mill to open up in town.” FORESTRY IS STILL A FACTOR Still, all things considered, forestry hasn’t faded from Vancouver Island’s balance sheet. There are currently 140 wood-processing operations, employing 4,000 people and generating more than $1.7 billion in annual revenues, according to the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA). At a June 20 Island Wood Industry Forum sponsored by VIEA, the hot topics were improving access to fibre and stimulating value-added manufacturing, with specific focus on pressure-treated lumber, glulam and crosslaminated timber and wood-fibre insulation. In April, as part of its forest-industry rejuvenation efforts, VIEA announced a $100,000 Waste Wood Recovery Project that will explore ways to better sort waste wood and make more of it available to manufacturers. The message from VIEA is that despite the transformation of Port Renfrew from resource to tall-tree tourism, there are still many Vancouver Island workers who derive a living directly or indirectly from forestry. It’s bread and butter for Paul Beltgens, an industry veteran whose family founded Paulcan and Jemico Enterprises in Chemainus in the mid 1980s, specializing in the milling of both softwoods and local hardwoods, like maple and alder. The exodus of manufacturing jobs in the form of raw-log exports angers Beltgens, who has worked in the forest sector since he was a teenager on the MacMillan Bloedel payroll. “The bottom line is, I don’t like to see logs exported,” says Beltgens, from his Chemainus operation, which employs roughly 40 people when it’s going full throttle.

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“We used to be a leader in the world, and now our big forest companies are owned by pension plans.” Beltgens currently pays $90 per cubic metre for raw logs (roughly one telephone pole’s worth of wood). He sells products across the world, including in Mexico, China and Vietnam. He’s also made a side career over the past few decades managing the installation of sawmills in countries such as Russia, Bolivia, New Guinea and Costa Rica, built in part from machinery and infrastructure cannibalized from mothballed B.C. mills. A NEW VISION

There is a bright spot in Vancouver Island’s forest economy currently shining on Port Alberni. In 2017, San Group, a diverse Langley-based forest products manufacturer, with operations around the world, bought Coulson Forest Products’ specialty cedar mill in Port Alberni. Now the company is nearing completion of a new $70 million processing facility that will have a finger-joining, lamination and small-log line capable of milling logs with three-inch diameter tops. The San Group plant will add more than 130 high-paying jobs to the local economy. Port Alberni hasn’t seen this kind of investment in the local forest products sector in decades. (Since the economic boom days in the 80s and 90s, sawmill production has dropped more than 20 per cent, and pulp and paper is down close to 60 per cent.) While many coastal operators double down on log exports or churning out dimension lumber, the San Group is focusing on valueadded products and technology geared toward smaller second growth. “When you butcher an animal, you try to use every part of the animal,” says company president Kamal Sanghera. “We’re trying to use every part of the log instead of selling two-byfours and two-by-sixes. We don’t go with the grain, we go against it.” The San Group sells to 26 countries around the world, and instead of milling a product and trying to force it down the market’s throat, Sanghera says first they ask their customers what they want. Consequently, the San Group plans to produce a wide range of products from its Port Alberni plant, from window components and fascia to soffit material, bevel and channel siding. “We’re developing markets and technology to add value,” Sanghera says. “As a Canadian, I feel we should be developing something to bring manufacturing jobs back to Canada.” Sanghera calls the exodus of logs from B.C. a “travesty,” and San Group is proof positive that entrepreneurial spirit can still breathe new life into forestry. That’s music to the Port Alberni economy. 86 DOUGLAS

“There hasn’t been a lot of good news in the forest sector around here since I came to Port Alberni six years ago,” says Bill Collette, CEO of the Port Alberni Chamber of Commerce. “The San Group is moving fast, and they will have a significant positive impact.” While Port Alberni experiences a mini-forest economy renaissance, Port Renfrew is headed in a different direction. CHANGING TIMES

