Leading off.

Judging from the feedback that we receive regarding our previous Business of the Year issues, I'm like many of you in that our BOTY issue is one that I cherish the most. I'm sure it inspires us all to know that a company such as IPSCO, our 2006 Business of the Year, began like many other Saskatchewan entrepreneurial endeavours--on a wing and a prayer--and has grown to become so much more.

As Paul Martin's feature attests, from its modest beginning 50 years ago, our BOTY overcame obstacles and has become a powerhouse not just at home, but also in the North American steel industry.

Although I personally took a little bit more of a back seat with this year's BOTY feature in comparison to others of years past, having assigned the story to our associate editor, I did so (reluctantly) for good cause. You see when it comes to IPSCO, Martin wrote the book on this company--literally. Indeed he co-authored The Story of IPSCO's First 50 Years, Against All Odds with Dave Margoshes and Bonnie Warnyca.

And for as much as Paul would have liked to carry on with his feature for another 350 pages or so, we had to cap his significant knowledge at a handful of pages. Therefore, I'll take the opportunity afforded by this space to add a few more anecdotes regarding our highly deserving 2006 Business of the Year.

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Although I've yet to completely read Against All Odds, I've perused a fair bit of it and have learned that this is a story well worth reading. In as much as I can tell, it talks at great lengths of the business, its triumphs and tribulations--warts and all--in a historical, yet engaging manner. Incidentally, its cover price of $75 is not a money-making venture. Rather it represents cost recovery, which gives you an idea of the quality of this magnificent keepsake.

Among the several interesting things I've learned regarding IPSCO, I found this following one to be particularly so. The Saskatchewan Chamber's ABEX Awards, which have become synonymous with business excellence in Saskatchewan, were the brainchild of former CEO Roger Phillips. Phillips, who came to IPSCO from Quebec where similar awards were celebrated, proposed that the Saskatchewan chamber implement a set of annual awards to celebrate business excellence in his new province.

Not only did Phillips convince the chamber to create the awards, Phillips's fingerprints were further placed on the ABEX Awards (ironically as it would turn out). A well-known patron of the arts, Phillips commissioned Saskatoon artist Douglas Bentham to create a sculpture (made of steel, naturally) to signify business excellence. The five-foot-high original goes to the Business of the Year for the year following the awards while smaller replicas are given to the various category winners. But here's the kicker. As patron of the ABEX Awards, IPSCO neither enters the awards nor allows it to be nominated in any category.

Thankfully, Sask Business holds no such limitations. We proudly offer our 2006 Business of the Year Award--alas, made of glass--to IPSCO. We offer our heartiest of congratulations for a job, and a year, well done.

Keith Moen, Editor