To round off each issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question: “What new ideas in your industry excite you?”
Nathan Storey, CEO and President, Storage Solutions
“All of the new innovative automation technology and how it can help our clients. IT, specifically, offers an opportunity for us to grow and understand what is available to our customers, as we are always trying to do what is best for them. Ultimately, the new possibilities are what excite me the most.”
Scott Willert, President, America’s Service Line
“I love technology that provides reporting and insight to information that impacts our business. We work in a lower margin industry, and every area that we can reduce costs, increase revenue, or improve service in is helpful and appreciated.”
George Smith, President and CEO, Family Entertainment Group
“We have seen in the last few years an intersection between common forms of social entertainment, and the importance of having a good environment with a range of food and beverage options. I think there are ways that this can be done so that you can have a great time out.
“This intersection between good entertainment and a comfortable place to eat is still in its infancy, but we are seeing a rise in Americans who want food that is consistent with a great environment, offering them something different than what they can do at home.”
Phil Silverstein, Principal, Moriyama Teshima Architects
“The concept of beyond wood is exciting. There is still a lot of waste or down-cycled products created by the lumber and mass timber industry. So, architects and scientists around the world are looking into the use of the wood byproducts such as twigs, leaves, and bark to create adhesives from the resins or insulation from the wood waste fibre.
“There are also advancements in the decarbonization efforts of the steel and concrete industries. There are new, green concrete companies that have found ways to replace the high-carbon cement with low carbon options.”
Neil Ethier, Vice President of Business Development, Eavor Technologies Inc.
“I am excited by the interest that geothermal is getting. R&D investments will only help the entire industry as advancements are made. I am also extremely excited about all of the potential use cases for the energy being brought up from the subsurface. Electricity makes up about 20 percent of final energy consumption globally, so the opportunity to decarbonize the heating and cooling sectors is tremendous.”
