Sunshine coast business magazine fall 2014

KEEPING IT Local Entrepreneurs

SUNSHINE COAST

BUSINESSMAGAZINE

Fall 2014 • Vol. 01 No. 02

TAKING ROOT

LOCAL

PAGE 4

THE WEALTHPAGE 6

SpreadingLocal CEO Advocates Social Enterprise

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Fall 2014 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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06

09

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14

16

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21

22

24

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Taking Root

Spreading the Wealth - Social Enterprise

Keep it Local

Little Beer Farm that Could

Sunshine Coast Winery - Taking Root

Sechelt Chamber of Commerce

SCCU - Why we Love this Job

Keeping it in the Family

Sustainable Entrepreneur

Launching your Business Dream

First Nations Tourism and Culture

Pender Harbour Chamber News

Heath Care Coast Style

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine is published twice a year by The Local Weekly Newspaper.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Chris Mortensen

#213 - 5710 Teredo StreetSechelt, B.C., V0N 3A0Phone: 604-885-3134 Fax: 604-885-3194Email: [email protected]

This material written or artistic may not be re-printed or electronically reproduced in any way without the written consent of the Publisher. The opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the Publisher or staff of the Local Weekly. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the ownerʼs responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind, is limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

LocaltheweekLy

Sunshine Coast Business Magazine • Fall 2014

16

dealership in the Lower Mainland. That’s

where he got his management chops. He

returned in 2007 to help run South Coast

Ford and hasn’t looked back.

Learning the business from a humble

start has also worked well for Doug

Saunders, 27, now operations man-

ager at Custom Carpets. His father,

Paul, started the business in Wilson

Creek in the mid-90s before mov-

ing a few years later to the current

10,000-square-foot showroom at

Wharf Road and Highway 101.

“I started here when I was about 12, after

school,” said Saunders. “I’d come down

here and do the garbage, and cleaning

and sweeping. Each summer, I worked

for one of the installers as well. I did hard-

wood tile, that kind of stuff, apprenticing

with a journeyman.”

A few more years in sales rounded out

Saunders’s flooring education before he

moved upstairs.

Dad Paul Saunders, 61, is still heavily in-

volved in the business. Father and son

commute back and forth a few days each

week to swap management duties at the

Experts say that among the most com-

mon problems are competing visions

between generations, and parachuting

unprepared offspring into leadership

roles.

South Coast Ford owner Bill Copping

maneuvered around both those pitfalls,

according to son Brad, now the dealer-

ship’s General Manager.

“It was challenging years ago, trying to

meet up to his ideas of how a business

should be run,” said the younger Cop-

ping, 41. “It’s easier now because he’s just

kind of handed me the reins several years

ago and said, ‘Do what you want with it.’

He’s happy and he’s proud of where the

business is going. We’re doing well.”

And there was no parachuting into the

top. Copping worked his way up.

“I started washing cars when I was about

12,” he recalls. “I worked in parts, I worked

in service, in the shop, up until I was

about 16.”

Copping sold cars after graduating from

high school and then left the Coast for 14

years to work at another family-owned

If you own a family business with

hopes of passing it on to your kids,

get this: by far, most North American

family enterprises don’t succeed into

the next generation. But at least two of

the Sunshine Coast’s largest local retail-

ers are bucking that negative trend, big

time.

The owners of Sechelt’s South Coast

Ford, and Custom Carpets, which has

outlets in Sechelt and Powell River, are

handing it over to the kids, and both

businesses are thriving, with good long-

term promise.

Studies by the Business Families Centre

at the University of British Columbia and

the U.S.-based Family Business Institute

have revealed the same discouraging

results: Just 30 per cent of family-owned

enterprises survive into the second gen-

eration. The success rate drops to 12 per-

cent for third-generation family business-

es.

Comprehensive succession planning can

be complex, even for small businesses,

and there are a number of key reasons

why some succeed where others don’t.

FAMILYKeeping it

Second-generation

success can be tricky,

but these Sunshine

Coast businesses

have figured it out

in the

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Brad Copping, General Manager, South Coast Ford


SUSTAINABLE

Salish Soils’ Aaron Joe seeks to widen the circle of success

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“I feel you have got to stand up and be loud and proud when you’ve got a vision.”

KEY sees PARTNERSHIPS as

Entrepreneur

T hose words from Sechelt businessman Aaron Joe pretty much sum up his approach – even though in person Joe is not especially loud, and while proud, that’s leavened with a thoughtful humility. Not that he has a lot to be humble about.Joe and business partner Jim Meketich are

the innovators behind a few local compa-nies, the highest-profile being Salish Soils, their thriving composting enterprise op-erating on a busy 10-acre site just off East Porpoise Bay Road.“We started this project in the fall of 2010,” said Joe. “The original concept was taking waste and turning it into soil, not just for resale but also to use in reclamation for Sechelt First Nation lands that have been mined – and to create new jobs for the Sunshine Coast.”

Salish Soils turns out a number of garden-ing and agricultural products, including two kinds of compost, two garden mixes, a

turf mix and two types of bark mulch.The not-so-secret ingredient in most of those products is fish waste from local sea-food processors and the Sechelt First Na-tion’s food fishery.“Salish Soil is our fish compost, and every product that is derived from that, whether it’s our fish garden mix or turf mix,” which Joe says “grows everything like crazy.”The company site is also the location of the main recycling depot on the mid-Coast under contract from Multi-Material BC, as well as the area drop-off for garden and clean construction waste. The green waste – along with food scraps from the

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Aaron Joe, Salish Soils


22

to the Band,” the Chief said.

One of those who have heard the call will

be their new CEO, Nadine Hoene, an SIB

member who worked for BC Hydro in Van-

couver.

Craigan noted the Band is also consider-

ing hydro-electric projects as well as a

wide range of other business proposals

being brought forward.

“Members are fully aware of where we are

going and we’re preparing ourselves for

the future,” the Chief said. “Without our

membership’s involvement, it would all be

futile.”

TOURISM A ‘GOOD FIT’

Candace Campo, in partnership with her

brother Rob, is one of those SIB members

operating a successful eco-tour business.

Campo said there are many reasons a

tourism business is a good fit for them.

“Meeting people throughout the world

and North America is satisfying, and

bringing dollars into the economy on the

Sunshine Coast through tourism is also

pretty important for a small community,”

said Campo.

“I think what’s important in building tour-

ism is that we need to provide that sense

of place and sense of community, and

than just jobs,” Craigan said.

Chief since 2012, Craigan has an exten-

sive background in business, and carries

a leadership style that is committed to

promoting economic development in har-

mony with Band values. Examples of busi-

nesses that were started by SIB members

are many, including innovative projects

like Salish Soils and the Tsain-Ko shopping

centre.

Craigan said their efforts will be focused

on career training and connecting Band

members who have expertise they can

offer. They’re also appealing to off-Coast

Band members to provide input and take

on key roles in the next phase of their

growth.

“We have people with degrees in econom-

ics and business, who have skills in man-

agement and can bring home their talent

Members of the Sechelt Indian

Band are actively planning

programs and projects that

will both expand their capaci-

ty in business and forge partnerships with

the larger community on the Sunshine

Coast. The Band’s leaders are building on

the success of their businesses and the

professional experience of their members

on the Coast and elsewhere to expand

their participation in the local economy.

