All East Kootenay articles

Business Excellence: A list of award-winning chambers text, with stylized golden star on dark background.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Small Business Business excellence: A list of Chamber award-winning businesses

Read our list of Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence award winners

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East Kootenay, West Kootenay Our top ten thought leaders of the year

KootenayBiz chooses our annual list of inspirational thought leaders from the stories we told in 2022.

by Kerry Shellborn
Outside of Radium Brewing, timber-framed building painted grey, sloped roof.
East Kootenay, Radium Hot Springs, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business Turning hobbies into a passion project at Radium Brewing

For Jacob Houghton and Stephan Gale, starting Radium Brewing was the realization of their dreams, passions and hobbies coming together.

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Group photo of Business Excellence winners.
East Kootenay, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, Small Business Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce honours business excellence

The Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence awards were held in late October.

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Janice Alpine is a business development officer/tourism engagement with the Ktunaxa Nation.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, First Nations The Ktunaxa mean business

Janice Alpine is an expert on the diversity of Ktunaxa businesses, the skills they bring to the table, and the opportunities that exist within the community.

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Group photo of Wapiti Music Fesitval Society members.
East Kootenay, Fernie Indie music, innovation and incredible food celebrated at Fernie’s Business Excellence Awards

12 deserving businesses and individuals were celebrated at the annual awards

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Venessa Loubert and Perry Dzuris, owners of Arcane Coda in Salmo, B.C.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Retail, Small Business Local businesses promote Kootenay-inspired apparel

Find uniquely home-grown Kootenay clothing, wearables and gear from these local companies

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Interior of Four Points Books in Invermere.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Golden, Creston, Fernie, Invermere Read ’em and reap: A list of East Kootenay bookstores

Can’t get enough reading material? Check out this list of bookstores in the East Kootenay.

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Stone
East Kootenay, Elkford One-on-one with Ariadna Laris, executive director of the Elkford Chamber of Commerce

Elkford’s new executive director shares news about the community and what’s new on the horizon for the town.

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Group of award winners all smiling and holding awards.
East Kootenay, Elkford, Small Business Elkford’s Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards celebrated with six winners

Elkford’s 2022 Business Excellence Awards were held on October 22.

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Interior of 2nd Edition Coworking in Fernie, showing comfy set of chairs, small table and windows with mountain view outside.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Golden, West Kootenay, Kaslo, Nelson, New Denver, Revelstoke, Small Business, Technology These 11 Kootenay coworking spaces offer community and creative collaboration

Shared workspaces in communities like Cranbrook, Golden, Fernie, Nelson and Trail provide flexibility and support in a communal environment.

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Kris Newman and Kevin Blackwell at the opening of a show home.
East Kootenay, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, Developments, Real Estate Talking real estate market with TRC Projects Ltd.

Kevin Blackwell, a housing project developer, talks to Kootenay Business about the housing industry in the Columbia Valley

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Person snowboarding down hill at Panorama Mountain Resort, wind-swept snowy mountains in background.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Entertainment and Hospitality, Tourism Top ski resorts in the Kootenays and Canadian Rockies to find legendary powder

Check out this list of ski destinations in the Kootenays and Canadian Rockies region

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Desiree smelling a white flower wearing a white dress
East Kootenay, Sparwood, Retail, Small Business Stepping out of her comfort zone and starting a business in Sparwood

Desiree Markewich found herself reinvented by flowers, and she wants to pay the joy forward.

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Sarah and Carley sitting beside each other
East Kootenay, Kimberley In challenging times, Kimberley patients count on this pharmacy

Our health care system is strained to the max, and these entrepreneurs decided to do something about it.

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Photo collage of Kootenay Meadows products, along with picture of Erin Harris, co-owner of company.
East Kootenay, Creston How to handle a PR crisis without losing a brand’s reputation

A Creston dairy farm owner gives a masterclass on handling a crisis without crying over spilled milk.

by Kerry Shellborn
Dayna Leduc, filling large industrial container with fluid.
East Kootenay, Creston, Energy, Environment, Small Business, Technology, Transportation Finding a way forward with Leduc Biodiesel Energy

By collecting and recycling used cooking oil into green, biodiesel products, Dayna Leduc has found his passion

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Interior of the Grist and Mash Brewery, showing tables, bar along one wall.
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Cuisine, Entertainment and Hospitality Kimberley’s Grist & Mash Brewery hits all the right notes

It’s all about community at the Grist & Mash Brewery, where guest brews are regularly on tap and local musicians and artists are welcomed.

