The State of Business 2025 - January 23, 2025

The North Vancouver business community has been responding to many challenges and opportunities this past year. What is the current state of business in North Vancouver? What will the year ahead bring?

Join us for an engaging and interactive panel discussion at our fourth annual The State of Business. This event will present a picture of the health and challenges of the North Vancouver business community, setting the tone for the year ahead.

Keynote Speaker: 

Bryan Yu, AVP & Chief Economist, Central 1 Credit Union .
Topic: Economic Update 2025
Bryan Yu is AVP and Chief Economist at Central 1 Credit Union. He leads the organization’s Economics services and its IFRS9 National Analytics Platform business lines. Bryan and his team provide actionable economic research products for internal and external stakeholders, advisory services to support credit union executive management teams and their boards. As leader of the IFRS9 business, Bryan oversees revenue growth, client retention, platform investment and provides technical expertise. Bryan speaks regularly at credit union and industry events and is frequently contacted by media to provide national and provincial economic commentary. 

Panelists:
 





Colette Bennett, Owner, Little Pink Door Boutique. 
Colette Bennett has over 30 years of marketing and business-related experience, from working for large corporate organizations to local store marketing. Nine years ago she opened Little Pink Door Boutique, with a vision to be a leading go-to-boutique destination for women, providing product, customer focused experience, and an in-store environment that fosters friends, trust and loyalty. Little Pink Door was a Business Excellence winner in 2018 and has won the North Shore News Readers Choice-Favourite Boutique nine years in a row.

 
Andre Coetzee, Director & Co-Founder, i-worx
Andre Coetzee is CEO and a founding partner of i-worx, a Premium Hosting Service Provider for
small to medium size organizations. Andre is constantly researching and exploring new and better 
Hosted IT services with the goal of continuously providing organizations with a premier IT experience. As a result, i-worx has developed a reputation for delivering innovative Hosted IT services, including Hosted Desktops, Hosted Email and secure file sharing with exceptional personalized service.

 





Dave Lucas, President, SSA Marine 
President since January 2024, Dave Lucas joined Western Stevedoring (now SSA Marine) in 1985 and progressed through several key positions in   operations prior to becoming President of Terminals and Stevedoring in 2019. Dave is actively involved in representing SSA Marine on the Board of the BCMEA as well as several waterfront industry committees within the BC Maritime Employers Association. Throughout his career Dave has completed executive management and industry related programs including the Transportation Management Diploma Program with BCIT.


Curtis Thomas, Owner, Warrior Plumber
Curtis Thomas is the owner of Warrior Plumbing, which has provided full-service mechanical contracting specializing in Indigenous-led real estate projects since 2010, mentoring Indigenous youth and hiring from underserved communities. Curtis co-founded Kwasen Enterprises, an advisory business promoting Coast Salish heritage and Indigenous participation in real estate projects. He is an active Tsleil-Waututh Nation Councillor and sits on climate and housing committees in the local real estate industry. Warrior Plumbing won the 2024 Business Excellence Awards’ Excellence in Equity Award and the BC Indigenous Business of the Year Award (11+ person category) by the BC Achievement Foundation.


Julianne Yeager, Owner, Managing Lawyer, Yeager Employment Law 
Julianne Yeager is the Owner and Managing Lawyer of Yeager Employment Law. Her litigation practice ranges from advising employees behind the scenes as they navigate through constructive dismissals, to representing employees and employers in trial. Julianne has represented clients in British Columbia Supreme and Provincial Courts, Human Rights Tribunal, Employment Standards Branch, and WorkSafeBC. She assists small businesses as they take steps to lawfully manage their workplaces and has a strong track record of obtaining excellent settlements.

Presenting Sponsor: 




Event Supporters: