You Can Do That Here

We last talked to Jordan Strobel, way back in episode 8 with his business partner Tim Baldwin and their lifestyle brand Ebon. He’s since paired up with another friend from high school Keelan Bourdon and together they’ve launched Apex Multimedia. Their unique video production style and fully certified drone filming are designed to generate a quick wow factor is suited perfectly for social media and their following has been growing rapidly. Their beginnings though started through a brush with the law. Turn a childhood hobby into a business partnership with a high school friend, get awesome at drone flying, filming and editing, flirt with federal law, and turn that experience into a unique business advantage? You Can Do That Here!

For Cameron Wenaus and the team at Retreat Guru in Nelson, a fairly mundane act of renting out a spare desk in their office was the spark for a runaway wildfire of co-working success. The concept is all the rage, a growing trend around the globe and has long been thought to be one of the key’s to unlocking the Kootenays creative, tech and knowledge based industry potential. A number of efforts around the Koots have had varying results. With the new Jam Factory space, run by, and the home of Retreat Guru, Cam and his team have figured out the magic formula to make it work. Start renting a spare desk in your startup’s office space, grow your tech company from 4 to 12 people, take over a massive old heritage building in downtown Nelson, renovate it into a successful co-working space and fill it with a mix of energetic and exciting small, largely tech and mindfulness based businesses, all while spawning collaboration and growth in a new industry and maybe even helping launch new start-ups from your space? You Can

While any strong that vibrates at 261.62 Hz, you’ll hear a middle C. In the easiest of terms, the voicebox of all of these instruments that determines what that tone sounds like, lies primarily in the wood. The density, and flexibility of the wood affects its resonance. the sound is echoed inside guitar body and the characteristics of the wood affect the sound that is distributed outwards. If you knew all of that, and you’ve spent your entire career working with wood in the forestry industry, you’d likely end up discovering that some of the trees that grow in abundance in the West Kootenay match the characteristics for the soundboard. These specific mountain side sentinels, standing amongst our forest just happen to be perfect for making great sounding guitars from. Graham Heim of Fruitvale, BC figured this out while working in the logging industry for much of his career. He tested it out and his company Kootenay Tonewood has since supplied soundboards to major guitar companies around the world as well as

Avi Phillips of Nelson, BC has gone from child actor in the big city to entrepreneurial dad as the owner of his own online marketing agency, and co-founder / developer of a new app along with his wife / business partner in the Kootenays. Following a serendipitous path he translated his acting, writing and overall creative storytelling talents into a successful career in the SEO and online marketing world. Seeking out a more family friendly home in the Kootenays he went out on his own launching his own agency, Design For Growth, and also launched an app development startup with his wife. Hi entrepreneurial, do it yourself spirit, paired with a genuine nice guy demeanour, technical writing skills, along with creative talent, Avi has been on both received those applause, as well as helped other companies receive them from their own customers

Over the last 150 or so years, large scale industrial logging has dominated our forest landscape and much wealth has been harvested from it. Indeed, the primary reason we harvest and process our trees has been to provide jobs, wealth and the resources needed to build and maintain our communities, and in the process to do our best to maintain the environment required for such a renewable resource to remain renewable and flourishing. Knowing that as the base reason for why we log at all begs the question… What if there was a way to get more of what we want out of our forests? More jobs, economic growth and resources, while maintaining what we need from them, clean air, water, habitat and wild spaces?  In the latter quarter of the 20th century, a small community on the West Arm of Kootenay lake asked that question. They asked that question while under outside threat of industrialized logging moving into the hillsides that surround their community. The answer was a beautiful scene that began with protests, and se