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A sasquatch-costumed Taylor Jenkins stands on a snowy main street downtown Fernie.
East Kootenay, Elkford, Fernie, Sparwood, Education, Retail, Small Business, Tourism The results are in. The Elk Valley Business Retention and Expansion survey says . . .

Taylor Jenkins, Elk Valley economic recovery advisor, outlines what Elk Valley businesses can do to address their big three problems

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Porcupine Wood Products sawmill, with stacks of logs in foreground of photo.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Forestry Kootenay lumber mills have roots that run deep

From large forestry companies to smaller, independent, family-run operations, lumber mills are a vital part of our regional landscape

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Cali Emel and Jeff Cooper sitting side-by-side.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Animal Care, Education, Financial Retaining top talent in the Kootenays: From volunteer to vet tech

A wage subsidy program through Columbia Basin Trust enables skilled workers to stay in the Kootenays.

Patrick Tolchard holding a bunch of helmets.
East Kootenay, Radium Hot Springs, Entertainment and Hospitality, Tourism Three outdoor tourism businesses leads to adventure for this Columbia Valley entrepreneur

Patrick Tolchard tells Kootenay Business all about managing multiple companies and why he loves the outdoor adventure industry.

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Team from Sweet Gestures.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook Cranbrook Chamber honours business excellence at annual awards

The annual Business Excellence Awards were celebrated earlier this year

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Jeb Ferster owns The Trails at Windermere Lake and manages its solar aquatic facility. Here he is grooming the tanks by thinning out plants to make room for smaller ones.
East Kootenay, Invermere, Developments, Environment, Technology Trailblazing solar aquatic system at The Trails at Windermere Lake housing development

A development in Windermere is treating wastewater with a solar aquatic facility, an underutilized process that produces clean water without chemicals.

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A blue home with a red SOLD sign up front that says Bruce Seitz 250-919-2677.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Real Estate Why are houses (still) selling like hot cakes in the Kootenays?

Bruce Seitz, sales representative at Royal Lepage, explains why the real estate market is hot in the Kootenays

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Sarah Pike sitting outside studio, holding mug and looking off into distance.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business Pottery perfection: Sarah Pike is a Fernie-based creator in clay

Clay is the medium of choice for Fernie potter Sarah Pike

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Aerial view of Tent Mountain mine.
East Kootenay, First Nations , Mining Tent Mountain green energy plan: triple solution

The three-way green energy project is the result of great minds coming together against a challenging problem.

by Timothy Fowler
A deer munching through a residential garden.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Kimberley, West Kootenay Deer-resistant plants: Avoiding destruction in your garden

Having a deer-resistant garden is possible with careful planning and some knowledge of suitable plants

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Jennifer King wearing a pink jacket and sitting beside a rushing river
East Kootenay, Sparwood, Real Estate Making people feel at home in the Elk Valley

Jennifer King is a Sparwood real estate agent with her clients’ best interests at heart

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Two men standing beside Royer Landscaping truck.
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Animal Care, Entertainment and Hospitality, Health & Wellness, Small Business, Tourism Best of the best: Kimberley’s 2021 Business Excellence Awards handed out

Kimberley’s businesses and remarkable individuals help the community to become B.C.’s best small town.

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Joseph Raymond standing in front of Larix Hotel sign.
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Entertainment and Hospitality, Tourism The Larix Hotel: The evolution continues for this prime location in Kimberley, B.C.

The renovated and renamed Larix Hotel pays homage to the golden larch trees in Kimberley’s autumn tableau.

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Kathleen and Ed Bron standing side by side
East Kootenay, Grand Forks, Agriculture Bron & Sons Nursery Co. in Grand Forks is the product of a rich family history in horticulture

Ed and Kathleen Bron praise their dedicated staff, including ones from Mexico who work year after year.

