Diversification is the key to success

The Grand Forks community looks beyond forestry for survival

The stately city hall reflects the beauty of the Grand Forks region. —Photo by Tanya Laing Gahr

by Tanya Laing Gahr

According to Jennifer Wetmore, the community economic development co-ordinator for Grand Forks Community Futures, the Kootenay Boundary region has taken stock of its strengths as a means of combatting the job losses in a slumping forest industry. While agriculture is at the forefront of the region’s push for diversification, Wetmore said businesses around Grand Forks are taking a greater lead in creating their own opportunities to remain viable. “We believe that the market will turn around and we’ll be able to get back into (forestry) in a big way, but we need to look at other options right now,” said Wetmore. “It has been rough for the community. The region itself is at—I think—30 or more per cent unemployment.” However, programs such as Invest Kootenay are helping to create opportunities that are being seized by the region, and manufacturing-related businesses—such as Roxul and UniFab—have been very strong and consistent employers. Wetmore and Cher Wyers, the manager of the Grand Forks & District Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the family-centred lifestyle of the region draws and keeps the community together, even during tough economic times, and that it is a centrally located hub for southern B.C. and U.S. access. And with the increased focus on diversification, the region is ideally situated for business and growth as the economy begins to improve. “The merchants downtown have diversified too,” said Wyers, “and some of them have been there a long time.” “I think the businesses, if they have a dream and a vision, a lot of them are making it work here,” said Wetmore.

Key Grand Forks contacts

Richmond, BC

PHONE: 1-800-663-2872

Pacific Coastal Airlines Ltd

www.pacificcoastal.com
Grandforks, BC

Unifab Industries Ltd

www.unifab.ca
Grandforks, BC

WD Sheet Metal Ltd.

www.wdsheetmetal.com