Eco-tour business co-founder Candace

Campo and Sechelt Indian Band (SIB)

Chief Calvin Craigan said they are keen

to seize development opportunities and

build their members’ capacity for profes-

sional development.

“The business opportunities for the Band

will be so vast, it will be a major shift in

mode to getting education plans in place

to create managers and careers, rather

through

FIRST NATION

Tourism and CultureBUILDING SUCCESS

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Longhouses are being erected around the Sunshine Coast

Page 16

Page 18

Page 22

SUNSHINE COAST

BUSINESSMAGAZINE

Featuring the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort, Halfmoon Bay


TAKING ROOT

W elcome to the Fall 2014 edition of the Sunshine Coast Business Magazine. We enjoyed putting together articles on an eclectic group of business owners, leaders, and visionaries who share the theme of Keeping It Local. Taking Root was an easy theme when

watching the harvesting of the fi rst season of hops from Persephone Brewing, or learning about the vineyard plantings that the Sunshine Coast Winery is cultivating.

Meeting up with Brian Smith of Community Futures was a delight, or more appropriately, an inspiring meeting with one of the Sunshine Coasts local intellects. We learned a lot about what drives him, how he got to where he is today, his vision for the future and what he would like to see Taking Root here. We learned about social enterprise and about “the idea of taking business principles and practices and applying them to meet social ends.” This is a great read and we hope you enjoy it.

We were thankful that the Copping family from South Coast Ford and the Saunders family from Custom Carpets & Interiors opened up to us about working in the family business. Both shared challenges that can arise when rubbing shoulders with the boss who also happens to be your dad.

Chief Calvin Craigan and Eco-tour business co-founder Candace Campo share with us their visions to “expand their capacity in business partnerships on the Sunshine Coast,” connecting band members and “Building Success through First Nation Tourism and Culture.” Salish Soils Aaron Joe, a sustainable entrepreneur sees “Partnerships as Key” and clearly advocates “Transforming Sunshine Coast Waste into Renewable Resources and Jobs.”

With so much talent on the Sunshine Coast our collective goal of Keeping it Local and increasing sustainability in a number of diff erent sectors surely has Taken Root.

...think twice before you speak, because

your words and in� uence will plant

the seed of either success or failure in

the mind of another...

- Napolean Hill

CONTRIBUTORS...

Rik Jespersen is a journalist, editor and television producer who has worked with various print, online and broadcast media across Canada over the past 30 years. He lives in Roberts Creek.

RIK JESPERSENCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Christina Johnstone is a Graphic Designer with 10+ yrs experience in the news industry. She produces the White Rock Real Estate Advisor and produces the Sunshine Coast Business Magazine. She spends her time between Sechelt and White Rock.

CHRISTINA JOHNSTONEPRODUCTION / GRAPHIC DESIGN

Susan Attiana is Publisher of the Local Weekly and the Sunshine Coast Business Magazine. She has 30+ years experience in the newspaper, media and magazine industry in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. She lives in Sechelt.

SUSAN ATTIANAPUBLISHER / EDITOR

SALES AND MARKETING:Susan Attiana and Stephanie Taylor

CONTRIBUTING WRITER:Apryl Veld

PRINTING: International Web Express

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK...

We wish to thank the following Sunshine Coast Businesses for their time and support:

Brian Smith CEO - Community Futures, Donna McMahon - Executive Director Gibsons Chamber of Commerce, Persephone Brewing Company, Sunshine Coast Winery, Sechelt & District Chamber of Commerce, Sunshine Coast Credit Union, South Coast Ford, Custom Carpet & Interiors,

Salish Soils, Cheryl McNicol, Chief Calvin Craigan and Candace Campo, Pender Harbour & District Chamber of Commerce, and all other advertisers.

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Reduce energy consumptionWe can provide advise on how your business can become more sustainable.

Participate in a healthy lifestyleBusiness employees and their families can enjoy a rich array of recreational opportunities.

Become a leader in water conservationWe will help you evaluate your business with respect to conserving water.

Business friendly rural zoningNew business owners are encouraged to contact the Planning and Development Department to discuss future plans.

sunshinecoastrd

For more informationt, visit www.scrd.ca or follow us on

The Sunshine Coast Regional District is one of many organizations on the Sunshine Coast taking steps towards a more sustainable, economically viable and collaborative community. We are here to help your business:

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I t’s hard to argue with the view that Brian Smith is a unique and potent force for both economic growth and community building on the Sunshine Coast.

The Gibsons’ resident manages to juggle being a husband and father of three with business interests in the Lower Mainland, teaching courses at Simon Fraser Universi-ty, and fi lling the roles of CEO for both the Persephone Brewing Company and Com-munity Futures Sunshine Coast. In his spare time — and yes, he does actually manage to fi nd it — he likes to get out on his bike.

Smith sat down with Sunshine Coast Busi-ness to talk about his background and the role of Community Futures.

Sunshine Coast Business: You started out working with people with disabilities. How does it relate to what you do now?

Brian Smith: I think of my career as progres-sive steps to fi gure out how I can have an im-pact. Because really when it comes down to it, that’s my personal mission–to have a pos-itive impact on the world. So, I started when I was young. I got a degree in economics, with a focus on community development. I did some international work in India, but found that I couldn’t have very much of an impact because I didn’t know their culture, I didn’t know their languages. They had

Local CEO Advocates Social EnterpriseWEALTH

a much stronger connection than me to community, in the sense that they could develop their assets. So I came back and did a Masters degree in planning, because I thought that if I could learn how to plan better I could have a more of an impact.

What funded me through my degree was a job at a disability organization called PLAN, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network, which had truly inspired leaders like Al Etmanski and Vickie Cammack (and others who start-ed PLAN). Etmanski and Cammack both have the Order of Canada and both have had massive impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families. And so to have inspired leaders around you inspires you. I consider them really instrumental mentors for me.

SCB: How did you get into social enterprise fi nancing?

Smith: At the same time I had a keen inter-est and concern around non-profi ts system-ically being underfunded. This is a profound problem in our society. There are non-profi ts who are doing really valuable work who are not funded enough to actually change any-thing for good. Things like literacy, health, housing; none of those problems have ac-tually been solved. I really have a problem with that. PLAN now follows a path of so-cial enterprise, which is the idea of taking

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Brian Smith CEO - Community Futures

Futures Sunshine Coast

Community

Financing for Small Businessand Social EnterprisesDave Jephcott, Business AdvisorCell: (604) 989-9918 Email: [email protected]

604-885-1959www.communityfutures.org#301 - 5500 Wharf St. Sechelt, BC (Above the Bakery)

business principles and practices, and apply-ing them to meet social ends. So, social enter-prise was something around social change that really resonated with me. And really, my career since PLAN has been all about how we develop social enterprise and be innovative in doing so, that we apply busi-ness principles to change we want to see in our society.

I left PLAN and started in co-op organizing, because co-ops are in my mind one of the best ways to democratize our economy and democratize wealth, and that in itself is a so-cial enterprise. So I spent some time at the co-op associations and then worked on the Downtown Eastside, because it’s one of the concerning parts of our society in Canada. I really struggled emotionally with the idea that people who have no home, no support and have mental illness and addictions are cast aside and don’t have any social net that they can build a life around.

