Silver fox

Peter Barnes, president and CEO of Silver Wheaton Corp, is a standout guy. At six foot five his stature might cause many to look up to him, but his business model is a better reason to take notice. His company employs just 21 people, despite its US$166 million in sales last year. Barnes expects 2009 to be Silver Wheaton's best year ever, and he'll be disappointed if the Vancouver-based company doesn't scoop up a couple more assets over the next 18 months. He's looking for low-risk companies that will add to cash flow and not over-leverage the balance sheet. But even without them, the future is bright. Barnes manages Silver Wheaton with a no-nonsense approach, says former chief financial officer Nolan Watson, who worked with him for four years, more than half of that time at Silver Wheaton. The greatest challenge facing Barnes when he took over Silver Wheaton wasn't finding great people -- he brought over his main guys from Wheaton River; it was Goldcorp's 48% ownership.