Back in the early 2000s, if you had asked Watt if he could ever see himself sitting on a chamber of commerce board, he probably would have laughed in your face. Times change. Today, he’s on the board of the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, an indication that this once logging- and fishing-dependent community is looking at forests through a different lens. Between the Avatar Grove, Big Lonely Doug, Red Creek Fir, San Juan Spruce and the Jurassic Grove, Port Renfrew is enjoying a mini-tourism boom. The community has become a poster child for tall-tree tourism. However, old-growth logging in the Nahmint Valley southwest of Port Alberni continues to put Vancouver Island forest practices in the cross hairs of conservationists and on the agendas of coastal communities. Though the Port Renfrew chamber hasn’t quantified the economic impact, president Dan Hager says anecdotal evidence and conversations with tourists over coffee at Tommy’s Diner suggests it’s significant, alongside sport fishing. “We’re getting people from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the United States who are coming here for the trees. For many of them, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Hagar says. And many chambers of commerce on the Island are voicing support for old-growth forest protection. Fifteen Vancouver Island and Gulf Island chambers of commerce met with provincial officials on July 30 to urge stronger protection of “old-growth rainforest to the economic benefit of tourism-based communities,’ among a half-dozen other coastspecific concerns. Previous to that, in 2015, the Port Renfrew chamber called for the halt of controversial logging in the Walbran. Hager, born and raised in Saskatchewan, doesn’t consider himself a “tree hugger.” He’s more of a pragmatist, willing to look at trees in a different light. “We went against the grain when we said as a community that forestry is not the only way to get value out of tall trees,” Hager says. “It’s like bear viewing versus bear hunting. If you leave these trees standing, people will come again and again. Cut them down, and you’ll make some stuff, but the forest will never be the same.” ■

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CELEBRATE SMALL BIZ Downtown Victoria’s First Annual Small Business Month

mall businesses are the beating heart of Victoria’s thriving downtown core. As part of our first annual Small Business Month we interviewed numerous downtown business owners. We discovered that owning a small business downtown is about care. These local business owners are passionate about caring for their customers, staff, and the wider business community. Their dedication to service creates a welcoming, vibrant, and inclusive downtown. Over the month of October, the Downtown Victoria Business Association will be shining the spotlight on the dynamic individuals behind local businesses.

Meet Andy, Green Cuisine Since becoming a vegetarian at 18, Andy has been inspired by Asian-style vegetarian cuisine. He found the perfect place to share his passion in Victoria’s Market Square. Serving a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan options in a self-serve buffet, Green Cuisine also supplies tofu and tempeh to the Zero Waste Emporium. Green Cuisine was an immediate success when it opened, and has remained a favourite with the West Coast community for nearly 30 years.

Meet Natasha, Armeni Jewelers Carrying on her family legacy of goldsmithing, Natasha is committed to helping her clients find the perfect piece of jewelry. She loves to create custom pieces, believing that working in collaboration with a client’s dream enhances her own creativity. She is inspired by Victoria’s diverse construction, combining modern, vintage, and organic aesthetics in her designs.

This October, we encourage you to explore and enjoy all downtown has to offer. We are partnering with The Zone and hosting radio contests for Twenty Days of Giveaways. Enter to win products and gift cards to support local downtown businesses. Visit www.dvba.ca/smallbiz to find out more and follow our blog to keep up with the Small Biz stories.

Meet Willow, Folk

Willow views her retail space as her place to be creative, arranging her shop displays with the care of an artist. She loves to be part of the bustle of downtown. She and her team are designers, dedicated to challenging myths about women’s bodies and helping their customers find clothing that makes them happy. Folk specializes in women’s casual clothing and accessories.

Meet Jared and Miyuki, JagaSilk

Jared and Miyuki built their tea shop to promote the health benefits of tea. They are dedicated to maintaining the human connection between suppliers and their store. This human connection ensures their products are ethically sourced. With a focus on careful storage and preparation, JagaSilk is a destination for flavour and health enthusiasts.

Meet Kurt, Guitars Plus

Kurt has been pursuing his love of music for most of his life as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Owning a music shop is Kurt’s way of following his passion for music every single day. As an owner of an independent store, he has the freedom to stock small brands like Canadian-sourced Art and Lutherie. Kurt loves helping customers find an instrument that is the best fit for them.

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Meet Raj, Open Space

As the Executive Director of Open Space Art Society, Raj works with artists in a wide variety of disciplines, including visual arts, music, and poetry. Open Space has been part of Victoria’s downtown community since 1972 and is one of the major artist-run centres in the country. Raj’s work is about supporting artists as they develop their craft. He works tirelessly to create a space where the public can freely engage with the arts community.

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WHE N BR E AK FAST IS T H E BUSI NESS

Victoria is famous as Canada’s breakfast capital, a concept proven by the expansion of local eateries like The Village and Floyd’s. Douglas explores why breakfast is such a hot ticket in Victoria and delves into the challenges and successes for the restaurateurs. BY CINDA CHAVICH 90 DOUGLAS

PHOTO BY BELLE WHITE

hen Jason Chan purchased The Village in Oak Bay in 2012, the Estevan neighbourhood café was popular but not thriving. Chan knew he could use his restaurant experience to help the business reach its full potential — and turn a quick profit — but something more profound happened in the process. Re-imagining The Village and focusing it on the morning “daypart” turned Chan’s approach to restaurants — and life — on its head.