I worked in the DTES for about 10 years, with foundations that allowed me to think, “Where can I have an impact on these things that concern our society?” One of the orga-nizations that I worked with is very similar to what I do at Community Futures which is fi nancing community economic develop-ment strategies.

SCB: What led to working for Community Futures and relocating?

Smith: My wife and I thought that maybe the Sunshine Coast is a place we could raise a family, and that brought us over here. I commuted for fi ve years to the DTES and did a short stint with VanCity as a lender and fi nancing social housing, then got the job with CF and it’s gone from there.

SCB: What does Community Futures do?

Smith: I think of Community Futures activ-ities as two buckets. One bucket is that we do small business fi nancing, so we have a loan portfolio and an investment portfolio. Currently, we have about 60 businesses that we’ve invested money in, and those are, for the most part, repayable loans. But they can be a more diverse set of fi nancial instru-ments. For instance, equity, mezzanine debt, and others that can help capitalize business growth, start-ups, businesses wanting to diversify, acquisitions, successions, lots of business scenarios need fi nancing. Start-ups that don’t have a track record to lean against have a hard time getting bank funding. So people come to us and we’re able to take a bit bigger risk on them and get them started.

In fact, if we did the math on businesses that got started on the Sunshine Coast from Community Futures, it’s actually quite sub-stantial, in the tens of millions of dollars over the 27 years that we’ve been here.

The other bucket of activity is around com-munity economic development. That’s about identifying with the stakeholders and the residents the needs that a community has and to fi gure out a solution to those problems.

SCB: What kind of projects does this sup-port?

Smith: I think the Gibsons Public Market is a pretty good example. A bunch of residents who didn’t have a grocery store in Lower Gibsons, and an empty piece of real estate that was a real asset and is just underuti-lized, come together as an economic de-velopment strategy. And lo and behold, we have a public market with public amenities, distribution channels for farmers, and so on.

SCB: What kind of businesses is CF looking to fi nd fi nancing for?

Smith: In terms of growth industries we think it’s important to be investing in val-ue-added products, light manufacturing, whether it’s a consumer product or a food–and that those light manufacturing prod-ucts are exportable. I think it’s always going

to be important for Community Futures to support mom and pop-size businesses; because there are many and they’ve provid-ed lots of jobs on the Sunshine Coast. But I hesitate to suggest that that’s the most important, because there’s little growth in them. Whereas exportable products can grow past the Sunshine Coast.

SCB: How does CF support economic growth?

Smith: It’s less about economic growth and more about the impact it will have. For ex-ample, agricultural business, services to se-niors in particular, and transportation. These sectors that are deserving of our collective investment, I think, are the types of busi-nesses we see as attractive for investing in.

The seniors, the demographic shift that is happening: those are business opportuni-ties, and we are going to less and less be able to lean on the public sector to pay for those.

As far as agriculture goes, only two per cent of our food is grown here and that’s a real concern, so Community Futures has a real interest in supporting agricultural business. Small-scale farms that provide value-added food will not only diversify and strength-en our community, they will also make us healthier, not to mention providing jobs.

- APRYL VELD


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Board of Directors - Gibsons Public Market 2014


A s President of the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to report that we have had a very active year representing our members.

We have been working with the Town and Regional Dis-trict on economic development with initiatives such as car free tourism and providing information and support to new businesses and those relocating to the Coast.We have grown our membership to over 200 businesses and organizations, strengthening our ability to speak on behalf of our members with all levels of Government re-garding issues that aff ect your business. We’ve provided our members with a number of professional development seminars at no cost.

The Coast Makers Group that we helped to start is gaining momentum. And our Business After Hours networking events are growing every month. I am especially pleased to see some great business to business relationships de-velop from these networking opportunities.

Finally, we are forming and maintaining many partner-ships in the community, all aimed at building business success and our local economy.

We will continue to strive to serve you all in the year to come. Our amazing and dedicated team of Executive Di-rector Donna McMahon and Offi ce Manager Lyndie Dzuris look forward to helping with any challenges and concerns you may have.

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I n a recent presentation at the BC Chamber Executives Con-ference, Dale Wheeldon of the Economic Development As-sociation had some interesting things to say about econom-ic development in small and rural communities like ours.

• Local businesses are the heart of our economy. Up to 80% of all jobs and investment are provided by local business.

• It’s far cheaper and easier to support existing companies than to attract new ones. (In North America over 15,000 economic development organizations are chasing fewer than 200 major business relocations each year.)

• Locally owned and operated businesses are the key to resilience. When times are tough, they stay, whereas branch offi ces or chain outlets may close.

• An important new sector is lifestyle entrepreneurs--people who could live almost anywhere, but move here because this is where they want to be. They are typically independent and skilled, and they bring new revenue and jobs into our economy.

• The attraction of new residents relies on amenities--not just schools and hospitals, but also arts and culture, recreation & community organizations. Home is where your friends are.

LOCALKEEPit

• Traditional studies have undervalued the benefi ts of tourism in developing local economies. Tourism often develops amenities that benefi t us all. And think how many times you’ve heard people say: “I came here on holiday and like it so much I stayed!”

The Gibsons Chamber works closely with the Town, the SCRD, pri-vate businesses, and community organizations on many activities that support economic development, including:

• Hosting professional development workshops and networking events for local business.

• Developing tourism opportunities for the lower coast, with a focus on the Greater Vancouver market.

• Helping to build focused networking groups, such as the Coast Makers, Sunshine Coast Tech Hub and the Self Employed Women’s Network.

• Providing referrals and support for people exploring self- employment or starting a business.

And much more. There’s a lot happening at the Gibsons Chamber. Join us!

- DONNA MCMAHON


Photo of Upper Gibsons, Courtesy of: The Gibsons Chamber

Photo of Lower Gibsons, Courtesy of: The Gibsons Chamber


T ake a one-time fl ower farm, in-vest more than $1 million to turn it into a craft brewery, grow your own hops, and call it a “beer farm!”

That was the plan.

Risky? You bet. But just over one year in, the Sunshine Coast’s Persephone Brew-ing Company is already enjoying success more heady than CEO Brian Smith and his founding group of investors dared dream.

Total revenues have “far exceeded projec-tions overall,” Smith said.

Just visible beyond its rows of ten-foot-tall hops plants, the brewery’s red farm build-ing is ideally located (at North Rd and Stewart Rd.), on the way to and from the Langdale ferry terminal, and that’s been a boon to sales. Smith said that hundreds of people dropped by every weekend to quaff and carry all summer long.

“The sales, especially in the tasting room,

are more than double my original projec-tions.”

And it’s not just the funky on-site facility that’s moving product, including Perse-phone’s three main beers and a variety of seasonal brews.

“We have 110 accounts, on the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland,” said Smith, with about half of them selling draft from kegs and the other half selling bottles and cans. Another local sales stream is provid-ed by the brewery’s “growlers,” 1-litre and 2-litre refi llable bottles. Not only are they effi cient and ecologically responsible, Smith said, you can’t get a brew that’s any closer to the source than a growler-full, not even draft.

“There’s nothing fresher than this. It comes straight from the tanks,” he said.

Named after the Roman goddess of vegetation, and a boat that was featured

“BEER FARM” THAT COULD...

... AND DID!every week in the long-running CBC series The Beachcombers, Persephone so far is a classic small business success story. And success came with one of the potential pitfalls of a hit product: It’s great when the public wants what you sell, but what if it wants so much that you can’t meet de-mand?

