Why stones?
Many wonder why RSI chose the balanced or stacked stones imagery to represent itself. Aren't stacked stones fragile, vulnerable, unstable? Is that not the opposite of what we, and our clients, are trying to achieve when tackling risk?
In a perfect world, we would want to achieve zero risk. We would want our outcomes to be predictable or at the very least, always preventable.
The truth is that civilization's complexity is such that a zero risk world is unattainable. What is achievable is a commitment to constantly labor to understand, manage or communicate risk. Both as a society, and as individuals, we must accept that 'stacked stones' may very well fall over, but if they are carefully set on top of one another, if they are responsibly monitored, if they are adjusted when circumstances change, then yes, risk can be mitigated.
RSI is all about maximizing our clients' ability to minimize the consequences of any and all of their activities, hence the choice of balanced and, yes, even fragile stacks of stones as emblems of our everyday efforts.
As it happens, RSI found inspiration right in its back yard, right here in Ottawa. John Felice Ceprano, a world-renowned artist, has spent over three decades building a balanced stone campus on the shores of the Ottawa River at Remic Rapids. John was kind enough to sit down with us to share his philosophy. See for yourself if it lines up with our own.