Switching The Village’s business model to become breakfast-forward created the recipe for success. The Village recently opened its fifth Greater Victoria location on Store Street in Chinatown.

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“We’ve rediscovered our own roots as human beings,” says Chan, describing how he and business partner Brian Bobiak literally changed the way they work since entering the breakfast business and making their mantra local sourcing and healthy employee relations. They’ve since turned that single neighborhood haunt into five bustling, breakfast-forward cafés — the latest to open is on Store Street in Chinatown — with five new employee-partners invested in both their

philosophy and their day-to-day operations. Instead of focusing strictly on profits, Chan began to think more about people — the people who worked for him, the people who supplied his ingredients and the people in the neighbourhood who became his customers and community. Serving breakfast taught him how to run a profitable restaurant with holistic, sustainable and altruistic ideals underlying every decision, and that’s paid off both personally and

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professionally. The breakfast business has brought him true work-life balance. “If you met us five or six years ago, you’d see that this has had a huge impact on our lives,” says Chan. “Having to be up early has transformed us — self improvement just happened.” These young restaurateurs have also tapped into a trend that’s growing across the country. According to a recent Technomic consumer survey, 78 per cent of the college-age generation Z diners enjoy ordering breakfast all day, leading to growth in the breakfast and brunch offerings on many menus. Breakfast has become “trendy again,” the 2018 Restaurants Canada report notes, especially with millennials who are “now the largest category of foodservice spenders in Canada.” CAPITAL OF BRUNCH The Village is just one success story among many in the thriving local breakfast business scene that rules in Victoria’s restaurant realm — and has earned the city the title of Brunch Capital of Canada. Take a walk almost any morning and you’ll find a hungry horde queuing up outside Victoria’s Jam Café, waiting for that first jolt of java and something poached or scrambled alongside a fresh

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BELLE WHITE/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

The Village’s Italian Benny with garlic-roasted mushrooms, Parmesan, almond-oregano pesto, green onions and hollandaise.

buttermilk biscuit. It’s the same scene at The Blue Fox Café, a longtime breakfast joint set among the historic storefronts along Fort Street. You can’t get a table at Shine and it’s standingroom only at Agrius. Meanwhile, The Ruby is slinging rotisserie chicken hash and duck confit waffles at two locations — just another typical Tuesday in the capital. But who are these devoted, crack-of-dawn diners? A quick survey of any popular breakfast spot — or line up — uncovers all kinds, from students to seniors, millennials to moms, earlyrising office workers to bleary-eyed bartenders. Since Victoria is a tourist town, it’s not surprising that we have an abundance of choices for leisurely morning meals. But somewhere along the line breakfast became “a thing” for locals too. Rebecca Wellman, author of First We Brunch: Recipes and Stories from Victoria’s Best-Loved Breakfast Joints, speculates that there’s an “economic factor” behind the breakfast boom. “Victoria has a lot of students and young entrepreneurs who may not have the funds to do big dinners,” she says, “but they do breakfast and lunch meetings in restaurants every day.” “The most prominent demographic in the brunch crowd is 20- to 35-year-olds. Brunch makes a very leisurely group gathering. It’s

JO-ANN LORO/ DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

“Relationships are all about sowing seeds; Richard does this well.”

almost as though it’s replaced dinner.” Breakfast is also a social time for families and retirees. And though cheques may be smaller, tables are turned faster, so owners can see profits that equal or even exceed evening dining, and servers make good tips. “A lot more people can afford to go out for breakfast,” says Jim Walmsley, owner of Victoria’s Jam Café, where lineups are constant from the 8 a.m. opening to the 3 p.m. closing. “We have 50 seats, but they’re turned seven or eight times a day, so our cash outs are almost as much as a nighttime place.” And because Victoria is such a hospitality industry town, that breakfast rush also may be coming from those chefs, cooks and servers working the late shift, says Petr Prusa, owner of Floyd’s Diner. “We have tons of restaurants and tons of people who work late at night,” says Prusa. “Breakfast is the only time they can go out to eat.” Adds Bobiak,“Breakfast doesn’t discriminate. It’s for everyone — 90 minutes of entertainment for 20 bucks.” WORKING THE BREAKFAST SHIFT Staffing can also be easier for breakfast restaurants in Victoria’s tight labour market. Employees start the day early and most breakfast cafés close by mid-afternoon — convenient hours that avoid the split shifts and late nights that face many restaurant workers. “The hours are attractive; staff definitely love

“A lot more people can afford to go out for breakfast,” says Jim Walmsley, owner of Victoria’s Jam Café, where lineups are constant from the 8 a.m. opening to 3 p.m. close.

