I’m Just Gerry: Building a Forever Company the Price Wayby Rob Wozny (Afterward by Gerry Price)Published by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Michelle Shaw$21.99 ISBN 9781990863318 I’m Just Gerry is the compelling story of the growth of a small prairie company and its journey to become a world leader in its field. Price Industries grew from a little company in Winnipeg to become a billion-dollar world leader in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry. The book explains the principles that helped the company to do that, many of which seem counterintuitive to succeeding in the cutthroat business world of today. Fundamental concepts like service first and treating others the way you want to be treated. The fact that the business has succeeded is an incredible testimony to the perseverance and vision of Gerry Price. I know nothing about the HVAC business, but I feel as if this little book – and Gerry Price himself – are well-kept secrets that need to be shared. Gerry’s approach is clear: “What counts is how leaders treat others and, more importantly, how they treat the people in the business with the least authority and power. Anybody who abuses people or takes advantage of people…

From Away: Immigration To Effective Workplace Integration by Jeanne Martinson Published by Wood Dragons Books Reviewed by Ben Charles $21.99 ISBN 9780995334212 From Away: Immigration To Effective Workplace Integration, written by Jeanne Martinson and published by Wood Dragons Books, can be best described as a concise yet effective tool for employers and managers to navigate an increasingly diverse team. For better or for worse, Canada’s economy is significantly driven by a workforce that is largely comprised of immigrant employees and entrepreneurs. Although this increased manpower reduces stress on employers and the economy, it also presents unique challenges, misunderstandings, language barriers, and cultural differences that may be difficult for an average Canadian to understand. A gesture or saying that may be completely innocent to us may also be highly offensive through the lens of another culture, or vice versa. Martinson’s book is a fantastic place to begin as a Canadian who may not understand all of the intricacies, values, and mannerisms that various cultures from around the globe maintain. The book creates a useful framework for the reader to begin with by a brief introduction, statistical figures of Canada’s immigration history, and a crash course on the modality of Western culture….

10 Essential Rules for Successful Grant Writing: Get the Money Your Non-Profit Organization Needs by Robert Friedrich Published by Last Mountain Publishers Review by Kris Brandhagen $29.00 ISBN 9780995962606 Written by Robert Friedrich, who has over thirty combined years of experience in the field, as a program manager, officer and funding agent, 10 Essential Rules for Successful Grant Writing: Get the Money Your Non-Profit Organization Needs is a nonfiction guide book for grant proposal writers. Right from the beginning, Friedrich includes apt questions to get the reader started on their own application. He uses clear, straightforward language and real world examples to get his points across. The key points are clearly identified in bold type, fleshed out by examples, making it easy for the reader to use this book as a step by step guide right from the brainstorming stage. Friedrich explains each rule in a short chapter, ending with an exercise. He also includes many quotations from the point of view of the funding organization; although these are unattributed, they are still extremely useful. The structure of most of the chapters include simple diagrams, charts, lists, and callouts that highlight key points, increasing readability. There is a concise guide…

Pursuing Growth: Practical Marketing Tips for Business Owners by Brent Banda Published by Mile 84 Press Review by Shelley A. Leedahl $30.00 ISBN 9-780973-136913 The back cover blurb on Brent Banda’s Pursuing Growth: Practical Marketing Tips for Business Owners makes a grand claim: “The insights in this book will help you increase revenue and profit in your business.” Inside, a dozen business people also herald Banda’s marketing acumen. Joe Pulizzi says “If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, this is the type of blocking and tackling information you need to stay on top of customer needs and demands.” Christian L. Braid, president of Braid Flooring & Windows, says “If you have the slightest of aspirations to improve your business, 10 minutes with this book will send that feeling into hyper drive.” With commendations like these, I not only want to read the book, I’m also a smidge inclined to believe I could learn enough to start my own successful business! Banda – the Saskatoon-based force behind Banda Marketing Group – is a marketing strategy consultant who’s helped “almost two hundred companies” improve their businesses over the last twenty years. Aside from coaching business owner-managers, he’s also taught Advertising,…

Birth of a Boom: Lives & Legacies of Saskatchewan Entrepreneurs by Suzanne Paschall Published by Prairie Policy Centre Review by Andréa Ledding $25 ISBN 978-0-9730456-3-5 In this book Suzanne Paschall examines the success of over a dozen Saskatchewan entrepreneurs and their small and mid-sized prairie businesses that helped fuel the “Saskaboom”, an economic upswing which helped our Province outperform most of Canada during a difficult economic time. Paschall’s conversational tone in revealing the people and their success stories creates a readable and even captivating exploration of the business world. Readers can follow people such as Norm Wallace, who as a 19 year-old Irishman immigrated to Canada in 1957 and promptly faked his way into a bank teller position by “translating” and passing off a Gaelic swimming pool certificate as his high school credentials. Wallace later went on to open his own innovative construction company, and is still listing sales of over $20 million annually. Wallace is more than simply a good businessman, though, as he’s given back to a community that’s done so much for him by volunteering and working with felons, families, and the Sasknative Economic Development Corporation. What’s more, Wallace even funded an economic trade mission for four…