The latest issue of Inc. magazine has a fascinating case study of a Vancouver-based company being hindered by Cascadia ports and borders. It shows the hardships of small firms that make up so much of the area’s economy. (No online link yet.)

Snowboard apparel maker Westbeach was a niche player but managed to survive until the 2005 strike by Vancouver dock workers delayed shipments and led customers to cancel orders. After a trip through bankruptcy, the company is under new ownership and focusing on the Canada market, despite being just miles from the U.S.

“On paper, you would think that a Vancouver-based company would look at the U.S. and say that’s a no-brainer because it’s just across the border,” he says. “But it could just as well be a million miles away.”