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RE: Warning, content may offend
Karen Moores If people have a problem with this provocative editorial, then Dawn’s point is well-illustrated.

Susan Day We need to realize that there is more than enough for everyone. When we celebrate others we raise ourselves up. The scarcity mentality is ingrained in a lot of us. It takes a lot of reflection to realize that. Posts like this are great for that!

RE: Innovator of the year
Pat Hurley MacDonald Couldn’t have been awarded to a better person. Congratulations Dr. Furey!!!

RE: Atlantic Journalism Awards
Bill Jackman Way to show everyone that you are still “Atlantic Canada’s Leading Business Magazine!” Congrats to your whole ABM team.

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RE: Social entrepreneurship
@BCorpCanada LOVE @AgentGiraffe‘s #BCorp story in @AtlanticBus Magazine (@scoutandburrow is killin’ it!)

@scoutandbarrow Thank you for the article and the shout-out @Atlantic- Bus! #ABMTop50 is our fav edition. With love from #NS

RE: Top 50 CEO awards
@VenorSearch Congratulations to all 2015 #ABMTop50 recipients, who are doing great things for the Atlantic provinces! #NS #NB #PEI #NL

@SeafairCapital Whelan credits team for Hall of Fame Induction #ABMTop50

@LaurelBroten Congratulations to the 2015 #ABMTop50 recipients who bring innovation and growth to our region.

@NSBI Congratulations to the 2015 #ABMTop50 recipients who are making a difference! #NS #NB #PEI #NL

@CNA_News Congratulations to CNA President @amvaughan who was named one of Atlantic Canada’s #ABMTop50

@BrigadoonTweets Last night @AtlanticBus #ABMTop50 we received a gift of $5,000! Thank you for helping to give extraordinary children a chance to be ordinary.

@KenMacLeod Congrats to our outstanding TEC member winners of this year’s #ABMTop50 CEO Awards! @LindsayConstruc @BMO @ScotiabankCtr @NB_Power

@AndyFillmoreHFX A well-earned #ABMTop50 CEO award for a #halifax city-builder & my friend, @PCLConstruction’s @johnvolcko #builder

@TECCanada Congratulations to all high performing business leaders of the #ABMTop50 awards! #Results- MatchAmbition #limitless

@jimmillsOI Congrats to my good friend #JimSpatz on winning #CEO of Year #ABMTop50. #southwestproperties. Great community guy too! Just awesome!

@nsccprez Love what I do and the staff and students who help me do my job every day! This award is for you @NSCCNews #ABMTop50

@TroyMitchellNL Thanks to Ann Marie Vaughan, the College of the North Atlantic excels. Well-deserved Top 50 CEO 2015 #ABMTop50 @CNA_News @amvaughan #proud

RE: Innovator of the year
@PaulAntleNL @FureyAndrew @AtlanticBus what you guys do is truly unbelievable. Congrats on making the world a better place! #ABMTop50

@Charliebyrne Congratulations to my friend and all around amazing Newfoundlander @FureyAndrew on winning the CBC innovation award last night! #ABMTop50

@GregGuyCBC Team Broken Earth’s Dr. Andrew Furey receives the CBC Innovation Award from @tommurphycbc at #ABMTop50 CEO Awards.

RE: Warning, content may offend
@JacquiKJanes @ABM_Editor great column in this issue of @AtlanticBus — more people need to say this. Let’s salute each other, not tear each other down.

@organizerjane Kudos @ABM_Editor. If I listened to all the people who told me “you can’t do that in Nova Scotia,” I would still be doing a job I hated!

[atlanticbusinessmagazine.com]
RE: Warning, content may offend
Karen Holman Perfect!! I couldn’t have said it better myself, and have thought all of these things many, many times. Thank you for putting it in words and sharing it!!! If, no, WHEN, my business gets me far enough to be a nominee, I will proudly accept that honour as a reward for all of my hard work. If people don’t like it, that’s too bad for them!!

Vicky Knee Excellent article! Dawn, you’ve hit this issue right on. Successful people should not have to hide their success under an invisibility cloak. I’m far, far from being thought of for these accolades but I’m SO proud of the people being recognized and appreciate their efforts and sacrifices. They inspire me to greater things, so how’s that bad? Keep up the great work.