it,” says Walmsley. It was the morning shift that first attracted Prusa to the breakfast business. A single father, he started with a coffee shop and now runs an all-day breakfast empire, with three hot-pink Floyd’s locations, plus a new fuchsia food truck. “It’s a happy place. The menu is fun, and the staff have fun,” he says. “People come in, work eight hours and by 4 p.m. they’re finished.” The culture that Chan and Bobiak have created at The Village is focused on sustainability, especially when it comes to staffing. They pay higher-than-industry wages and have expanded to new locations to share the equity with their long-term employees and offer opportunities for growth. “It’s one of the things that makes our business truly sustainable,” says Bobiak, pointing to the five operating partners who have opened the latest Village locations in Chinatown and Cook Street Village. “The message we want to convey to the industry is that we need to take care of our people. Everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed.” “Our people are really happy and that’s

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why diners come,” adds Bobiak. “It makes the experience enjoyable.” ADDING SUCCESS TO THE MENU They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which may be why many evening eateries are jumping into the breakfast business. At Saveur, chef/owner Robert Cassels specializes in elegant tasting menus featuring seasonal local ingredients, but he also opens the restaurant for breakfast from Wednesday through Saturday. It’s an unusual move for a high-end dining room, but Cassels sees it as a good way to grow his business, introducing customers to his inventive, French-inspired cooking in a relaxed setting. “It was always in the plan to serve brunch,” says Cassels, whose morning offerings reflect his refined skills, ranging from the Egg McDuckin’ duck confit breakfast sandwich and sweet Breakfast Risotto to Eggs Benedict, with beef tenderloin, truffled mushrooms and foie gras hollandaise. “It brings people into the restaurant and offers a more casual way to try things,” he says, noting, that with just 28 seats, brunch adds to the restaurant’s bottom line. It’s also led to new honours — Saveur won in best restaurant, best fine dining and best breakfast categories in YAM magazine’s 2019 Restaurant Awards.

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If you think the breakfast category is saturated in Victoria, think again. Other top tables serve breakfast too. The Courtney Room puts a French bistro twist into their breakfast menu with a Mushroom and Goat Cheese Benedict and Brioche French Toast. Award-winning Agrius blends artisan baking and seasonal organic ingredients in its kale and caramelized onion benny on country bread, and eggs baked Italian-style with sausage,

tomato jam and green romesco sauce. The café breakfast at waterfront Boom + Batten features forno-baked biscuits and breakfast pizza from the wood oven, while the “morning to midnight” Sherwood Café & Bar (from the owners of Habit Coffee) features a carefullycurated breakfast menu, including a smoked salmon benny, poached eggs with chorizo and kale, or a Dutch Baby with berries and almond streusel. At the quick-service end of the dining spectrum, the Victoria Public Market now offers up breakfast/brunch dishes from the vegan “Chicken” and Waffles at The Very Good Butchers, and Pakora Bennies with butter chicken sauce at Vij’s Sutra, to the breakfast hand pies at Victoria Pie Co. “Weekend brunch is just another reason to come out and eat at the market,” says Maryanne Carmack, whose Roast, La Pasta and Taco Stand all have breakfast offerings, including porchetta hash with eggs, double bacon and egg-topped Brunch Carbonara and breakfast burritos. STANDING OUT IN A CROWDED FIELD If you think the breakfast category is saturated in Victoria, think again. There are many restaurants offering an all-day breakfast, but the most successful among them have developed a

following for their unique specialties. At Floyd’s, regulars expect a chuckle from the cheeky menu and come for The Lucky Jack breakfast (served with a Lucky Beer and shot of Jack Daniels) and The Mahoney (kitchen’s choice and then flip a coin to pay double or nothing). “When we started Floyd’s, there were about four or five really good breakfast spots, now there are at least 30,” says Prusa. “It just makes everyone really good at serving breakfast.” Jam Café is known for its big Southern-style breakfasts, featuring homemade biscuits, pulled pork and s’more pancakes — and an eclectic vintage decor. At The Village, the restaurant’s original Jewish deli roots are still evident in the bennies built on potato latkes, challah French toast, cheese blintzes, Montreal smoked meat and spicy shakshuka, all made with Lockwood Farm eggs, Red Barn bacon, and vegetables from Saanich Organics and Square Root Farm. Funky Mo:Le — serving “friends, foodies, hipsters, families, retirees and everyone in between” — is known for its locally-sourced organic ingredients and scratch cooking, from house-made granola and spelt banana pancakes to cold-smoked albacore tuna benny. EYE OPENERS It’s the simple comforting morning meals that bring diners back to their favourite spots for breakfast. And while breakfast cafés don’t need to reinvent their menus with every new season or trend, it also makes them more susceptible to shortages or spikes in commodity prices. “It’s easier to manage regular ordering,” says Prusa, “but if pork bellies go through the roof, there are not a lot of options to absorb food costs.” “Breakfast restaurants only have so many skews, and eggs are on 90 per cent of our plates,” adds Chan, noting any supply problems can literally leave them scrambling. And lineups don’t necessarily mean big profits. “It’s not the way it used to be,” says Walmsley, surveying the crowd queuing outside Jam Café while musing about how the rising cost of fuel, bacon and labour affects the bottom line. “There used to be higher margins in breakfast.” But breakfast is still a winner for these local restaurateurs. “The Village is not about us; we’re lucky to be a part of it,” says Chan, reflecting on the many locals who contribute to his breakfast business. “There is a collective of village people that goes way beyond us. We have a lot of friends and allies in this town.”