“We’ve been careful to manage the ex-pectations of our accounts and walk that fi ne line of wanting to look big enough for people to care about us, but not outstrip our ability to provide really quality prod-uct,” Smith said. “And I think we’ve done a really good job of meeting that balance.”

With the brewery running at close to full capacity just one year after it opened, and the word about its quality beers spreading fast, expansion is already underway.

“We’re essentially maxed out on the ca-pacity of beer we can make in that [main] building right now.”

So, the 11-acre property has seen the ad-dition of a new 6,000 square foot ware-house that will house two new large brewing tanks and cold storage room, a packaging area and an area for drying and processing hops.

Sunshine Coast The Little

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The brewery’s distinct red barn sits among hops plants


Despite going off the charts, sales alone can’t fi nance the next phase of expansion, so getting bigger means fi nding more in-vestors.

“We’re defi nitely growing and the market is defi nitely responding to our product, so it’s a fairly reasonable risk to continue to invest in growth and scaling up.”

Smith and the other owners are hoping to raise $250,000 to $300,000 through a combination of commons shares and a preferred issue that Persephone is calling “Beer Baron” shares.

At $12,000 a pop, Baron shareholders get a few extras.

“People get to say they own a piece of Persephone and get 24 free growler fi lls every year—and can come to meetings with brewers. So we’re really trying to build our community and our equity in the company.”

Good corporate citizenship has been a guiding principle at the beer farm. One of the founding partners was the Sunshine Coast Association for Community Living, and many in its client group are actively and gainfully included among the farm’s 25 staff members.

“We employ here, week to week, six to eight people with disabilities to help with the farming,” said Smith. “That partnership is really rich for us. It’s culturally rich, so-cially rich, and also works for our business model.”

Gibsons-based Smith not only runs the brewery, he oversees other business inter-ests in the Lower Mainland, teaches part-time at Simon Fraser University and is fa-ther to three children. He’s also Executive Director of Sunshine Coast Community Futures, which off ers fi nancing, training, and advisory services for local small busi-nesses and entrepreneurs.

But the partnership did it on its own, with-out Community Futures involvement, as Smtih frequently feels he should point out.

“Community Futures had nothing to do with Persephone, and Persephone has nothing to do with Community Futures,” he said.

Buoyed by their success, Smith and his partners are saying “pour me another one,” and want to try the beer farm business model elsewhere.

“Our next expansion plans are to buy an-other farm and build another brewery in another region.”

Sounds like another good bet.

- RIK JESPERSEN

Bringing a Business

to ?

Bringing a BusinessBringing a BusinessBringing a Business

?Gibsons

Here are some reasons why you should!

Contact us for resources and information about moving, buying or starting a business,

or working from home.

CONVENIENT Only 2 hours from VancouverAFFORDABLE Affordable housing pricesRELAXED A slower pace of lifeCONNECTED World class fibre optic internetSMART Electric vehicle charging stations and a geothermally heated subdivisionACTIVE Outdoor recreation abounds year-roundCULTURED Outstanding arts and culture

Insert you & your laptop

HERE

Gibsons & District Economic DevelopmentData about our region

www.gibsonsanddistrict.ca

Gibsons Visitor Information CentreOpen year round - 417 Marine Dr (across from Molly’s Reach)

www.gibsonsvisitorinfo.com [email protected]

1-866-222-3806 / 604-886-2374

Gibsons & District Chamber of CommerceOpen weekdays, 10 to 2 in Sunnycrest Mall 604-886-2325 [email protected]


S unshine Coast Pinot Noir.... Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Local wine lovers can look forward sometime in late 2017 to just such a vintage, from grapes grown and processed right here in this region’s fi rst local winery.

Entrepreneur Iris Fan is in the midst of turning the one-time fi ve-acre dahlia farm on a plateau at the top of Selma Park Road into a growing concern, with plans to get their fi rst grape vines in the ground early in 2015. “We are getting the soil ready, because we have another 2,000 [pinot noir] cuttings coming in December and will be planting in April,” Fan saidPinot noir vines take a few years to establish in a new location before they produce worthy fruit. The business plan calls for two acres of vines, but that initial 2017 vintage will be a small run. In coming years, the output from the vineyard’s eight 2,000-litre stainless steel tanks will be available for sipping at restaurants on the Coast and in Vancouver, and for sale online, directly from the winery, and at private liquor stores.The grape—a huge favourite among growers in the hills of north-ern California—can be a bit fussy, but it’s a good fi t for the local climate, Fan said.“The pinot noir is diffi cult to grow, but it’s good in this cooler weather here,” compared to the Okanagan, she said.But you don’t have to wait any time at all to enjoy varieties like merlot and cabernet sauvignon made at the Sunshine Coast Win-ery. The grapes were grown at a leased vineyard in Oliver, B.C., and processed and bottled on site. The winery has also turned out some fruit wines—the dry kind, not sweet—with blueberry, raspberry and blackberry among the popular choices for sale in the tasting room.Fruit wines will eventually make up half the output at Sun-shine Coast Winery. Planting has already begun on two acres of golden plum trees. When mature, the hundreds of trees could

each yield enough fruit for about 130 bottles.Fan and winemaker partner Keith Lau say they have a whole list of fruit wine recipes they’d like to try, and they’re especially looking forward next year to what they expect to be an outstanding dark blend of blueberry and black currant.Fan, who grew up in mainland China, spent 10 years in Hong Kong before immigrating to Canada in 1986. She bought the Sechelt property in 2012, and said by the time the operation is really on its feet, another $500,000 will have been invested in the business.Interested investors from overseas have already been poking around, said Fan, but she and Lau want to be do-it-yourself ar-tisans.“We want to focus on hand-crafted wine,” she said. “To bring in investment, sometimes you can make it very big, but not be able to make it the way you want.”Chinese wine merchants, for instance, aren’t interested in buying small lots of cases, said Fan. They want it by the shipping contain-er.Although Fan and Lau want to keep things relatively small-scale, there are some plans for eventual expansion at the vineyard. A fi nished 1,500-square foot residence that came with the proper-ty features a living room and huge deck with an expansive view of the Strait of Georgia, which will provide a perfect setting for a much larger tasting room than the smaller room the winery cur-rently has.Out in front of the house, a sizeable patio with small stage at one end also will enable visitors to enjoy some sunny sipping with live music.The Sunshine Coast Winery is open for tastings a few days a week, and schedules change with the seasons. Call 604-200-8796 for more information or visit sunshinecoastwinery.com.

- RIK JESPERSEN

COAST VINEYARD TAKING ROOT

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The Sunshine Coast Winery’s tasting room o� ers grape and fruit wines


Kim DarwinPresident

W e consist of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic, com-mercial and industrial progress of this community.

The Sechelt and District Chamber of Commerce knows that tools and resources are essential to business success. That is why we have been supporting our local business community for over 66 years. Our commitment to a sustainable local economy includes commu-nication, education and a locally based network of professional ser-vices, all committed to assisting new and established business.

The Sechelt Chamber is able to off er our members tangible cost saving benefi ts, networking opportunities, and opportunities to promote you and your business, while still actively representing our Members and the community as a whole to municipal, provin-cial and federal governments on a myriad of issues. Recent events include Municipal All Candidates Forums, Minister Todd Stone

WELCOME TO THE SECHELT AND DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

13

information session, working with the municipality on updating Zoning Bylaw #530, and Annual Mayors Breakfast.