Blair van Veld (excerpt) During an interview with a local newspaper to announce our most recent property purchase, I was asked a question that stopped me in my tracks. It was a question I don’t believe many entrepreneurs think about very often and would find themselves stumbling as I did to answer the question. It’s far more complicated than a one-line simplistic answer but yet the question itself is so simple to ask. The question was, “why are you expanding your business?” I foolishly answered, “for something to do” and quickly reverted to the age-old answer that the money was pretty good. Since that interview I’ve stopped to think about the question along with other questions people have asked me, such as why buy something in Miramichi or Bridgewater? For those of you who may be outside of the Maritimes, these are small rural communities that for the most have seen better days. So why is it that we (entrepreneurs) continue to invest in these small communities? Why do we continue to put in 80 hours a week? And why do we as business owners in Atlantic Canada not crumble from the fear of negative headlines week after week?

RE: Corporate charity, why it’s a bad thing
Bill Donovan Saying so much with so few words takes insight and talent, Stephen. The equation between civic and corporate conscience is rarely drawn at all, never mind with such tight focus. Good on you.

Joanne Light Another example is Emera “donating” so many millions to the “poor” to help them with retrofitting their homes. Meanwhile, Emera argues against Efficiency Nova Scotia, shows a nine per cent average return on shareholders’ investments and had a 20 per cent profit for a five-year period that included the 2008 crash. Corporations have too much power and they want more, then try to paint a generous facade by giving donations. This is sickening. And the peoples’ land – the Commons – now sports the Emera logo on the banners at the Oval. Don’t get me started on the ugliness of the Scotia Bank Centre sign downtown. I knew someone who worked at Emera and they said you wouldn’t believe the salaries they get. Yes, because they are so rich, they control every inch of our inner thoughts and outer spaces. It has gone way too far and we need a huge change with a very large corporate tax increase and loopholes closed.

RE: CBC Innovator of the year
Michelle St. George Beautiful story. So heartfelt and touching.

Ed and Liz Maher Andrew, congrats on your much deserved Innovator of the Year award. While I’m sure you’re not a fan of the spotlight, I think it’s important to recognize the efforts you and your team have accomplished to make this place better for all. What a great legacy you and Allison are leaving for your children!

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RE: Warning, content may offend
Nicole Darbaz I just read your column and I felt an overwhelming urge to write you and applaud what you’ve said. As a young, aspiring entrepreneur (specifically, the fitness industry) your letter really resonated with me. That fear of losing privacy and becoming a target is something I fear for my own future successes. At the same time, I have found myself involved in a toxic conversation picking apart successful people from my province. Your letter has hit a nerve today and I’m committing to change my attitude.

Ellis Webber (Fredericton, N.B.) Kudos to you for your bang-on editorial in the recent issue of Atlantic Business Magazine. I couldn’t agree with you more. This defeatist Atlantic Canada mentality will continue to depress our region’s economy well into the future. Here in New Brunswick, our new Liberal government is bent on policies that will only hinder economic growth. Turning our back on natural resources i.e. shale gas, taxing successful (wealthier) seniors’ assets as it relates to long-term health care, and putting our entrepreneurs and professionals in the highest tax bracket in Canada will only add to New Brunswick’s depressed economy. Where are all the go-getters? They are not in government and in many cases, not in business. The frustration continues…

Dave Kerr (Halifax, N.S.) I am writing with regard to your most recent Top 50 CEO Issue and in particular, your editorial, “Warning: content may offend some readers (and I really hope it does).” I usually read your magazine cover to cover and I always enjoy the Top 50 CEO edition. Kudos for another great publication! I was compelled to write you after reading this issue and say in particular kudos for saying what needed to be said about how we tend to see and talk about our entrepreneurs. You nailed it, although I must say as you did that I really have no idea as to why we do this. We need to do a much better job celebrating our home grown entrepreneurs, and our immigrant entrepreneurs. Especially with respect to the latter, I am quite vocal about how inspiring it is to see leaders like Wadih Fares, Francis Fares, Hossein Mousavi and many others that came here, some as recently as 25 years ago, without being able to even speak our language and they have gone on to create and grow some of the area’s most successful businesses. I think that speaks to the Canadian Dream being alive and well here in Nova Scotia. I tell my kids that they can succeed at anything they put their minds to here and I use these fine Canadian examples to illustrate that!

RE: Are you in the business of making money?
Hugh Harper I really think Mr. Risley, given his success, could have added a third, more important, choice in his summary. Namely: focusing on the use of data to find ways to enrich the lives of their countrymen without concern for monetary profit for themselves.