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INTEL

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

JIM HAYHURST

This page: Scott Lake and Steven Myhill-Jones canoing at Lake Laberge on the Yukon River. Next page: (from left to right) Scott Lake, Steven Myhill-Jones, Jim Hayhurst and Brad Williams in Whitehorse, Yukon.

ENTREPRENEUR

BY JIM HAYHURST

Life and Business Lessons from the Yukon River When four local tech entrepreneurs set out on a great canoeing adventure on the Yukon River, they learned some important lessons about life and business.

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“J

im, I’m thinking of paddling the Yukon River this summer. Any interest?” Steve Myhill-Jones, who recently sold his company Latitude Geographics, is one of the most disciplined and methodical people I know. When he says he’s thinking of something, it really means he’s pretty much planned it out. I said yes right away. With the addition of our friends (and local tech sector all-around good guys) Scott Lake and Brad Williams, the eightday, 320-kilometre canoe trip north from Whitehorse to the Village of Carmacks promised to be worthy of its own Robert Service poem. And yet, the most surprising and lasting impact of the trip was not so much the adventure itself, but the lessons we uncovered on the river and around the campfire. Lessons not

just about what it means to have a successful and meaningful trip (which we most certainly did), but about business and life. By day three I was collecting metaphors and insights that simply appeared to us on the river unannounced. With long days on the river and a sun that barely set at midnight, our extended conversations illuminated both our juvenile wit (hey, it was four guys in the middle of nowhere) and our natural impulse to find meaning in the mistakes we made and the minor hardships we overcame each day. Of course, “What happens on the river stays on the river.” Nonetheless, here are a few notes I collected, with input from my travelling companions, to consider as your paddle your own way in business and in life.

us all: Time spent paddling does not equal better performance; learning to paddle correctly does. Business Lesson: Entrepreneurs who learned early on the right way to do things usually outperform those with years of building companies on imperfect practices.

JIM HAYHURST

Go all in.

Once we started, there was no turning back. We could not go back up the river and we couldn’t get plucked out partway. We had to finish no matter what. Business Lesson: One can argue whether having a Plan B when starting a business shows a lack of commitment or appropriate risk mitigation. The way we see it, business is a river trip, not a lake trip: If you’re in, you’re in.

The best maps keep it simple and clear.

Most of our campsites were on gravel bars with stunning views. But one day we found ourselves on a high bank overgrown with bushes. “No view!” we complained to no one but ourselves for the better part of an hour, until finally Scott made the call: “Guys, make your own view.” And so, armed with the vintage Western W49 Bowie knives Scott had given us, we went to work. Twenty minutes later, we — and every camper to follow that summer — had a better view of the river. Business Lesson: So often we complain about something — a job, a boss, a competitor impeding our progress — that we forget it’s completely in our control to fix it. Don’t like what you see? Make your own view.

Read the people on your trip, not just the map. Leave the campsite better than you found it.

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Make your own view.

