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All Hands on Deck

Oct 2, 2024 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

At the bustling Philbrook’s Boatyard in Sidney, owner Drew Irwin and project manager Jamie Hansen are stickhandling a full slate of more than 60 work orders. Jobs range from the straightforward plumbing of a new toilet to multi-month refits of pride-and-joy classic yachts. Saying “no” to a customer is hard to do for any business, but that’s the current reality at Philbrook’s.
5 AI Tools for Small Businesses

Sep 10, 2024 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

In the fast-paced world of business, staying ahead of the curve often means leveraging cutting-edge technology to streamline operations, enhance productivity and drive innovation. With the rise of artificial intelligence, business owners have access to a plethora of powerful tools. CONTENT CREATION ChatGPT is the tool that transformed how the public thinks about AI technology. It can be used for everything from content creation to idea generation, customer support and even data analysis.
AI is EVERYWHERE

Sep 5, 2024 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

Between the time most people wake up and go to bed, they’ll use artificial intelligence half a dozen times, often without even knowing it. It probably made life either easier in some small way, or more complicated and cluttered, depending on perspective. Whether it’s facial recognition to open a smartphone, a relentless stream of curated content on social feeds, a digital voice assistant for a quick weather update or a navigational app to find a lunch date, AI permeates all aspects of life.
Missed connections

Aug 5, 2024 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

Last June, Kelly and Brian Flurer spotted a puff of smoke on the forested bluffs above Cameron Lake as they drove winding Highway 4. It was a minor distraction on a drive the couple has done countless times — from spring to fall, the owners of the seafood processing company Flurer Smokery in Port Alberni’s The Dock+ food hub cross the Island several times a week to make deliveries. Both assumed a few helicopter-slung bucketloads of water would be enough to snuff the small blaze.
Passion into Profit

Feb 21, 2024 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

Ann Chisholm liked going to work. A business graduate from Halifax’s Mount Saint Vincent University, she started her advertising and marketing career in 2012 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Then she headed west. Her first stop was the mountain adventure paradise of Jasper. Eventually Chisholm landed in Victoria working full time at Hot House Marketing. “I enjoyed what I was doing and the people I was working with.
Downtown’s Dilemma

Nov 8, 2023 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

When a growing number of downtown Victoria’s marginalized residents began rummaging through the back alley dumpster Michael Rodgers shares with his Fort Street neighbours, his first impulse was compassion over fear. But the risk of a fire from a carelessly discarded cigarette was always in the back of his mind. When a blaze finally broke out earlier this year, it was a nail-biter. “There was a container of kitchen grease right next to the dumpster.
The Greening of the Construction Industry

Sep 20, 2023 | douglasmagazine.com | Andrew Findlay - |Andrew Findlay

Andrew Chapman drops a tool belt on the tailgate of his truck and takes a deep swig of water. It’s hot, too hot for May on the 49th parallel, and a vivid reminder that climate experts are predicting 2023 to be the warmest year on record. This Victoria-based builder is down to the short strokes and finishing details on this construction project. Michelangelo had the Sistine Chapel. Chapman has this three-storey house on Musgrave Street in Oak Bay with a bank of solar panels on the roof.