Remember – progressive communi-ties don’t just happen. They are the result of the combined eff orts of our community and business leaders spearheaded by the activities of the Sechelt & District Chamber of Com-merce. Give us a call 604-885-0662 or [email protected]

innovation the application of new solutions that meet new requirements or existing market needs

AGRI / AQUA CULTURE

HEALTH & WELLNESS

EDUCATION

TECHNOLOGY

ECO-TOURISM

Sechelt InnovationsGROWING COMMUNITY

Sechelt Innovations Limited is the business development arm of the District of Sechelt.

We are a group of dynamic business leaders focused on developing an innovative and sustainable business environment.

We’ll help you construct and evaluate the business case for moving to Sechelt, and we’ll enable you to get things done once you decide to locate here. We’re experienced and capable, and we’re up for the challenge.

Get us working on your team, call 778.458.3044 today.

Unit #103 - 5674 Teredo St., Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0Ph: 778.458.3044 | [email protected] us at Twitter (@silecdev) and Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SecheltInnovationsLtd)

PHOTO: JOHN KALMANPHOTO: CHRIS MORTENSEN


T he Sunshine Coast is brimming with entrepreneurs, small business and social enterprise. People are increas-ingly buying local and supporting

Coast businesses for a variety of reasons: food security, economic benefi ts, conve-nience and value, just to name a few.

As demand grows both locally and afar for Coast-originated products and services, we see new businesses emerge and existing en-terprises expand. It is our privilege to be a part of these exciting initiatives. We do this through fi nancing but just as importantly, by sharing our local expertise and advice. Har-bour Publishing, Rockwater Secret Cove Re-sort and Persephone Brewing Company are just three local businesses we’ve had the plea-sure of supporting through their journeys.

Established in 1974, Harbour Publishing is an award-winning independent book publisher based in Pender Harbour. In addition to be-ing well known for a series of anthologies

on British Columbia’s coast history and culture, the company is also the publish-er of over fi ve hundred titles. A long-time member with Sunshine Coast Credit Union, we’ve seen this company grow to be one of the largest publishers in BC, recently mak-ing a signifi cant leap in size and scope by acquiring the historic Douglas & McIntyre.

Originally purchased by Calgary owners who were attracted to the beauty and aff ordabil-ity of the Sunshine Coast, Rockwater Secret Cove Resort has carved out a unique expe-rience for the discerning traveler, featuring luxury tents perched on craggy rock face overlooking the ocean. Known for its ro-mantic setting, the Resort was voted as the top Canadian seaside hideaway in the world by Sunset Magazine in July 2014, and has been distinguished as the best wedding re-ception alternative location in BC from the professional BC wedding awards for both 2012 and 2013.

Newly formed Persephone Brewing Compa-ny is perfectly situated to capture the interest of tourists and locals alike. The 11-acre farm and craft micro-brewery was established in 2012 and integrates onsite farming of hops and other food crops in support of local food security. In partnership with Sunshine Coast

Association for Community Living, the Brew-ery employs persons with disabilities and relies on these employees to run the organi-zation’s’ daily operations. It’s an example of a social venture, an organization that mea-sures its success not only in profi t but also, community impact.

The Sunshine Coast is a unique part of the world and has everything needed to attract families to live and work here. New busi-ness and expansion of existing business can provide employment for residents, building our tax base and creating a strong economy. For business owners looking to the Coast, you will benefi t from doing the research re-quired to truly understand the local market. This type of knowledge comes with years of being here, immersed in the community. Or you can rely on our commercial team; we’re mobile and resource rich with local expertise. If you are considering the Sunshine Coast for your venture, I encourage you to contact us; we’ll come to you and provide you with the knowledge and insight you need to assess if the Sunshine Coast will be the perfect place for your venture.

We see Coast businesses succeeding and lo-cals supporting their success everyday; it’s no wonder we love this job.

Erin McGregor, ManagerCommercial Lending withSunshine Coast Credit Union

WHY

PHOTO: BRIAN LEE

WE LOVE THIS JOBA Commercial Advisor’s View

Persephone Brewing CompanyRockwater Secret Cove Resort

604.740.2089

604.885.8789

Local Expertise.

Mobile Advice.

www.sunshineccu.comwww.sunshineccu.com/suncu

Mortgages

Commercial

604.885.3792

Wealth

Securities and securities related financial planning services are offered through Qtrade Advisor, a division of Qtrade Securities Inc., Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Insurance products are offered through SunCu Financial Services.


dealership in the Lower Mainland. That’s where he got his management chops. He returned in 2007 to help run South Coast Ford and hasn’t looked back.

Learning the business from a humble start has also worked well for Doug Saunders, 27, now operations manager at Custom Carpets. His father, Paul, start-ed the business in Wilson Creek in the mid-90s before moving a few years later to the current 10,000-square-foot show-room at Wharf Road and Highway 101.

“I started here when I was about 12, after school,” said Saunders. “I’d come down here and do the garbage, and cleaning and sweeping. Each summer, I worked for one of the installers as well. I did hardwood, tile, that kind of stuff , appren-ticing with a journeyman.”

A few more years in sales rounded out Saunders fl ooring education before he moved upstairs.

Dad Paul Saunders, 61, is still heavily in-volved in the business. Father and son commute back and forth a few days each week to swap management duties at the Sechelt and Powell River stores. These

Experts say that among the most com-mon problems are competing visions between generations, and parachuting unprepared off spring into leadership roles.

South Coast Ford owner Bill Copping maneuvered around both those pitfalls, according to son Brad, now the dealer-ship’s General Manager.

“It was challenging years ago, trying to meet up to his ideas of how a business should be run,” said the younger Cop-ping, 41. “It’s easier now because he’s just kind of handed me the reins several years ago and said, ‘Do what you want with it.’ He’s happy and he’s proud of where the business is going. We’re doing well.”

And there was no parachuting into the top. Copping worked his way up.

“I started washing cars when I was about 12,” he recalls. “I worked in parts, I worked in service, in the shop, up until I was about 16.”

Copping sold cars after graduating from high school and then left the Coast for 14 years to work at another family-owned

I f you own a family business with hopes of passing it on to your kids, get this: by far, most North American family enterprises don’t succeed into

the next generation. But at least two of the Sunshine Coast’s largest local retail-ers are bucking that negative trend, big time.

The owners of Sechelt’s South Coast Ford, and Custom Carpets, which has outlets in Sechelt and Powell River, are handing it over to the kids, and both businesses are thriving, with good long-term promise.

Studies by the Business Families Centre at the University of British Columbia and the U.S.-based Family Business Institute have revealed the same discouraging results: Just 30 per cent of family-owned enterprises survive into the second gen-eration. The success rate drops to 12 per-cent for third-generation family business-es.

Comprehensive succession planning can be complex, even for small businesses, and there are a number of key reasons why some succeed where others don’t.

FAMILYKeeping it

Second-generation success can be tricky, but these Sunshine Coast businesses have fi gured it out

in the

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Brad Copping, General Manager, South Coast Ford


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17

days, they mostly agree on business mat-ters, but it wasn’t always so.

“There’ve been some tough times, but I think that the toughest was when I was young and learning, and thinking that I knew just as much as he did,” Doug Saun-ders admits.