We had a GPS. We had detailed topographical What’s your grizzly bear? maps. But the source we relied on for most of There are bears in the Yukon. Lots of our daily decisions was a hand-drawn map. them. And sometimes that stops people It wasn’t to scale, and it missed a few key from going there. But it didn’t stop us. With features, but on a swift-moving Steve’s guidance, we took river with three other guys precautions (sealing food asking for a quick decision on and carrying bear spray) 8 Bonus Business where to go, it communicated and understood the risks. Lessons from the Yukon what was needed without In the end, we didn’t see extraneous information. Hope you catch fish, but a single bear — not even Brad was especially gifted at pack enough canned when Steve and I hiked up a reading the map and making chicken in case you don’t. mountain covered with bear the right call. poop. But irrational fears Not using the first aid Business Lesson: The can cause you to miss out kit or bear spray doesn’t hand-drawn map reminded along the way or not even mean you overpacked. us of the great pitch decks start on a journey in the first and strategy meetings we’d Don’t take anything place. observed throughout our on the river you’re not Business Lesson: Often careers in business. Succinct willing to lose. they are just stories we and to the point, it helped us tell ourselves — the Weather happens fast. get to a decision quickly and “grizzly bears” of starting Pitch your tent first, then confidently. a business. Are they real? enjoy the view. Sure. But don’t let them Time does not equal Little cuts become big stop you from starting. experience. infections. Take care of Chances are you won’t see Steve had far more years them early. one. And if you do, that’s paddling than me. But I had what bear spray is for. Turn off the phone and a cheat code: As a kid, I get away. People will take learned to paddle an incredibly care of things. The best weather efficient stroke from people who had been taught by the legendary Omer Stringer (look him up). To my fellow Yukon paddlers, it looked like I was barely paddling. And yet my canoe was consistently quick. It was a bit of a revelation to

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report is opening your tent and looking outside.

We checked regional weather forecasts every so often via satellite phone. To be honest, they were

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pretty inaccurate. One or two valleys could make all the difference, and the reports just weren’t that precise. Soon enough, we learned to gauge our decisions against cloud movement well enough that we always made camp before any rain came. And often it didn’t come, even though it was called for. Business Lesson: In business, people sometimes make decisions based on factors like sector trends or macroeconomic forecasts. But be careful of low accuracy/low precision datasets. Usually, it’s far more important — and helpful — to just look at what’s happening around you.

Don’t confuse luck with skill

We hit historic Lake Laberge on day two. It’s a 50-kilometre, two-day grind with the potential for high winds and deadly waves. Some years earlier, the lake had battered Steve’s trip. This year it was like glass for the two days we spent on it. Three hours after we left the lake, the wind picked up and battered those in the legendary Yukon River Quest who were following us, forcing some to drop out of the race. Clearing Lake Laberge with perfect weather had nothing to do with our

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abilities. It was luck. Moreover, it would be foolish for us to have any heightened confidence to tackle it in the future based on that experience. Business lesson: In business, success is about timing, luck and — no matter the conditions — determination. Don’t tell yourself any different, or you’ll find yourself soaking wet.

How Social Media Stories Boost Your Brand DEMONSTRATE A NEW PRODUCT

Design the trip that suits you.

Want to paddle 700 kilometres from Whitehorse to Dawson City in 52 hours? Go for it. But you’ll hallucinate and have to pee in the canoe. Want to drink wine by a fire and eat Scott’s fresh-made naan bread at a beautiful campsite? Then do what we did, but don’t feel intimidated or “less than” when the Yukon River Questers go by. Business lesson: Like paddling the Yukon, entrepreneurship is not just one thing. It’s whatever you need it to be. So what do you want?

INTRODUCE THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOUR BRAND

ENGAGE WITH POLL OR QUESTION FEATURES

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BY CORALIE STERN

Storifying Social Media Facebook and Instagram have both added story features, and many businesses are still confused. How do you leverage stories for your brand?

arketers are increasingly challenged by the short attention spans of our audiences. These days, we typically have mere seconds to relay an effective message to get our brands across. One of the best ways to do this is by taking advantage of the story features that have been added to both Facebook and Instagram.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL MEDIA STORY? A social media story is a photo or video that disappears from the social media platform 24 hours after it’s posted. Stories appear in the top of your 98 DOUGLAS

Facebook or Instagram feeds in a row of photo icons (usually profile photos). When you click on that profile icon you can watch the user’s story or stories to see what that person or business is posting outside of their feeds. Social media giant Snapchat, which has historically been popular with younger generations, was the first major platform to roll out disappearing videos to the masses in 2011, and then stories in 2013. It was reported that Snapchat shut down Facebook’s $3 billion offer to buy the company in 2013. Facebook then sought to make its own version of video stories, which it introduced to

ENCOURAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS TO MENTION YOUR BRAND IN THEIR STORIES

its Instagram platform in 2016. Since then, its usership has more than doubled that of Snapchat. Instagram Stories proved to be such a success that the feature was rolled out on Facebook as well. Now, stories are no longer just for teens. Facebook and Instagram Stories are attracting an expanded usership from all generations.

