January 2008

Christian Retail Meets Mainstream

There are more ways to serve God than to attend church or say a few Hail Marys. When in Red Deer, there’s no better religious experience than a visit to Scott’s Parable Christian Stores, a bookstore owned by former Christian radio DJ Gerry Scott that follows in the retail footsteps of mainstream bookseller Chapters >

More than a Bit Player

Pacesetter Directional and Performance Drilling tries to think and act like a small company. Hard to do when your sales have multiplied 87 times in just three years >

Tead Off

No “dream healer” was going to be the face of the product under my watch  >

Destination: Brooks

I am en route to Brooks to experience the ethos of the small city in just 12 hours. The task, an admittedly lofty one, excites the heck out of me, since it’s an opportunity to see a city like no other in Alberta >

Curb Appeal: The Hole Truth

ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION a passerby has telephoned Peter Achtem to inform him that there’s a big hole in the back of his downtown Edmonton building >

The Need for Speed

Three self-described “geezers” have emerged as the only players with plans for a bullet train between Edmonton and Calgary. Do they have the staying power to get the job done? >

The Roughneck's Last Hurrah

Energy-related companies dominate this year’s Fast 50, but they’re already digging in for leaner times ahead >

Thinking Like a Leader

For women, the road to a directorship appears fraught with overqualified guys in suits. But as seasoned board veteran Margot Micallef of Oliver Capital Partners will tell you, perception can be overcome by (figuratively) growing a pair of cojones  >

Working it on the Net

Get your name out there with the help of these women-driven business sites >

A Woman's Place ...

... is in the boardroom. Highlights of this year’s Women on Board Corporate Governance Symposium in Kananaskis >

Business and the 10-Year Plan

Labour shortages and lack of affordable housing are two sides of the same coin >

Face Value

Though the weakened U.S. dollar spells bad news for most Canadian companies, some stand to benefit >

For Love and Money

Karen Stewart: Founder, Fairway Divorce Solutions >

How to Make the Grade

Entrepreneur and card shark Gautam Rao has a solution to our education system’s failings – one part technology, one part tough love >

What You're Banking On

Everything you need to know about small-business banking but were too busy to ask >

January 2008

Fastest in their Field

Industry by industry, these are the companies that out-sprinted their peers >

Faces of the Fast 50

What’s it like to work at a high-growth company? Just ask some of the people who make the Fast 50 hum and hop. Introducing the workforce of Alberta’s future  >

Foreign Exposure

In 2005, Saxon Energy Services was a small firm, newly gone public. Then a new management team jumped aboard from a downsizing competitor, and everything changed – quickly  >

The Weakest Link

Northeastern Alberta may be booming, but its transportation system is a shambles. Something’s got to give >

That's Entertainment

Yesterday’s mom-and-pop casinos are giving way to giant hotel-entertainment-casino complexes run by aboriginal-multinational partnerships. But with Albertans already Canada’s biggest gamblers, is there room to grow? >

Getting Past the Gatekeeper

How do you get through to the big cheese when you really have to? We asked the people who hold the keys to the inner sanctum >