Now, the respect is mutual.

“We’re getting close to 50-50 on deci-sion-making, and maybe sometimes even 75-25 in my favour, because he likes what he’s seeing.”

Does either of these second-generation managers see a possibility of third-gen-eration success in their businesses?

Saunders, newly-married and as yet childless, loves his work, even though six-day weeks and late-night business calls are typical. He’s not sure it would be a fun life for everyone.

“It’s a high-paced, fairly stressful career,” he said.

Family man Brad Copping has reasons for a diff erent view.

Keeping it“I’ve got two boys, two girls, and hopeful-ly one or two of them will come into the business as well—and relieve me,” he said with a smile.

- RIK JESPERSEN

Doug Saunders, Operations Manager, Custom Carpets

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[email protected]

604.885.3582











[email protected]

604.885.3582











[email protected]

604.885.3582











[email protected]

604.885.3582











[email protected]

604.885.3582











[email protected]

604.885.3582








SUSTAINABLE

Salish Soils’ Aaron Joe seeksto widen the circle of successPH

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“I feel you have got to stand up and be loud and proud when you’ve got a vision.”

KEY sees PARTNERSHIPS as

Entrepreneur

T hose words from Sechelt businessman Aaron Joe pretty much sum up his approach – even though in person Joe is not

especially loud, and while proud, that’s leavened with a thoughtful humility. Not that he has a lot to be humble about.

Joe and business partner Jim Meketich are

the innovators behind a few local compa-nies, the highest-profi le being Salish Soils, their thriving composting enterprise op-erating on a busy 10-acre site just off East Porpoise Bay Road.

“We started this project in the fall of 2010,” said Joe. “The original concept was taking waste and turning it into soil, not just for resale but also to use in reclamation for Sechelt First Nation lands that have been mined – and to create new jobs for the Sunshine Coast.”

Salish Soils turns out a number of garden-ing and agricultural products, including two kinds of compost, two garden mixes, a

turf mix and two types of bark mulch.

The not-so-secret ingredient in most of those products is fi sh waste from local sea-food processors and the Sechelt First Na-tion’s food fi shery.

“Salish Soil is our fi sh compost, and every product that is derived from that, whether it’s our fi sh garden mix or turf mix,” which Joe says “grows everything like crazy.”

The company site is also the location of the main recycling depot on the mid-Coast under contract from Multi-Material BC, as well as the area drop-off for garden and clean construction waste. The green waste – along with food scraps from the

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Aaron Joe, Salish Soils


District of Sechelt’s curbside pilot project and from St. Mary’s Hospital – goes into the compost. The wood waste is ground up for the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper mill, which burns it to generate electricity.

Meketich and Joe already had two other businesses on the go before venturing into the waste-into-resources industry – Tymax Industries, a construction and for-estry fi rm, and a marine-support company called Mayuk Logistics (“Mayuk” means grizzly bear in Salish).

HOLISTIC ENTREPRENEUR

So, while you could say a guy like Joe is “all business,” there’s more to this 42-year-old than that implies. He’s clearly a holistic entrepreneur, whose agenda includes not just creating wealth in his own companies, but in the broader community as well.

“For me it was important to work with my people, but also to develop partnerships with non-First Nations, whether white, black, brown, blue, whatever colour you are. We all must partner here to move forward.

“It was important for me to demonstrate how that works. Salish Soils is becoming a real example of that,” said Joe. “With that as the intention, more partnerships happen.”

The eldest of four kids in the family of First Nations’ mother Valerie Joe and of non-First Nations father Ken Bourne, Joe said that it took some time for him to see that

those broader partnerships were the best way to go.

“First Nations have had a tough time get-ting to where we’re at today, due to bad deals. There’s not been a lot of trust on all sides, so it’s a very slow process. However, I have done, and continue to do a lot of in-ner work on myself. I am not perfect. I’m still learning from mistakes made in the past.

“And the more I started looking at what was going on in First Nations communi-ties, it was really about fi nding a way out of dependency, becoming an entrepreneur, creating jobs,” said Joe. “Not by just saying, ‘This is ours. And that’s theirs.’ Everybody’s going to play a part in this and that’s re-ally how we’ve been able to get this off the ground, by continually partnering and sharing in the wealth.”

‘I CHOOSE PEACE’

Joe’s soulful character and outlook has him in demand as an occasional inspirational speaker

“I’m not necessarily religious; I don’t go to a church. I believe every day is church, real-ly,” he said. “It’s all about building relation-ships and communicating well.

“My spiritual belief is that the world around us is the world that we’re creating. If there’s chaos around us, we’re creating it. We can be victims or victimizers, or we can be in

peace. So every morning I wake up and I choose peace. It might not work out every time, but I continue working towards that.”

The benefi ts of that view go beyond his personal life, he said.

“When I think about business and compe-tition, it has become very simple: I keep choosing peace, and our business seems to roll on.”

And roll on it does. With a substantial amount already invested in Salish Soils, Joe and Meketich are looking to raise ad-ditional capital to make more effi cient use of their property, including construction of a 38,000-square-foot greenhouse – which will be warmed with the heat naturally generated by their composting operation.

Meanwhile, hoping to transplant their business model, he and Meketich are in talks with two other First Nations groups looking to recreate what the pair have been able to do on the Sunshine Coast.

Aaron Joe: husband to wife and soulmate Lori Joe, father of their two school-age chil-dren, entrepreneur, innovator, role model and… politician? He won’t rule it out.

“I think it would be interesting because it might be a better way to pave the path, to get the Sunshine Coast community con-nected with First Nations – and we might be able to get through that trust issue faster.”

- RIK JESPERSEN

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www.salishsoils.com

...into Renewable Resources and Jobs

Transforming Sunshine Coast Waste...

Developing Win/Win PartnershipsLeading to less waste,sustainability and onecollective vision.

SchoolPrograms• School gardens• Educating students to plant, harvest, and re-use food and green waste

SalishOrganics• Fostering food security on the Sunshine Coast• Urban Farming• Zero Mile Diet• Farm Gate established in 2014

SustainableAgriculture• Supporting local food systems• Providing food security

BioSolids &Composting• Innovative soil products created from biosolid waste• Growing media for sports fi elds, parks and highway projects

Curbside FoodWaste Collection• Davis Bay Pilot Project 2014 a success

Green Waste• Drop off green waste at Salish Soils• Drop off wood construction materials to recycle into biomass for renewable energy

InnovativeTechnology• State of the art composting facility• Energy effi cient heat recovery system in our soil production facility for re-use in food production

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practices for a bright future.

Salish Soils and the District of Sechelt are actively w

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School programs are being developed up and dow

n the Coast to train, educate and off er w

ork experience for students w

ithin School District 46. To begin this program

, students at Kinnikinnick

Elementary are collecting food scraps to be used in gardening initiatives to grow

their own food.

Students at Chatelech Elem

entary are being given 50 hours of mentorship tim

e to include training in recycling food w

aste from their lunch scraps and m

ethods for composting. Salish Soils is also

providing soil for elementary school children to w

ork into their own school gardens as part of this

program.

Other gardens throughout Sechelt are blossom

ing and thriving with the use of soils from

Salish Soils, including the com

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In partnership with the Sunshine C

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composted at the brand new

state of the art facility at Salish Soils. Construction w

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residential and construction businesses alike. Th is w

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Salish So

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604-885-1986sechelt.ca

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Cross CulturalPartnershipsLeading to less waste, sustainability and onecollective vision.