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WHY BOTHER WITH STORIES? Developing effective and engaging content takes a lot of time and careful consideration and sometimes a considerable budget. So what’s the point in developing content if it’s going to disappear in 24 hours? While it may seem counterintuitive, there are many reasons why you should care about stories. Facebook’s algorithm changes mean you’ve likely noticed a drop in engagement on posts to your feed, which means fewer likes and comments. Having experienced declining interaction with feeds, users are instead posting to stories more frequently, which is resulting in much better engagement. In fact, we’re at a tipping point. The amount of story posts is expected to exceed the amount of feed posts in 2019. Stories are no longer a trend to test but an effective tool that businesses are capitalizing on. More than 300 million people are using Facebook and Instagram Stories daily, and that number is growing. There is something about short in-themoment candid videos that captivate people. Your followers are longing to know more about you. Stories offer you an opportunity to be transparent, get personal, be authentic and build trust with your followers, so they feel connected to you and your brand.

HOW TO POST A STORY  For Instagram, select the camera in the top left corner of your feed, take a photo or video, or share one from your camera roll.  For Facebook, you have to use Facebook’s mobile app and not the Pages app. Select your business page, scroll down until you see “Your Story” and “Add to your story.” Take a photo or video using Facebook’s camera, or you can share one from your camera roll.  Add captions, hashtags or a location and hit share. Voila!

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SIX WAYS TO USE STORIES

➊ Introduce the people behind your brand. Show them behind the scenes at work.

➋ Demonstrate a new product. ➌ Share what’s going on in the office leading up to a big event or launch.

➍ Use hashtags. Since users can follow hashtags, they can see your stories, even if they don’t follow you. This can expand your DOUGLAS 99

reach and following. Just make sure you use hashtags relevant to your brand or industry.

definitely helps elevate your credibility and builds trust.)

➎ Encourage your customers

features on Instagram to engage with your audience and encourage responses.

to mention (tag) your brand in their stories as there’s a function for you to reshare that in your own feed. (This ideally comes in the form of a testimonial, which

GROWTH

➏ Try the stories poll or question

There are a few more features to take your stories game to the next level, including branded story

highlights that last longer than 24 hours. And then there’s Instagram TV, but we’ll have to save that for another day.

challenge you to post a story with a photo or video of this article and tag Douglas magazine on Facebook, or Douglas_magazine on Instagram, and share it.

GIVE IT A TRY

Happy posting!

Who said we have shorter attention spans than goldfish? You’ve read this far! Now that you’ve got stories down, I

Coralie Stern is the founder of LivelyCo, a Victoria-based company specializing in social media and content writing.

BY CLEMENS RETTICH

THE BIG LIES ABOUT FEEDBACK Contrary to what popular business writer Marcus Buckingham says in his newest book, feedback does have value when it’s used in smart ways.

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Recently, the CEO of a successful building trades

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WE ALL NEED FEEDBACK

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FEEDBACK LOOP

Feedback isn’t just telling people what they’re doing poorly or well. It isn’t an excuse for scolding, and it’s not a generic pat on the back. Instead feedback is arguably the most important dynamic in human communication and learning — and automatic feedback is always happening. It’s built into the universe: “Behave this way and this happens next.” Pain is biological feedback intended to prevent us from harming ourselves. The spontaneous laughter of an audience is feedback to the comedian that they are on the right track. We’re surrounded by feedback signals that encourage us to continue or repeat a behaviour — or they warn us to stop. Even when we don’t provide intentional feedback, automatic feedback takes its place. This kind of feedback connects an action with information about that action. Flick a light switch up and the light comes on. Here are some workplace examples: When we do a halfassed job and get paid anyway, that’s feedback. When we put our heart and soul into a team project and it isn’t acknowledged, that’s feedback too. Rinse and repeat.

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DEFINING FEEDBACK

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disagree with Marcus Buckingham. Not a little; a lot. Considering that Buckingham’s work is a foundation for the way I think about management, leadership and relationships, that’s a big deal for me. In articles and interviews supporting his new book Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, Buckingham and co-author Ashley Goodall attack the value of feedback, particularly the annual performance review and the aggressive “just being honest” feedback of the radical candor school. They argue that giving feedback on the behaviour of others — relative to organizational standards or training — is guaranteed to fail. While performance reviews and radical candor can be as bad as Buckingham says, I believe his approach is intellectually dishonest and, in my opinion, appears to be done solely to support his book. To suggest that we can’t provide feedback on the behaviour of others (that we should only use “I” to communicate how we experience their behaviour) calls into question all of the coaching and mentoring in performing arts, sports and business, where it has been clearly demonstrated that if you want a growing organization and thriving relationships, you will fail without feedback.

company told me, “I don’t need feedback myself — I just like doing the right thing. I don’t need anyone else confirming I did a good job.” Yet minutes later, he told me he started in the business as a part-time “guy Friday.” As he tells it, the owner of the company took a liking to him and “One thing led to another and the projects grew, and here I am.” No feedback in that, right? In fact, had the CEO looked closely, he might have identified that the feedback was inherent in how “one thing led to another and the projects grew,” even if no one said a word of criticism or praise.