Let's raise a glass and celebrate 100 Episodes of the You Can Do That Here!podcast. To celebrate we flipped the seats and series producer and host Andrew Zwicker took the guest seat while Kelly Mclean took over the hosts chair. Andrew Zwicker is a serial entrepreneur who isn't afraid to chase his dreams, take on big, audacious goals, and make them happen. From his first business in high school, through launching a popular online newspaper, publishing company, creative agency and renewable energy company among others, Andrew is a big believer in "Just starting," when you have a great idea. Start a podcast designed to break a myth, achieve a big audience that stretches well beyond the geographic boundaries of our region, and record 100 interviews with 112 innovative and interesting guests? You Can Do That Here. Many thanks to our awesome listeners and 100 episodes of inspiring, talented guests proving indeed that you can indeed do that here. To learn more about AZcre8ive check out www.AZcre8ive.com

And now for something completely new!... To kickoff the celebrations around the 100th episode of the You Can Do That Here! podcast we decided to go live, and to host the first ever You Can...Or Can't Do That Here! Gameshow. In front of an electric crowd of 30 plus tech entrepreneurs, Andrew Zwicker hosted the show with 6 of The Kootenays most innovative minds on the panel for a fun and challenging first edition of the game. Featuring Don Freschi of Fenix Industries, Inventor / Designer Kaj Gyr, Brent Malysh of Backroads Brewing, Charlotte Ferreux of Change by Choice, and Aerin Guy of SpaceRace Digital.    

Colin grew up in "The country," in the north of Scotland, an area very much like the Kootenays. From the age of four he can recall a strong bond between himself and nature. After an injury just prior to the 1988 Calgary Olympics derailed his ski racing career, Colin put his talents towards making the world a cleaner, greener and leaner place. His noble goal was to make sure his son could grow up in a world where he could tell the seasons by the snow starting the fall and the salmon spawning up river. He recently moved to Rossland,BC where he as co-founder he heads up sales and strategy. Figbytes, a robust, industry leading business that is helping everyone from countries to airports to universities achieve their sustainability goal. If he is successful in that, he may just get his lifelong goal of a cleaner and still snowy planet for his son.

Dirk Lewis is the mosquito guy. He fell into the field while searching for a summer job in high school. A quarter century later he's moved up the ranks, taken over the company and moved it to Rossland. He's now putting his own spin on the company expanding it's capabilities and markets with the addition of some innovative new technology. This episode is a beautiful example of how to take a traditional business or service business and up your game with technology while opening up new markets and moving up the value chain. Turn a semi-random summer job into a lifelong career doing something you love, buy the company, take control and chart a new innovative course forward, all while living the dream lifestyle in small town BC? You Can Do That Here.

This week we catch up with Rich Thompson, currently of Nelson, BC. Motivated to beat his sister's academic record, and to live an entrepreneurial life, travelling the world in the progress, Rich helped start a tutoring company. 6 months in he took over the company and began the effort to move it to an online delivery so he could continue his travels. Grow up in an academic family, compete with your sister for grades and in the process figure out a better, more efficient way to learn, take over a classic tutoring business and move it online, while travelling the world living your dream lifestyle? You Can Do That Here!  

We caught up with Christian Rawles in his home in Uphill Nelson, BC to hear his fascinating story. After following his passion into the outdoor industry, he ultimately found himself in a position to buy the company he worked for. Taking an ultra LEAN approach he's utilized technology and outsourcing to build a beautiful company he can run from anywhere while living the lifestyle he's always dreamed of. Follow your hearts true passion, build strong relationships to forward your career, and ultimately put people ahead of profits while growing an outdoor apparel company from your home office? You Can do that here.

Have you ever had an idea that you just couldn’t shake? An idea that when it formed in your brain, it simultaneously formed in your heart and soul? An idea that you know you can run with, make money, have fun and make a whole bunch of people happy in the process? Brent Malysh of Nelson, BC lived the classic entrepreneurial stereotype. It all started over a beer, a chat with friends, and the famous backside of a cocktail napkin.  The better part of a decade later, this former ski school manager is just about to realise his dream. Early in 2017, the latest new piece of awesome will arrive in Nelson, BC. All things continuing to go well, Backroads Brewing, the first brewery lounge in town, will open in the heart of Baker Street From idea to business plan, Brent and his partners are in the middle of making that idea a reality. This story, is one about having big ideas, taking the time to plan them out and then having the courage to just going for it.

