BRE Snapshot Project final

Revelstoke Business Retention and Expansion Project: Snapshot Report

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Research Overview

The economic well-being of our community is based upon existing businesses. In recognition of this, positive action has been taken to identify and meet the needs of these businesses. The Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures Revelstoke and the City of Revelstoke spearheaded an economic development project with the support of Selkirk College’s Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI).

The Revelstoke Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) project is a community-driven effort focused on identifying the needs of our existing businesses through one-on-one Interviews and large scale data analysis. Specifically, the objectives of the project are to:

1. Identify the needs, concerns, and opportunities of existing local businesses in order that, where appropriate, local action can be taken to respond to the businesses’ needs or development opportunities.

2. Learn of the future plans of the region’s local businesses with respect to expansion, relocation and /or retention and follow-up where assistance can be provided.

3. Demonstrate the community’s pro-business attitude and develop an effective means of communication with local businesses.

4. Encourage the business community’s active involvement in economic development.

Throughout the course of this survey 110 businesses were surveyed, the following is a preliminary report outlining some of the key findings thus far.

A full report will be available summer 2015

An inside look at Revelstoke’s business community and their thoughts:

What did over 100 business owners and managers have to say?

Prepared by: Mark Rossi- UBC Okanagan Faculty of Management

With support from: Revelstoke Community Futures, City of Revelstoke, Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, and Columbia Basin Trust

1. Some of the many amazing business owners who gave their insights


82% of business owners say that their business is in good or excellent health.

2. % of total responses

Businesses in Revelstoke are doing well. Many businesses cite the steady increase in tourism dollars coming into the community as a positive factor of growth. Many businesses also thrive due to the lack of competition in certain industries, having a small population the community often cannot support more than one of a certain kind of business thus creating monopolies.

Many seasonal businesses, while having a high employee turnover, have little difficulty attracting workers during peak seasons due to the influx of temporary residents looking for casual work.

Small businesses and consultants regularly cite the community’s business resources (ie. Community Futures, WorkBC, Chamber of Commerce) and available government grants/contracts as a factor contributing to their success

Cultural/Recreational amenities, lifestyle and the small town feel are the most commonly listed strengths of Revelstoke as a place to

do business. They are also the main motivators for people starting new businesses in Revelstoke (Figure 4).

74% of business owners say that Revelstoke is a good or excellent place to do business.

3. % of total responses

“People want to live in Revelstoke, and when you want to live in a place, naturally, you take an active interest in the wellbeing of that place”

“I love being able to know my

customers personally.”

Figure 4-‐ Top cited strengths of doing business in Revelstoke

23%

59%

16%

2%

Rate Your Business's Health

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor 10%

64%

20%

6%

Revelstoke is a ____ place to do business

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor


5. Total number of citations by businesses

Transportation/Shipping/Access- Two, dangerous, and avalanche prone mountain passes on either side of the town. The most dangerous and inaccessible sections of the Trans-Canada Highway lie to either side of Revelstoke, and the community isn’t near any large center. It is not easy, or cheap to get products or people in or out of Revelstoke.

Isolation/Remoteness- There is a certain lack of access to the outside world in Revelstoke. It can be felt during road closures in the winter. But it is also felt due to the lack of internet access in the community. There is a strong feeling of disconnect from the rest of the world, a barrier for certain businesses but also a draw for certain residents.

Limited market- Little catchment area there is no surrounding population to draw from. Many businesses have tapped out the market and simply can’t grow anymore in this community

Weather/Climate-The result of the climate here is a lot of snow shoveling, road

closures, car accidents, powder days, falling seniors, etc.--a lot of industry is directly or indirectly affected by the weather (positively or negatively) and it can’t be counted on as many observe that it is becoming more variable.

Government/Taxes- Many business owners complain about the high commercial tax rate, disproportionate to the residential rate, but also tied to the highly inflated property values in town. It is expensive for businesses to have commercial space in Revelstoke. Many business owners feel that there is or has been an anti-business attitude in the local government.

What can we do to improve the business climate in Revelstoke?

• Snow removal in downtown needs to be improved for customers (ie. roads)

• Bringing more traffic off highway into downtown

• Encourage locals to buy local and prevent retail leakage

• Try to lower cost of living to make things more manageable for employees

• Encouragement and marketing of year round tourism, or at least shorten shoulder seasons in order to fill empty hotel beds

• Speedier approval process-signage, development approval etc.

35

23

24

12

9

7

0 10 20 30 40

LIMITED POPULATION/MARKET SIZE

ISOLATION/LOCATION/REMOTENESS

TRANSPORTAION(SHIPPING/AIRPORT/CLOSURES)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT/ TAXES

HIGH EXPENSES/COSTS

WEATHER/CLIMATE

Revelstoke's weaknesses for

business


• Encourage and support trades, tech, and apprenticeships in high school

• 43% of businesses feel that government and business development organizations can do more to help with employee recruitment and retention some main suggestions are:

o Help advertise and promote certain job postings

o College supporting existing business in training needs

o Connecting businesses and quality contractors

o Better/more affordable seasonal housing

o More information about grants, apprenticeships and subsidies.

• Better parking enforcement in downtown

• Faster internet • Improved commercial recycling

program

Figure 6. BRE Steering committee in front of Visitor and Business Information Center

For more information:

Call the Business Information Center

1-250-837-5345

Alan Mason-

City of Revelstoke Community Economic Development

[email protected]

Kevin Dorrius-

Revelstoke Community Futures

[email protected]

Judy Goodman-

Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce

[email protected]

Prepared by: Mark Rossi- UBC Faculty of Management

[email protected]

With support from: Revelstoke Community Futures, City of Revelstoke, Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, and Columbia Basin Trust

BRE Snapshot Project final

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