School Programs• School gardens

• Teaching students to plant, harvest, and re-use food and green waste.

Community Gardens• Public gardens fl ourish with

Salish Soils to enrich ourliving spaces

• Unifying individuals inour community

SustainableAgriculture• Supporting local food systems

• Providing food security

Innovative Technology• State of the art composting facility

• High quality soil and mulch foruse in sports fi elds, golf coursesand highway projects

Green Waste• Drop off green waste to Salish Soils

• Drop off wood construction materialsto recycle into biomass for renewable energy

Curbside Food Waste Collection• Weekly food scrap pick-up at curbside

to begin Spring 2014 in Sechelt

BioSolids & Composting• Innovative soil products created

from biosolid waste

• Energy effi cient heat recovery system in our soil production facility for re-use in food production

salishsoils.com

sechelt.ca

salishsoils.com

sechelt.ca


G ibsons’ Cheryl McNicol [cherylmcnicol.com] is a business ad-visor, providing small business training and coaching. Cheryl has mentored more than 400 entrepreneurs and speaks from more than 30 years’ experience:

Sunshine Coast Business: What are a few fundamentals would-be en-trepreneurs should consider?

Cheryl McNicol: Having a lot of passion about your idea, and actually doing the research up front to fi gure out exactly if this service or prod-uct is going to work in your community. You have to have access to cash or loans to invest in the business. You’ve got to have a solid team behind you, as well. It can’t be just you. You don’t have to have employees nec-essarily, but you do have to have a support team, whether it’s friends, family, whether you have a lawyer you can call on, an accountant. Peo-ple who have the most success have some sort of support system or team behind them. So, a team, passion, and research are some of the fundamentals.

SCB: What’s the best way to do research on our business ideas?

CM: Typically, it’s actually face-to-face. It’s talking to potential custom-ers. It’s fi guring out who your ideal client is and going and asking them questions. Some people send out surveys on Survey Monkey. Even talk to competitors—maybe not in this community, where you’ll be com-peting, but in similar-sized communities somewhere else. Find out what they know, what they’ve learned. I’ve seen people completely change their product or service after doing that.

SCB: How available are investment dollars for start-ups on the Sunshine Coast?

CM: If you can’t get a traditional loan from a bank, or from family and

DREAMLAUNCHINGyour BUSINESS

friends, Community Futures Sunshine Coast off ers great mentorship and some loans as well. You might be eligible for the self-employment training program through the Open Door Group and the Sunshine Coast Employment Service Network. My company does all the training for them. People who are eligible actually get paid to go into the pro-gram. They get workshops, they get assistance in building their busi-ness plan and launching their business. It’s not a traditional “loan,” but you do receive funding for 48 weeks and that really helps you to get your business started

Also, if you’re between age 18 and 39, you can check out FuturPreneur (formerly Canadian Youth Business Foundation) at futurpreneur.ca. If you are a female entrepreneur, check to see if you are eligible for fund-ing and mentorship through the Women’s Enterprise Centre, at wom-ensenterprise.ca.

SCB: Are there some other good sources for business plans and men-toring?

CM: Defi nitely. There are a number of diff erent sources online. I always refer clients to smallbusinessbc.ca. That’s one of the best resources. They have all kinds of diff erent workshops. Some of them are free, some of them are fairly low-cost. They have all kinds of tools online. Some other good websites include Western Economic Diversifi cation Canada [wd-deo.gc.ca] and the Business Development Bank of Canada [bdc.ca/en].

SCB: Are there certain types of start-ups on the Sunshine Coast that tend to be more successful than others?

CM: I have worked with a few retailers that have done fairly well. But the majority of people that I’ve been working with have been “solo-pre-neurs” who are working out of their home doing things like graphic de-sign, web design, and that sort of thing. I have also seen new business people providing services to seniors, for instance, because we have an older population. Those types of businesses are doing well. We have a lot of creative people here, too. They have a great set of skills and expe-rience and they really want to start up their own thing. We had the Holy Crap people go through the [Employment Centre] program a few years ago, and of course they’ve got a wonderful product and they’re doing quite well. We’ve had quite a few success stories. You just have to have the right combination, whatever the product is: it has to be the right timing, the right product, and you have to have done your research to see exactly what people want.

- RIK JESPERSEN [This interview has been edited for length]

“Good resources available for

Sunshine Coast start-ups”

says expert Cheryl McNicol

“Experience is Everything”

5561 Wharf Road, Sechelt, BC

www.sunshinecoasthousesales.com

Cell: 604-885-1228Toll-Free: 1-888-385-3295

Fax: [email protected]

Teresa Bartrim 604-885-3295

C H R I S T I N A J O H N S T O N E

DesignsCavelleby

7 7 8 . 3 8 5 . 3 2 8 5 | c h r i s t i n a c a v e l l e @ g m a i l . c o m

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to the Band,” the Chief said.One of those who have heard the call will be their new CEO, Nadine Hoene, an SIB member who worked for BC Hydro in Van-couver.Craigan noted the Band is also consider-ing hydro-electric projects as well as a wide range of other business proposals being brought forward.“Members are fully aware of where we are going and we’re preparing ourselves for the future,” the Chief said. “Without our membership’s involvement, it would all be futile.”

TOURISM A ‘GOOD FIT’

Candace Campo, in partnership with her brother Rob, is one of those SIB members operating a successful eco-tour business. Campo said there are many reasons a tourism business is a good fi t for them. “Meeting people throughout the world and North America is satisfying, and bringing dollars into the economy on the Sunshine Coast through tourism is also pretty important for a small community,” said Campo. “I think what’s important in building tour-ism is that we need to provide that sense of place and sense of community, and

than just jobs,” Craigan said.Chief since 2012, Craigan has an exten-sive background in business, and carries a leadership style that is committed to promoting economic development in har-mony with Band values. Examples of busi-nesses that were started by SIB members are many, including innovative projects like Salish Soils and the Tsain-Ko shopping centre.Craigan said their eff orts will be focused on career training and connecting Band members who have expertise they can off er. They’re also appealing to off -Coast Band members to provide input and take on key roles in the next phase of their growth.“We have people with degrees in econom-ics and business, who have skills in man-agement and can bring home their talent

M embers of the Sechelt Indian Band are actively planning programs and projects that will both expand their capaci-

ty in business and forge partnerships with the larger community on the Sunshine Coast. The Band’s leaders are building on the success of their businesses and the professional experience of their members on the Coast and elsewhere to expand their participation in the local economy.Eco-tour business co-founder Candace Campo and Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) Chief Calvin Craigan said they are keen to seize development opportunities and build their members’ capacity for profes-sional development.“The business opportunities for the Band will be so vast, it will be a major shift in mode to getting education plans in place to create managers and careers, rather

throughFIRST NATIONTourism and Culture

BUILDING SUCCESS

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Longhouses are being erected around the Sunshine Coast


that’s best achieved by building relation-ships,” Campo said.“So I encourage small companies, accom-modations and tour operators to build a relationship with our community and lo-cal businesses,” she said, “and help them accurately share our culture with their guests.”Campo recalled that Chief Craigan in-spired her years ago with his vision for an expanded tourism business, partly based on cultural awareness.“I remember when I was young hearing Calvin talk about the concept of building tourism here on the Sunshine Coast, so that’s always been a long-term goal,” Cam-po said. “I’m excited to be working with him because of his business background.”Proud of her Shíshálh heritage, Campo said she started participating in the tour-ism business more than 12 years ago as a cultural guide.“Immediately, I purchased equipment and I co-contracted myself and my equipment to other companies, then we slowly built from there,” she explained. With some business training and a lot of enthusiasm she and her brother Rob founded Aborigi-nal Eco-tours and Talasay Tours.

