YOUTH Capitalism in the COVID Era
As we enter 2021 with new aspirations and ambitions, many are hoping that the ever-worsening state of COVID-19 simmers down this year as vaccines are being developed and authorized worldwide. With calls to increase lockdown restrictions and new strands of the virus gaining traction, it’s uncertain how quickly social and economic life will return to normal for Canadians.
While small businesses are particularly vulnerable during these difficult times, medium-sized firms are also being challenged. Amongst the industries hit the hardest, travel and tourism have suffered severely. As a sales associate at a retail store, I’ve witnessed firsthand how social distancing measures and store time closures have impacted customer satisfaction and regularity with our business. Even basic etiquette such as wearing a mask can be seemingly frustrating for consumers to accustom themselves to. As unfortunate as these financial losses may be, it’s understandable that in such devastating times, a firm’s profitability should never be prioritized over the seriousness of safety protocols.
Albeit, for some groups, there’s no shortage of entrepreneurship from the restrictiveness of this pandemic. From the growth of new sanitizing products, innovation has interestingly bloomed for some sectors in this unique environment, especially in the e-commerce space.
It’s no surprise that the profit motive that drives businesses across the country is largely contradictory to public health guidelines, and so finding the right balance between the two has been a continual struggle for policymakers and business owners alike. In a broader sense, this pandemic has taught us about the economic habits we practice and uphold in our everyday lives and the consequences of such behaviours. Without the right conditions and adequate governance and policy, capitalism cannot sustain itself nor the protection of the public good in society. COVID-19 has shown this to a pronounced degree and should be seen as a glaring precaution for the future of commerce.
Fasken
is proud to announce the 3rd anniversary of their Surrey office opening. They are also pleased to share the continuation of their Surrey Seminar Series with a Trust, Wills, Estates and Charities webinar on February 25th.
Contact kcook@fasken.com.
Discover Surrey has moved. #201 – 13737 96
Avenue.
Contact Ange Chew, Executive Director at ange@discoversurreybc.com.
Thank you to Surrey’s community champion and 2005’s Surrey Business Person of the Year, Tony Singh, Owner of Fruiticana, for engaging his team in a donation of $100,000 to the Surrey Hospitals Foundation. fruiticana. com
Nana’s Kitchen has won some awards!
1. Best Ready-to-eat Entrees Food Service & Grocery Retail Brand - Western Canada - Food & Drink Awards 2020
2. Placed 10th out of 20 for the biggest BC businesses owned by a woman in 2020
3. Ranked 83rd in the top 100 fastest growing companies in B.C in 2020
4. Business Resilience Award (41+ Employees) from the Surrtey Board of Trade’s Business Excellence Awards yournanaskitchen.com
BNSF
Katie Farmer is Railway’s President and Chief Executive Officer as of January 1, 2021. Farmer, the first female CEO of a Class I railroad, has been with BNSF for 28 years, most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Operations since September 2018. bnsf.com
Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners list was released by Women’s Executive Network and Presenting Partner KPMG in Canada. Congratulations to Surrey Hospitals Foundation’s
wxnetwork.com/page/top100awards
BM Group is pleased to announce that Daryl Heppner, VP of BM Group, Structural Restoration and Waterproofing segment worldwide and GM of Polycrete Restorations Ltd., has been appointed as chair of the International Concrete Repair Institutes (ICRI) BC Chapter. Bmgroupinternational. com
KSW Lawyers (Kane Shannon Weiler LLP) welcomes Rory Morgan to their Personal Injury and Litigation group as a senior associate counsel in their Surrey office.
Rory Morgan has been practicing law for over 20 years and is also a Director of the Surrey Board of Trade. ksw.bc.ca
Kuldip Ardwara has retired from the
Bank.
Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani is appointed as Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He is recognized as a global leader in open education, as he serves on the BC Open Education Advisory Committee, the Provincial Advisory Group on Micro-credentials, and as an Ambassador for the Global Advocacy of Open Educational Resources with the International Council for Open and Distance Education. kpu.ca
Lomiko Metals raises $2 million for electric vehicle battery materials project in Quebec. lomiko.com
Staycation Boxes provides the opportunity to give gratitude to an unforgettable international experience without leaving home. Select proceeds go directly to food banks. staycationboxes.com
Secure-rite Mobile Storage is celebrating 15 years in business with a new location in beautiful Surrey, along with two business excellence awards. Secure-rite.com
Sara Hodson, President & CEO of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic and 2017’s Surrey Business Person of the Year, with Carl Ulmer (from Club16 Trevor Linden Fitness & She’s Fit) is now leading the BC fitness industry by representing over 100 fitness facilities and contributing to policies and decisions being made by the provincial government that impact the fitness health orders. Together they are working to promote physical and mental health in British Columbia.
