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Flight AC258 from Toronto to Halifax
in late July. I was reading Fortune (America's dwindling competitiveness) and Rolling Stone (inspiration). Proofs for this issue of Progress were close by and the concept was “Solid Gold Hits.” As I flipped through the real music reviews, it occurred to me that the TOP 101 issue is like a double album and my job is to write the liner notes.
Hopefully I'm not alone in still referring to albums, and who's with me in lamenting the demise of readable lyrics? Truth be told, I am fondest of old records and especially hit singles (I had lots of 45s back in the day) and the jukebox idea just pulled it all together. We are in a bit of a musical time warp anyway. Paul Anka crooning Nirvana? So this year we take our cue from the anything-goes wellspring that is pop music.
And what tracks am I excited about? All of them—honest! But a few are worth special mention. In fact, two big themes drove much of our thinking: succession planning and identifying progress in its various forms.
On succession, we started at Face to Face in May. In a region dominated by family businesses, the next decade will witness a wave of retirements that will result in the transfer of countless assets and management teams from one generation to another. We asked Harry and Rob Steele to speak candidly about Newfoundland Capital Corp., and they graciously accepted the invitation. Their personal account of this tricky subject starts on page 45.
We also asked a question about succession on the TOP 101 survey this year. Less than half of the companies answered that they had a formal succession plan in place. |
One that did was Amirix Systems, profiled on page 155. CEO Sandra Greer's view is that strategic planning cannot happen without succession planning. This sounds self-evident, but is more difficult in practice.
For a progress hit, consider P.E.I.'s hydrogen-village demonstration project, featured on page 83. That province's stated goal of a future built on 100% renewable energy is a bold one, and conducting research on wind-hydrogen combinations is an important step. Another progress story: Moncton's grave-to-cradle reclamation of the CN shop yards into a mixed-use community asset. This is the kind of in-depth feature that we don't always have room for.
With Fortune's recent cover portraying America as a 97-lb weakling in the face of China's economic might, we had better take a hard look at our own competitiveness. On page 184 APEC's Elizabeth Beale reports on a series of roundtables on the subject with regional business leaders and the message is clear: our future prosperity depends on it.
If the aforementioned doesn't turn your crank, let me suggest the article on stress management. Or the one on recruiting. Or how St. John's is poised for its next offshore phase. Or MedMira Inc.'s China play. It's all here and more.
Now the thank you's. To all the companies that took the time to complete the TOP 101 survey, and to Jenn Ryan for crunching the numbers. To all of our freelancers—words and pictures—and Graeme and Corrie and Jane for getting it all polished up. For David's ongoing advice. Channel Communications makes it all look great, and Sharon and Nathaniel see it to the printer on time. Special thoughts go to Jennifer Garvey for a speedy recovery. Oh, one more thing. Thanks to Advocate for fixing the goof on page 69.
No one will ever know!
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