?aq’am Community Enterprises (ACE) is the economic development arm of the ?aq’am First Nation, the largest member of Ktunaxa Nation. Known for its progressive business development goals, ACE undertook a comprehensive review of its strategic priorities. The result is a dynamic new five-year strategic plan that will guide more efficient, tactical, and resilient delivery of ACE’s programs and services. The project was supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
Better Data Makes for Better Business Support in Castlegar
As a regional hub for the Central Kootenay, Castlegar is often described as, “A small city with a big heart and big ideas.” An example of their innovative approach is the city’s Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) strategy which uses a unique-in-BC data management system as the basis for economic planning and growth.
The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce (CDCC) provides economic development services to the City of Castlegar and the Regional District of Central Kootenay. The area of about 13,000 people has experienced steady growth, and the City’s five-year economic development strategy identified a critical need to better understand the business community using current, real-time data. These insights were attained with the development of a customized customer relationship management (CRM) system.
“This project has been a game-changer for our economic development work,” says Tammy Verigin-Burk, Executive Director for the CDCC. “We now have a dynamic, easy-to-use tool that gives us the ability to identify the immediate needs of our existing businesses while supporting business diversification, expansion and sustainable growth.”
The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the project through its Building Economic Capacity funding stream. Additional support was provided by the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Electoral areas I and J, and the City of Castlegar. Christina Allen, a local entrepreneur with extensive experience in community and economic development, was contracted to be the lead on the project from March 2023 to March 2024.
Creating the CRM Platform
The initiative began with the Executive Pulse CRM platform, adapted in partnership with the BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA) and customized to the needs of the Castlegar community.
The project involved approximately 1,100 businesses, including Chamber and non-Chamber members, participating in one-to-one and online ‘Business Walk’ surveys. The information was then entered into the Executive Pulse system by industry code, which enables a range of business profiles to be created. These profiles provide a broad understanding of the regional economy, including the number of businesses in different sectors, which businesses use Chamber programs and supports, and what their needs and concerns are.
The system has streamlined daily Chamber activities such as event registration and membership renewals. It also provides a way to communicate with the entire business community quickly. For example, the Chamber updated the platform with the City of Castlegar’s business license report in an afternoon, a process that previously took weeks. In an emergency or disaster situation, this fast, wide-reaching communication feature could be invaluable.
Targeted Programming
The survey information in Executive Pulse is used solely by the CDCC and is not shared with third parties.
Within a few months of the survey being conducted, the Chamber created a Lunch and Learn series with sessions on succession planning, business, and disaster planning, exporting, and financing options, based on topics mentioned by survey respondents.
One-on-one assistance or coaching from Chamber staff was provided to 232 businesses, including help preparing loan applications, accessing grants, and digital adoption assistance. Referrals were made to banking, legal and accounting professionals, and connections facilitated between individual businesses and business support organizations such as Community Futures and Small Business BC.
The BCEDA describes the Castlegar’s customized CRM model as one of the most comprehensive data collection systems in BC. Now that it is built, the Chamber can add new features and refinements such as tagging to create subgroups within the platform.
“ETSI-BC is proud to support this project, which has greatly increased economic development capacity in the Castlegar region,” adds Laurel Douglas, CEO of ETSI-BC. “It also serves as an example to other communities of what can be accomplished through use of sophisticated tools that can help assemble and analyse economic development data.”
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Similkameen Economic Vitality Plan Drives Growth and Resilience
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Strong Demand for ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake
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2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review
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