Some industries force clarity. Energy is one of them. Cycles move quickly, capital is unforgiving and decisions have long consequences. For entrepreneurs operating in that environment, the margin for error is smaller and the feedback is immediate.

For many business owners, transition has traditionally been something left for later, tied to succession or a future moment when the timing felt right. That approach is shifting.

Some businesses are built in environments where conditions are predictable. Others are built where conditions are constantly shifting. For Geoff Gay, leading Athabasca Basin Development has meant operating in the latter. Northern geography, resource cycles and global forces all shape the outcome, often in ways that’re outside any single company’s control.