Guest: Michael Geller (architect and real estate professional)
What is Michael Geller’s job? To him, his role has ranged from architect to urban planner to developer to real estate consultant. Not to be outdone, he entered politics by running for Vancouver city council – after all, real estate and politics are often intertwined.
What does it take for a building to go from an idea to completion? This is part of Tillie Kwan’s job as an architect at Studio Balcaen Kwan, which she co-owns with her colleague Bettina Balcaen – she looks at what is possible and appropriate for the client’s vision and budget. This is a far cry from what she thought architects did when she graduated high school.
For Bettina Balcaen, being an architect is her primary role at Studio Balcaen Kwan, which she owns with her colleague Tillie Kwan. The wide variety of roles involved in her job keep her going, which involves not just design but also how buildings are constructed – while some architects are specialized, she also sees the values of being a generalist as well.
Running British Columbia’s largest credit union is all about leveraging the abilities of your team. As CEO of Vancity, Wellington Holbrook’s job is to make sure everyone’s strengths shine, including the diversity of ideas and problem-solving skills. Amidst all of this, as a credit union, he also needs to make sure this is balanced with meeting the needs of its members.
How do you know where business trends and growth are headed? That is Katie Fitzmaurice’s challenge as the executive vice-president of Invest Vancouver, on top of creating relationships and making sure she catches every trend as it happens. This is especially true today, with what businesses in Europe and Asia are seeing in Canada’s market – she has to compete with other Canadian jurisdictions, especially when those overseas markets could see Canada as a singular market.