One of the largest highway maintenance contractors in Western Canada Mainroad has acquired Cobra Electric, a Surrey-based electrical contracting company specializing in the maintenance of traffic management and lighting systems throughout the BC Lower Mainland. mainroad.ca
Congratulations to Jay Rao of EXP Services for being re-elected to the Metro Vancouver National Zero Waste Council. He is the Surrey Board of Trade representative to provide an economic lens to environmental leadership. nzwc.ca
Arundel Capital Corporation has hired veteran equipment finance specialist Dan Hayward. Dan will continue his 40+ year career in truck, trailer, and construction equipment finance. arundelcapital.com | dan@arundelcapital.com
Lark Angels Foundation invites everyone to their Health & Wellness Fair on May 1, 2021 at Sullivan Hall situated at 152 Street and 64 Avenue in Surrey from 11:00am-3:00pm. (Note this may be a digital event) larkangelsfoundation@gmail.com
Chartwell Imperial Place Retirement Residence
thanks all of the community business partners and the City of Surrey for their generosity. Over 100 residents were able to enjoy a lovely Christmas light display, and on Christmas morning, each resident received a stocking filled to the rim and special gifts.
KB Honey Family is proud to announce that their Director of Marketing, Chelsea Thomsen, has been featured in Canada Home Trends Magazine as one of Canada’s Top Trendsetters. Checkout the “TRENDS 2020” January issue. kbhoneyfamily.com
Surdell Taxi merged with Kennedy Taxi to form Surdell Kennedy Taxi Ltd. Their continued success is attributed to the citizens and corporate partners in Surrey that have grown to know their commitment to safe and dependable passenger transportation and parcel delivery. 604-588-1330
The PICS Mega Job Fair is going virtual on February 18 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. This professionally developed platform will allow exhibitors and aspirants to meet and share possible career paths/opportunities. megajobfair.ca or 604-596-7722
Boosh Food kicks off
2021 with new 8,500 sq. ft. headquarters in the Cloverdale area of Surrey with offices, a test kitchen, a studio for filming cooking segments, and extensive refrigerated warehousing. booshfood.com
Surrey Digital Printing announces the purchase of a Colex SXC1732 digital cutting table, entering the small run packaging market. surreydigitalshop.com
De Jager Volkenant is pleased to welcome Rhys Volkenant as a new associate lawyer practicing in business and charity law, and Kylie Smith as a new legal assistant in the estates department. dejagervolkenant.com
Sunrise Kitchens,
a
Surrey-based kitchen cabinet manufacturer, announces the completion of their $12 million expansion including a significant investment in automated equipment. The expansion increases production capacity to better serve the requirements of the local construction and multi-family development industry. sunrisekitchens.com
Vancity Credit Union names Christine Bergeron as new President and CEO. vancity.com
Surrey Hospitals Foundation salutes the 215 businesses and organizations who joined their newly minted Community Champion Program in 2020. Participation in the program is a simple and powerful way to support life-changing health care at your regional hospital. surreyhospitalsfoundation.com/champions
March 21, 2021 is ‘World Down Syndrome Day’ and the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society will once again be hosting the Light up for Down Syndrome campaign. Businesses that are interested in lighting up in Blue and Yellow to show their support or would like to donate services/products to our online silent auction, are asked to contact info@lmdss.com.
BC Children’s Hospital Foundation has appointed Malcolm Berry as its next President & CEO, replacing Teri Nicholas (who is retiring), effective March 2021. The Foundation also welcomed Akash Rattan as the new Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in January, to replace Hitesh
Kothary (also retiring).
DIVERSECITY launched a new 20+ week entrepreneurship program for intercultural women.
The CWB Business Incubator for Women Makers and Creators, funded by Canadian Western Bank, is helping women turn their talents into a business or side hustle. dcrs.ca/makers
Congratulations to Happiness at Home Health Care Inc. owners, Frank and Mary Moravec, celebrating 10 years in business, connecting and nurturing seniors in their homes. happinessathome.ca
Have you ever lost your keys? It can be a real problem. TB Vets Key Tag program is continuing in 2021: your contribution will support respiratory care in BC. If you lose your keys, TB Vets will return them to you! tbvets.org