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Congratulations to our Winners

Business of the Year 1-15 Employees – Sponsored by TELUS PureFibre Winner – Pacific Ridge Landscapes Business of the Year 16 + Employees – Sponsored by Island Savings Winner – Titan Boats Not for Profit Organization of the Year – Sponsored by Casman Properties Winner – Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank Contribution to the Community…

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Do it Right or Do it Over

Gather together a group of business owners or managers today and the topic of conversation naturally turns to the difficulty of recruiting and retaining employees. The first of two articles on these challenges, this one will deal with recruitment issues. The cost to recruit and train an employee for an entry-level position is estimated to…

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Our Economy is Delivered by Truck

You likely have not given much thought to how the items you buy arrived at the store. Almost 90% of all consumer goods (by weight) in Canada are moved, for at least a portion of their journey, by truck. On Vancouver Island that number is much closer to 100% as we rely, almost exclusively, on…

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Building Bridges Between Institutions – Part 3

Employers report that new workers entering the workforce often do not have the skills required to fulfill the terms of their employment. In addition, much of the existing workforce requires retraining to update their skills so companies can continue to compete in the changing economy. Educational institutions and local employers would benefit from a closer…

2017 Crystal Awards Nomination
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2017 Crystal Awards Nomination

Award Criteria by Category [lsvr_accordion toggle=”no”] [lsvr_accordion_item title=”Business of the Year Award:  1 – 15 Employees” state=”open”] Applicants in this category must demonstrate: Continuing business success through: growth (can be revenue/sales, profits, employees, products/services, customer base) employee satisfaction and retention Exceptional customer service by continuously striving to exceed customer expectations, and by delivering high standards…

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It Takes a Region to Raise an Economy – Part 2 of 3

Last month I discussed the strategy of growing the economy by attracting more people to live in an area and suggested the most desirable groups to target based on their ability and willingness to contribute to the overall health of a community are baby boomers, entrepreneurial immigrants and millennials. Now we will look at how…

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Economic Growth through Population Growth Part I in a series

There was a significant shift between the old and new economies that occurred between the 1990’s and 2000’s. The old economy is filled with success stories of companies whose road to prosperity began initially by identifying an inexpensive place to do business in a community with preferential zoning and taxation policies and ideally, an established…

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Shut Up and Listen!

Many years ago I had the privilege to work on a community economic development project with Ernesto Sirolli. Lessons from that project and from his book Ripples from the Zambezi: Passion Entrepreneurship and the Rebirth of Local Economies, have long resonated. His lifelong passion for empowering entrepreneurs is inspirational and instructional when considering how we…