Sitting pretty

This year’s Top 100 numbers back up economists’ claims that B.C. is well positioned to weather any economic downturn associated with the U.S. housing crisis. Aggregate revenues for the Top 100 companies were $122.2 billion, an increase of 8.9 per cent over last year’s tally. The surge outpaces the 6.2 per cent rise in the province’s nominal GDP. And the threshold for making the list this year inched up to $223.9 million in annual revenues, $40 million more than last year.

A glance at the companies reporting the strongest growth over the past year shows just how broad-based the momentum is for B.C.’s economy. more...

Grande double-shot execs

Starbucks Corp. has had a bit of a roasting lately. Its stock price has nosedived from a high of $39.63 US in May 2006 to $17.89 US in March 2008, and in late January the java giant announced it was closing 100 stores in the U.S. and pulling the breakfast sandwiches it launched just a year ago.

But one guy who’s clearly been sipping the skinny lattes is Lululemon Athletica Inc. CEO Bob Meers. more...