Craigan said he is pleased with the work Campo is doing, especially in her role as an ambassador for the Shíshálh and the Sunshine Coast area. “Candace is ambitious, and she is able to communicate what our people have to offer,” Craigan said. “That is important for how people can go forward, by engaging and getting involved.”

PROMOTING CULTURE

Campo said their short-term goal right now is to build and expand the businesses and to stretch the eco-tour months into shoulder seasons in partnership with the Shíshálh Nation.“I see the tourism industry gives someone the necessary skills that a person needs to be successful in business or public rela-tions,” Campo said. A prime goal for the Shíshálh will be to promote the Sunshine Coast as a whole, Chief Craigan explained, which will be part and parcel in promoting their culture.“It’s part of our agenda to not only pro-mote who we are, but to profile who we are and to send that message out through the community,” Craigan said. “I think it’s important, as more and more people

come to our territory. Europeans and Asian visitors who want to experience our culture need to be aware of our identity.”Campo and Craigan both expressed en-thusiasm about the Band’s involvement with Sunshine Coast Arts Society and for Shíshálh artists participating in the Sech-elt Arts Festival and Sunshine Coast Art Crawl.“I think something that inhibits our young entrepreneurs is that they’ve got to get out there and network,” Craigan suggest-ed. “And there are many different func-tions that will showcase your efforts.”Craigan added they are planning annual events such as salmon and prawn festivals to create more opportunities for broader community social interaction.“We’re going to be holding them in cele-bration with the community, and with the longhouse events, many will be open to the public; we want the people to know that they’re welcome,” said Craigan. Longhouses are being erected around the Sunshine Coast with the intention of having more venues for culture which, he noted, is a major economic driver for the region.

- APRYL VELD

604-885-7595


Our region is rich in economic resources. An abundant ocean surrounds us, and we enjoy a large number of accessible lakes, an extensive network of hiking and walking trails, the protection of sheltered deep-water harbours and plenty of available all-weath-er moorage for visiting boaters. Our foundation businesses of fi shing and logging remain viable, supported by a solid transpor-tation network of planes, ferries, water taxies, tugs and barges. Culturally we have a strong heritage of fi rst nations and more re-cent arrivals sharing our environment, and excellent local artists, authors and musicians are doing a good job of telling the stories of our coast and our heritage.

A recent economic study conducted for our Chamber of Com-merce said that the fi rst step in reinvigorating our community is to articulate a clear understanding of who we are and why we live here. Then we should target as potential residents and business owners those people who likely share these values.

The study pointed out that Pender Harbour and District residents tend to be people who choose the rural experience and appreci-ate being surrounded by lakes, ocean and wilderness. We like the solitude, the natural beauty of our surroundings and the chance to share the environment with our local wildlife. We appreciate being able to walk in the woods or go boating, fi shing and swim-ming within minutes of home. Yet we also enjoy our proximity to Vancouver, one of the major urban engines of the Canadian economy.

This year, the Chamber of Commerce will develop messages that clearly defi ne our communities and then use the messages ener-getically to market our area to like-minded people.

By Leonard Lee- President

PRESIDENT’SPender Harbour and DistrictChamber of Commerce

MESSAGE

T he Pender Harbour and District Chamber of Commerce is looking for new ways to sustain the economic viability of our region and ensure a healthy future for our commu-nities here on the Sunshine Coast. Our Chamber works

with Gibsons, Sechelt, other SCRD rural districts, the Sechelt Na-tion, Powell River and Lund to promote the Sunshine Coast as a good place to visit, live and work. Through our collaborative ef-forts we will build our communities and all be more successful.

Our Chamber represents a full range of residents involved in the local economy: retailers, self-employed people, tourism oper-ators, independent business owners, construction contractors, artists, musicians, work-from-home professionals, loggers, fi sher-men and delegates from not-for-profi t organizations.

What motivates the members to volunteer their time and money is a strong desire to grow our community, retain our schools and support our essential businesses and services. We want to contin-ue living in this beautiful part of the world and to see more young people living and working in our communities.

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but also emotional health,” said Ladou-ceur, adding, people are seeking out alter-native methods more and more to meet their family’s health goals.

FLEXIBILITY IN TREATMENT

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner Sarah Gilbert sees a diverse cross-section of people who are seeking alternatives to drugs and surgery, and who look for a practice that includes a variety of treatments with herbs and acu-puncture.“I see seniors in their 80s trying Chinese medicine for the fi rst time, and it’s a good refl ection on their openness,” Gilbert said. “TCM can also help them maintain health, and not just fi x problems.” Knowing what your clients need is crucial to keeping them, she said. The practice she shares at Lotus House in Sechelt strives to be fl exible and responsive to clients with various conditions, degrees of acuteness, and income levels. “To make more appointment times avail-able, we hold community clinics,” Gilbert noted. Those are group sessions which share a time slot, but still cater to individ-ual needs. They are available once a client has had an initial consultation. One such group is Mama Love, Gilbert said, which is held on a Saturday, “when mom’s have better access to childcare.”The clinic tries to make therapy slots avail-able for those who tend not to make time for self-care, said Gilbert, herself a mother of twins.“Moms with young-ones usually need a back massage!”

- APRYL VELD

a key strategy for building a solid founda-tion for your practice“It’s good to have more than one job to grow a practice,” she emphasized, since it can take time attract people who might need your services.

COAST SUITED TO ALTERNATIVES

Alicia Ladouceur said her practice as a doula, or birth coach, has been able to grow through caring about community and through generating public awareness about what doulas do in assisting moth-ers throughout pregnancy and childbirth. She also organizes training and network-ing sessions. “You have to market yourself,” Ladouceur said. “Every week, I meet a new family who has just moved here.”Doing your research also counts. Ladou-ceur became aware of the shortage of al-ternative prenatal care in the region and also determined the Coast is a good fi t for an alternative health business because of the population’s heightened interest in nutrition, exercise and non-drug thera-pies.“People are aware of not just their physical,

P eople in the alternative health and wellness industry on the Sun-shine Coast say local success hap-pens through a combination of

factors: commitment to community ser-vice, accessibility, and the fact that locals demand choice in treatment. Volunteering to make connections is also vital, noted Denise Woodley, an integrat-ed energy healing practitioner and social worker.“I started volunteering with Sunshine Coast Hospice Society because that was something I was drawn to,” Woodley said, adding that others fi nd ways to contribute in ways that best suit them as healers and as individuals.Tailoring your healing business to a pa-tient’s needs can make a big diff erence in the number of clients you can attract, Woodley explained. She has a home-based practice with Ripple Wellness, but to be fl exible, she will take her equipment to a client’s home or to hospital. “Some people want to be treated away from home ... but some just can’t.” Woodley believes that creating a situation where a business can grow slowly is also

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Documents

Sunshine coast business magazine fall 2014