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Deirdre Howard wearing a yellow beekeepers suit
East Kootenay, Creston, Agriculture, Retail, Small Business Bolstering the bees and benefiting the Creston community

Catching up with Deirdre Howard, proud beekeeper and owner of Pure Honey Products in Creston.

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Electric car parked beside charging station.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Technology, Transportation Kootenays continue to charge ahead to support electric vehicle travel

Provincial statistics show that the Kootenay region had one of the largest increases in new EV sales in B.C.

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Karli and her daughter, Karli is wearing a Kootenay Cancer Survivor t-shirt.
East Kootenay, Creston, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business, Tourism Kootenay Livin’ Apparel makes Kootenay-inspired clothing, including a line for cancer survivors

Giving back to her community is important for Karli Melnychuk, owner of Kootenay Livin’ Apparel

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A group of white water rafters smile as they dip into deep water on a raft.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business, Tourism This legacy award-winning business knows how to retain staff and delight clients

Lynn Muller, co-owner of Canyon Raft Company in Fernie, B.C. outlines how to run a successful business for over a quarter century

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Audrey taking two students mountain biking on the forest trails
East Kootenay, Golden, Education, Small Business, Tourism Forging a sisterhood on mountain bikes in the Kootenays

The owner of Shred Sisters came all the way across Canada to teach mountain biking to like-minded women.

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The Golden Council voted to support the transition to 100% renewable energy, thus taking meaningful action for a healthier, safer and more secure community.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Environment These Kootenay local governments have voted for 100% renewable energy by 2050

The 100% Renewable Kootenays campaign for clean energy, led by the West Kootenay EcoSociety, continues to grow, adding No. 12: Golden

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Dancing employees, indoor camping, high fives and bloopers—it’s all part of the fun that shows off the personality and people behind the automobiles at Cranbrook Hyundai. Photo collage.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Entertainment and Hospitality, Small Business What does a social media manager really do all day?

What does a social media manager really do all day?

by Kerry Shellborn
Amber Granter with two horses, mountains in background.
East Kootenay, Golden, Real Estate Diverse skills helped park ranger Amber Granter switch to real estate in Golden, B.C.

Realtor Amber Granter in Golden, B.C., left behind the park ranger life and found her life skills were transferable to her new career in real estate

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(L to R) Mackenzie, Marina, Jayden, Jeremiah and Maya Pauw in front of a hotel with a big bright orange image of a fox.
East Kootenay, Fernie, Small Business, Technology Fernie Fox Hotel aims to become the most sustainable hotel in B.C.

Jeremiah Pauw has rebranded the Super 8 into the Fernie Fox Hotel in Fernie, B.C.

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A man and woman holding their young son
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Animal Care, Small Business A couple builds a puppy paradise in the community of Wycliffe

After the pandemic inspired a surge of new pet adoptions, Kootenay Canine Adventures was perfectly positioned to meet customer demand.

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Grant Sharam and Jim Cunnington sitting on eTrikes
East Kootenay, Kimberley, Environment, Retail, Small Business, Transportation Keeping the Kootenays up to speed with eco-friendly electric trikes

Grant Sharam and Jim Cunnington saw the need for affordable, accessible, green transportation—leading them to start eTrikes Canada in Kimberley.

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Jeff Zukiwsky
East Kootenay, Elkford, West Kootenay, Environment How to make your community more resilient to climate change: Tips from a community planner

Communities need to create climate adaptation plans to increase their resilience to risks such as floods, fires and droughts.

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Two cars, one black, one blue, are parked in front of Cranbrook Hyundai’s new showroom with large glass windows.
East Kootenay, Cranbrook, Small Business, Transportation Cranbrook Hyundai has a shiny new showroom

Bob Bullock, owner of Cranbrook Hyundai, has transformed the location inside and out

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Michelle Shypitka (L) and Deb Smithurst, owners of Sweet Gestures in Cranbrook, have their shop ready for chocolate lovers everywhere.
East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Cuisine, Entertainment and Hospitality Keep calm and eat chocolate from these Kootenay chocolate shops

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere! Chocolate shops abound in the Kootenays

by Julie Matchett and Virginia Rasch

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