Birth of A Boom is a fresh, diverse, behind-the-scenes look at how Saskatchewan entrepreneurs have succeeded. It is also a proud and inspiring historical account of generations of forebears, mostly immigrants, who came to Saskatchewan and worked hard to create a better life for their families and communities. From its opening line "My father has the soul of an entrepreneur," Birth of a Boom reads more like a series of biographical stories than a typical business book. Author Suzanne Paschall first introduces the notion that the recent economic "Saskaboom" didn't occur overnight, but has in fact been developing quietly, slowly, over generations of entrepreneurial activity. She contends one of the major reasons for the Prairie province's "new-found" prosperity is the stable and diverse base of job and wealth creation, innovation, market share dominance, and community support that numerous small and medium-sized businesses have contributed over the past century. Birth of a Boom focuses on 13 compelling and surprisingly personal accounts of individuals and families who have created and sustained some of Saskatchewan's oldest and most successful companies. From the Semple family of Regina's Brandt Group of Companies and the Earlys and Bloskis of Early's Farm and Garden Centre; to the global group of PCL Companies started by Ernie Poole in Stoughton, and Saskatoon's catering and hotelier couple Bill and Irma Smith, the stories resonate with the distinct values of the prairie-bred entrepreneur. Birth of a Boom could perhaps best be described as an inspirational roadmap of invaluable lessons for anyone considering becoming that most independent of business creatures...the entrepreneurs.

Suzanne Paschall has written and published everything from annual reports and brochures to newspaper and magazine articles; and from short stories to original music, but this is her first book. She has a long-standing interest in entrepreneurism, having started and run several businesses, including her current company, Paschall Arts, which has for 14 years promoted the use of creative arts in business, and business in the creative arts. An American by birth, she earned a journalism degree from Kansas State University, after which she pursued freelance writing, advertising and public relations work in New York City, moving to Canada in 1983. She worked in public relations, and as PR director at McMaster University and the University of Saskatchewan for a total of 14 years before starting her own business. She has a master's degree in adult education with a specialty in workplace learning from the University of Calgary, and her thesis explored how a group of women entrepreneurs in rural Saskatchewan experimented with a South African model of collaborative individualism to help economically rejuvenate their communities. She has lived half her life in the U.S.A. and half in Canada, but considers herself a citizen of the world. When Suzanne moved to the province 19 years ago, she immediately felt the cultural kinship between Kansas and Saskatchewan. She feels privileged to call the beautiful, wild and wise Canadian prairie soil "home".

Suzanne Paschall's profile page

Debra Marshall's profile page

W. Brett Wilson, CM, is one of Canada’s best-known businessmen and most respected philanthropists.

W. Brett Wilson's profile page

Jacqueline Germin's profile page

Ursula Acton's profile page

Pam Bustin's play 'Saddles in the Rain' won the John V. Hicks award in 2002 and was published by Playwrights Canada Press in the anthology'The West of all Possible Worlds in 2004. Her other stage plays include Barefoot and The Passage of Georgia O’Keeffe. Three of her radio dramas have aired on CBC and her short fiction has appeared in The New Quarterly, Spring andTransitions. Pam Bustin was raised in a host of small towns across the prairies and lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Mostly Happy is her first novel.

Pam Bustin's profile page

We believe the value of this book is to learn from entrepreneurs who, by risking everything for something they believed they could accomplish, have played some role, large or small, in the building of our province.

Owners, C.G.C. Holdings Ltd.

The stories are told in an amusing (sometimes downright funny) way, and they show ordinary people achieving extraordinary results in little ol' Saskatchewan, demonstrating that with a little pluck and a 'can do' attitude, any country boy can go a long distance in the business world.

President, Grandwest Industries

The spirit and courage of these Saskatchewan entrepreneurs is an inspiration for today's youth. Their uplifting stories reveal how challenges can be met through thinking big, being bold and by persevering against the odds.

Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour; MLA for Saskatoon Greystone

This book tells stories of dreams come true. And, it tells the truth about what it takes to get there - integrity, grit and determination. If you never really understood Saskatchewan people before, you will when you've finished reading it...

President, Broda Group of Companies