Adam O. Thomas has made a career out of letting his creative juices flow, collaborating with others, and creating unique, engaging content. Whether creating experimental comedy or educational media Adam brings a punk rock, do it yourself attitude to everything he does, infusing his own life experiences along the way. He's had success recently with his new web series Parked, commercial work, and a wide variety of creative film making projects in his career. Along the way he's learned there are 4 things it takes to succeed in both film, and entrepreneurship in general. 1) Be yourself 2) Find or build a community 3) Be prolific 4) Hustle. Having grown bored and isolated in the fast growing, expensive metropolis of Vancouver Adam has relocated to Nelson and found a new creative community to launch his next batch of Kootenay creativity.    

Following the tragic news of her husband's skiing accident which rendered him a quaraplegic, Invermere BC's own Cassy Campbell did what any mom would do. She decided to take her newly purchased hobby business to the next level, all while becoming her family's primary  breadwinner, her husband's care-giver, continuing to be the mom of two active kids and working to give back to her community and mom's everywhere. No big deal right? The story of Stripes Gear is a story about the unstoppable spirit of the entrepreneur, the unbreakable bond that is family and overcoming any challenges.

There is a growing trend amongst the younger generations that defies the past norms. Today's digital natives that barely if at all knew the world without it's wide web, are giving up the digital dream. They are longing for and seeking out real and genuine experiences. Luke Lewis of North Woven Brooms and Jennifer Cross of Jennifer Chocolates are the perfect examples. Luke was in Environmental science in Toronto, and Jennifer was also a Torontonian from the tech world. Through their own unique circumstances they ended up living the small town lifestyle, working with their hands as successful artisan entrepreneurs that understand the true value of a life well lived.

From an early age Anthony Sanna, by necessity became a translator and storyteller with a knack for getting the gist and passing it on. As he grew older, he realized he had valuable skills he could turn into a business. We hear Anthony's story of how he became a marketing smarty pants from his own perspective and three key role players in his career's development.

We last talked to brad back in episode 64 which you can find at www.kast.com/youcandothathere. In that episode we chatted about his love story with tech and the remarkable movement he built with the Nelson Tech Club. He launched that club and grew it into the biggest per capita club in the country at over 400 members. He has inspired a generation of youth and the young at heart with science, technology and just plain cool machines. He is now on to phase two with Midas Labs. At the Nelson tech club he was the spark that launched a grassroots movement. He's now got a half million dollars of the latest technology, a permanent home and an operational budget to take MIDAS, his next movement to a whole new level.

Change. It has a way of separating those that are good at doing, and those that are good at doing as well as learning, growing and adapting. The person who is open to learning, adapting and evolving will find change to simply be the canvass for their creations. Yes standing still is death in a world where change and motion are continuous. Winston Churchill once said that “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” There are few worlds that have been changing as often, completely and fast as the digital world of the web. One of the biggest changes over the past five to ten years has been a continuing shift in web design to in many ways becoming a self-serve industry. With the likes of WordPress and Squarespace, building a decent looking website has never been easier. With a near infinite number of pages on the web, the need to fill them with quality content has grown in step. Indeed content is king, and the content creator is highly sought after. Adrian Wagner of Nelson, BC has been a great ex

 Two heads are better than one. For that matter, three, four, five or more heads are better still. We’ve all heard that before. Yes it’s common wisdom that the more minds you set to a common problem, the quality of the solution goes up exponentially.  It’s been true, since the inception of life itself. From the first time two single celled organisms merged in that magical pool of bubbling ooze, the power of connection began. So should you go with your gut? Or should you seek out expert advice and add more heads to your problem? For Julia Gillmor of Nelson, BC it started with a natural talent in connecting people, and then a strong gut feeling to go out on her own, trust her gut and get back to what she loves most. With a strong head for business and a track record of entrepreneurial success, Julia Gillmor communications was launched. She now uses the power of connection to launch her clients to greater heights, as well as continue to launch her own game. It all starts with one innovative thing she does before