East Kootenay BetterBook wins gold award in Best Cover Category

Publisher Keith Powell, displaying the winning cover and the CIDA award.

A dramatic photo of a grizzly bear taken by Koocanusa Publications photographer Kirsten Armleder helped garner the East Kootenay BetterBook a recent 2013 gold award at the annual Canadian Independent Directory Association (CIDA) annual general meeting. Overall KPI Media and the BetterBook won silver in the publisher of the year award category—runner up to CJ Directories of Quesnel.

"We always look for a dramatic image to showcase on our front cover of the BetterBook. I don't think you can get too much more dramatic than a grizzly bear staring you in the face," said Keith Powell, publisher. "Obviously the CIDA judges liked the grizzly bear photo too."

Kristen Armleder took the photo at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden. "Boo is the star attraction at the resort and he loves to strike a pose for his visitors. Boo's home at the resort is the largest enclosed and protected grizzly bear habitat in the world," she said.

CIDA represents independent directory publishers throughout western Canada with member directories appearing in Quesnel, Prince George, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, East Kootenay, West Kootenay and Lethbridge, Alberta.

The 2014 edition of the East Kootenay BetterBook marked the 20th Anniversary of the popular local directory.