Since 2021, the Township of Spallumcheen has been exploring the development of a regional Agri-Hub to strengthen local food distribution and support agricultural growth. With support from ETSI-BC, the Township is developing a phased business plan to help build a resilient and profitable agricultural sector for the future.
Laurel Douglas Appointed New CEO of SIDIT
March 10, 2020 – The Board of Directors of the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust (SIDIT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Laurel Douglas as its CEO effective May 4, 2020.
“Laurel brings to our organization significant economic development, leadership and development lending experience,” says Chris Pieper, Chair of the Board of SIDIT and Mayor of the City of Armstrong. “She also brings a strong understanding of the SIDIT territory, having lived and worked in both the Thompson-Okanagan and Columbia-Kootenay regions.”
Laurel`s background includes 15 years as CEO of the award-winning Women`s Enterprise Centre (WEC), which supports women entrepreneurs throughout BC with business loans, advisory services, mentoring, training and export support. Over that time, WEC provided direct and leveraged financing totalling $67 million to hundreds of women-led businesses, which helped create or maintain approximately 3,650 jobs in the province.
Under her leadership, WEC has become recognized as an important part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in BC and a best practice internationally, which led to Laurel being invited to represent Canada on the W20 engagement group of the G20 since 2016. She has been part of the external advisory committee of UBCO since 2012 and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Justice Institute of BC in 2019. She was named one of BC`s most Influential Women in 2017 and 2019 by BC Business Magazine, and was recognized by the BC Economic Development Association with an Economic Developer of the Year Silver Medal in 2009.
Prior to joining Women`s Enterprise Centre, Laurel spent many years in the tech sector. She led what is now known as Accelerate Okanagan from 1997-2001, then spent several years with an affiliate of the National Research Council`s IRAP program, providing IRAP clients in the Southern Interior with business advisory services to help them access financing and reach new markets.
Douglas lived in the Kootenays for several years in the 1990`s, providing contract regional economic development services to the Ministry of Small Business, Tourism & Culture in the East and West Kootenays. She also taught business planning at Selkirk College during that time.
Before moving to BC, Laurel lived and worked in France, Germany, the UK and Southern Ontario in the telecom and financial services industries. She has an MBA from a leading international business school and a post-baccalaureate diploma in Community Economic Development from SFU.
Laurel has been very involved in numerous economic development initiatives. She is a long-term advisory board member of the Economic Development Commission of the Central Okanagan. While living in Nelson, she was appointed to the founding Advisory Council of the Columbia Basin Trust, was a member of the Kootenay Regional Advisory Group and served on the board of the Nelson & Area Economic Development Commission.
“Laurel’s extensive background, network, development lending experience and her commitment to our region will be of great benefit to SIDIT as we support strategic investments in economic development projects in the Southern Interior region of our province,” says Board Chair Pieper.
“I’m looking forward to joining SIDIT as its new CEO in early May, and to working with the organization`s Board, staff and partners to help SIDIT continue contributing to the economic prosperity and quality of life in our region,” says Douglas.
The Board of Directors would like to recognize Helen Patterson, who served in the dual roles of Interim CEO and Chief Financial Officer during the past year. “We appreciate Helen’s long-term dedication to the Trust and the extra support which she and the team have provided over the past year,” says Board Chair Chris Pieper.
SIDIT was created in 2006 to make strategic investments in sustainable development initiatives in the Southern Interior. As of March 31, 2019, it had made $13 million in grants supporting regional initiatives, helped create over 3,400 jobs in the region, invested almost $50 million in loans, and provides about 300 scholarships per year to Southern Interior post-secondary students.
We’d love to hear from you!
201 – 384 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6N5
Phone: 236-420-3680 ext. 0
info@etsi-bc.ca
More News & Stories
New Tourism Strategy Transforms Grand Forks from a Highway Stop to a Destination
The Southern Interior community of Grand Forks has completed a major rebuild and relaunch of its original tourism strategy, shifting the community from being a quick stopping point on Highway 3 to a tourism destination. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the strategy served to develop new tourism assets attracting more visitors and generating increased revenue for local businesses.
Sicamous Tourism Strategy Builds a Path for Sustainable Growth
From houseboating to sledding, hiking, biking, and birding, Sicamous is the tourism hub of the Shuswap region. While summer visitors fill Sicamous with activity, off-season visitations drop sharply, prompting the community to pursue a more diversified and sustainable year-round tourism future. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the District of Sicamous Development Corporation in revitalizing the community’s tourism sector with a dynamic, five-year tourism strategy to 2030.
Forestry Strategy Positions ?aq’am First Nation for New Opportunities
Increased timber harvest allocations for BC’s First Nations are opening the door to new business opportunities for enterprising First Nations communities such as ?aq’am in the East Kootenays. With funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), ?aq’am developed a forestry business scan, a strategy to build capacity for projects made possible by the expanded forest tenure. The scan is guiding ?aq’am to increase its role in forestry as it pursues a resilient and sustainable future.
ETSI-BC Welcomes Krista Mallory as Regional Project and Strategic Initiatives Manager
July 29, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC)) is pleased to announce that Krista Mallory will be joining the organization as its new Regional Project and Strategic Initiatives Manager effective October 1, 2026.
Wayfinding in Barriere for Economic Resilience and Growth
When a major fire destroyed the Tolko sawmill in the North Thompson region near Barriere in 2003, residents and stakeholders rallied to rebuild and redefine the community’s economic future. As the community has evolved, so have the systems that help residents and visitors navigate in and around Barriere, including a multi-phase Wayfinding Strategy launched in 2024. The project, supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is aimed at boosting visitor traffic and attracting more business investment, ensuring a strong and resilient future.
Five-Year Plan Strengthens ?aq’am Community Enterprises
?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).
Thompson-Okanagan Launches New Economic Development Practitioners Network
After a year of work connecting economic development practitioners across the Thompson-Okanagan, the region’s first Economic Development Practitioners Network (EDPN) is now in place. Modelled after the Kootenay Boundary EDPN created in 2014, the Thompson Okanagan EDPN includes community and municipal and First Nations economic development practitioners, Chambers of Commerce, Community Futures and other stakeholders. The group came together for the first time on April 8, 2026, where they learned, shared ideas and information, and further planned future activities. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is committed to supporting both the Kootenay Boundary and Thompson-Okanagan networks of economic development practitioners.
2027-30 Strategic Planning and DAAP 4.39 Updates
June 25, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is grateful for the input from partners, funding recipients, committee members and other regional stakeholders who have taken the time to help inform our next three-year Strategic Plan for 2027-30. We are also pleased to provide an update on the status of the DAAP 4.39 action item.
ETSI-BC Fall 2026 Funding Intake: Up to $1M Available for Projects
June 18, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that its next Funding Intake will launch on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 and close on Thursday, October 1, 2026.