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ANTI-COMMON SENSE Feedback is also the antidote to one of the most destructive concepts in management: common sense. It’s not that common sense doesn’t — or can’t — exist. If you’re part of a team in which every member is of a similar age, race, cultural background, gender and educational background — and shares values — then yes, you may have a common sense of things. But in the real world, thankfully, workplaces are multi-generational (up to four these days), gender-fluid and multi-racial, with people from all kinds of backgrounds and with all kinds of values. In that world,

there is vanishingly little sense held in common. The word common means shared, so to insist you don’t need to provide feedback because a desired behaviour “should just be common sense” is lazy at best and reeking of privilege and cultural assumptions at worst. Learning and performance happen when we replace the insistence on common sense with clear feedback. They happen when we explicitly set out the right way (the safe way, the profitable way, the respectful way) to do things and provide feedback when a person does them right.

CLOSING THE FEEDBACK LOOP Most of us understand that listening and dialogue are required for real communication. Listening and dialogue are part of feedback. When communication in the workplace fails, most of the time it is because it was “half circle communication,” and the feedback loop wasn’t closed. We sent out a memo. We gave a talk. We wrote a manual. But we never checked back (through listening and dialogue) for understanding, agreement, alignment or if people had the resources to do the job. We just wonder why projects and relationships fail. In the world of change management, the failure to build formal feedback loops into the stakeholder and communication plans is, in my experience, the most common cause for failure. And failure is a powerful form of feedback. So how can you set up a successful feedback process? Here are some tips:

Understand the stakeholder map: Who should be in the feedback loop?

Be transparent and explicit: If something matters, articulate it.

Create frequent opportunities for feedback: Use surveys, team huddles, regular check-ins.

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Express gratitude (feedback on feedback): You don’t have to have to accept all feedback, but you do have to confirm you appreciate it.

Make it effective: Feedback is only effective if it’s immediate, frequent, tied to specific behaviours or outcomes and tailored for the person receiving it.

Keep it (mostly) positive: Research and experience clearly show positive feedback encourages winning behaviours more effectively than negative feedback discourages undesired behaviours.

ANTI-COMMON SENSE So when all is done, Marcus Buckingham has offered much good advice over the years, but, in my opinion, his research manifesto about feedback is not part of that, and this column serves as my feedback. Clemens Rettich is a business consultant with Grant Thornton LLP. He has an MBA from Royal Roads University and has spend 25 years practicing the art of management.

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BUSINESS THAT BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE Started by mid-Island families, all of whom have a family member with a developmental disability, COCO Café is thriving thanks to its philosophy of embracing people for who they are.

Identifying and harnessing people’s unique skills can be a boon to any business, and at the COCO Café in Cedar, it has driven a major success. The Cedar Opportunities Cooperative — or COCO Café — employs 45 people, 22 of whom have developmental disabilities. The café operates as a counter-service, sit-down eatery that trains employees and encourages them to specialize based on their talents and interests — a rare opportunity for people with disabilities living in a rural area with limited local access to any type of life-skills training. “[The cooperative] wanted to create an environment that not only provided employment and training but also socialization opportunities,” says Melanie Atwell, COCO’s executive director. “As people in the rural areas often become isolated, they thought keeping [the café] out here would be good because transportation is hard. After a lot of planning and community support they started the café.” COCO Café consistently ranks in the top five of restaurants in the Nanaimo area on TripAdvisor and often holds the top spot for the region’s best breakfast spot. Employees make everything from scratch and use local ingredients like farm-fresh eggs, whenever possible. Since opening in June 2011 with the help of in-kind donations from local businesses, the café has offered thousands of hours of supported employment to locals with disabilities — 3,300 hours in 2018, up from 1,100 in 2013. That’s made possible due to the café’s popularity, plus a bustling catering and retail operation that runs out of a new 1,000-square-foot professional kitchen to better serve the steady, year-round demand for corporate and wedding catering services. “There’s a buzz in here and everyone is so happy,” says Atwell of the success of the café, which has won multiple Small Business BC awards. “People understand that it’s a training environment and don’t seem to mind if there is a little wait or that it might not be all perfect because everyone here is learning.”

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JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

BY SUSAN HOLLIS

COCO Café gives people with disabilities experience in various roles, including as cooks, baristas, servers and bookkeepers. Employees with developmental disabilities are supported by trained support workers who also work in the café and on the catering team.

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