Last night Brian Smith, Business and Social Enterprise Developer at Building Opportunities with Business was honored at the Business in Vancouver 40 under 40 awards reception held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. I can imagine he’s already getting tired of being repeatedly congratulated and lauded for the recognition of his work in this city but from all of us at BOB, CONGRATULATIONS BRIAN!!
There were a few 40 under 40 winners who traditionally may not have been included in years past as it is an award given out via Business in Vancouver, to business people. I’m glad to see that the judges have now begun to recognize social entreprise, non-profits and even the medical profession in their body of candidates though. It made me think about how much our collective business culture and business philosophy has changed over the past 20 years alone. Brian has worked with a range of people in the DTES to create and manage what many believe is the best social purchasing directory in Canada. The directory is a comprehensive list of businesses in Vancouver’s downtown eastside and inner-city neighourhoods that offer socially responsible and environmentally sustainable goods and services. Many of these companies create jobs for local residents that may have been hard to employ. And he wasn’t the only winner last night who was doing something that was not only good for business but good for communities, the environment and those in need of help. To me it really seemed like what was once on the fringe of business culture had really become central to it.
If one tries to think objectively about the history of business and industry since the industrial revolution we have to remember that all these great challenges within economics, environment, society and culture are byproducts of an incredible and sudden explosion of productivity and change. To put it in perspective, it’s like a few hundred years ago we opened a pandoras box, and only 50 years ago did the revolution in chemistry offer us a chance to create plastics and other materials and with them the effluents, gasses and other byproducts that quickly accumulated. And while the environmental challenges mounted a host of socioeconomic challenges also grew in tandem with rising population and shrinking space and resources. When considering the age of human civilization this literally happened in a blink of an eye. And all things considered, though we could’ve reacted faster, we’ve reacted pretty fast. 20 years ago was your office recycling or composting? did your building have a green roof? Was it LEED certified? Were green enrepreneurs being honored along with captains of technology and industry?
The fact that business leaders are also being recognized for being environmental leaders and socially responsible leaders is exciting. While some may say it’s just a fad and that when the chips are down we’ll do things cheap and dirty I firmly believe that we’re beginning to leave behind the days when all that mattered was the bottom line. Yes there still exists greed and excess, there are still the Gordon Geckos of the world, but if the recipients of the 2009 BIV 40 under 40 awards were any indication they’re becomming eclipsed by the new breed of socially and environmentally responsible business leaders like Brian. So once again congratulations to him and to all the winners of the 2009 BIV 40 under 40 awards.
Adam Smith would approve of this year's BIV 40 under 40
