New Pipeline points North from Squamish

Squamish is going to see its fair share of construction this summer. The most obvious is the Sea to Sky highway upgrades. Some Whistler commuters might be wondering what the new black and yellow “SURERUS” signs northbound on 99 near Alice Lake are for?

Another infrastructure project is taking flight from our locale. Fort St. John based Surerus Pipeline has announced that it will be building a natural gas connector line from Squamish to Whistler.

Until now, propane has been the mainstay of the RMOW. Natural gas produces lower CO2 emissions than propane and pipelines have a better safety record than rail for transporting propane. Currently propane is transported to Whistler with rail cars.

The actual pipeline is owned by Terasen Gas and Suereus actually won the contract through Kiewett and Sons.

Surerus President and founder Brian Surerus stated “We are pleased to see that a significant portion of the work being undertaken to make Whistler and area ready to host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is being completed by a major pipeline construction firm based in Northern BC – extending the benefits across the Province.”

The local economy should see some benefit as well. During the 90 day project, approximately 25 people will work on the project. The pipeline will stretch from Depot Road to Rubble Creek.

“Our crews are camping, staying in hotels and renting condos in Squamish. We will be obtaining our fuel and lots of services in Squamish. There also will be some local hiring.” Says Surerus.

It seems that Squamish has only just begun to fill its role as an infrastructure epicenter for 2010.

Have a story idea? Send your comments, ideas or suggestions to ideaguy@ultipromo.com or check out past stories on the blog site http://www.ultipromo.com/blog/index.htm

The Kiewett Effect

One can’t drive around Squamish without running into at least one yellow truck emblazoned with “Kiewit and Sons” on the side. It seems the huge U.S. owned company not only makes a huge impact on our roadways, but on our local economy.

Since the start of the Sea to Sky highway project, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Kiewit paychecks being mailed to Squamish mailboxes. Seventy-six Squamish residents took jobs at Kiewit and there are a total of 450 workers employed on the project in the corridor. Many of those rent rooms or homes while they work here. Project Manager, Chris Dundarand currently manages Segment 3 (Furry Creek to Depot Road) and has 130 staff under him. He says the Kiewit philosophy is to hire and train locals for construction jobs, and a few of those locals came from the forestry sector. Managers like Dundarand are often brought in to supervise. Dundarand plans to be here 2009 and beyond, when the project completes.

“I enjoy the amenities that Squamish has to offer,” he said.

“The outdoor activities and the proximity to Whistler are great. If I can manage to stay here after, I will. A lot of my staff feel the same way.”

Dundarand goes on to explain that Kiewit integrates with the communities they work in. “We are a gold level supporter of Squamish Days this year and sponsored Wild at Art. Last week I was flipping burgers at McHappy Day.”

Remax Sea to Sky Realtor, Denise Salmon is seeing the “Kiewit effect” on her business.

“All of us have sold or shown homes to someone connected to Kiewit. Equipment operators, engineers and environmental consultants have all looked at houses with me in Squamish. One example is a client who resided on the island and decided that he was going to be here long enough to sell his house and bring his wife and two sons here.”

Vancouver transplants Kyle Coulter and Laurel Terlesky are typical of what you would call the Squamish newcomer and Kiewit literally paved the way for them to move here. The young couple was looking to escape the city and buy their first house. Aged 31 and 30, they moved here in 2006. Kyle operates equipment for Kiewit on the night shift and enjoys the amazing mountain bike trails and snowboarding in the winter. They chose Squamish over Revelstoke when Kyle got the job last July. Laurel, a former CBC employee is an artist and operates a graphic design and illustration business from their home. Chances are they will stay long after the highway is finished, which is slated for completion in 2009.

Other businesses are making yellow turn into green. Stop in at the Ocean Port hotel any night of the week and chances are you’ll find a few Kiewit co-workers unwinding after a long day.

“I’ve seen an increase in sales. They rent rooms here and they are really good customers.” Says OP manager Scott McQuade.

McQuade says that Kiewit has not brought in the customer base that the forest industry did, but things are definitely looking up.So what happens when the highway contract is completed? Chances are a portion of those staff might leave and pursue the next Kiewit project. However, 12-year employee Dandarand feels that there is a chance that we might be feeling the Kiewit effect for some time.

“We are bidding on a lot of work in the lower mainland post 2009. It’s not unusual to for people to follow us to the next project.”

Local Turf War for Online Eyeballs

Traditionally web sites were for people who were trying to expand their reach as a business and transcend local boundaries. They were not very useful for local services such as mechanics, hair salons or people in the trades.

Local business owner beware! The next big battleground for consumer eyeballs will be with the “local search”. That’s right, smaller service based businesses who usually don’t embrace web sites. City based businesses recognize Squamish’s growing commuter pool has a choice of getting their needs met here or in the city.

A year ago Yellow pages.ca partnered with Google. They feed Google with local search data and together they can jerry-rig the online version of your yellow pages and Google to make your business pop to the top. (Type in “auto mechanic Squamish” on either web site and you’ll have to do some serious scrolling to get to a local shop.)

Squamish based Jeff Russell is a Business Solutions consultant for the Yellowpages. He helps you with your book listing and is a leading seller of online ads on Google and on the Yellow pages web site. He takes the guess work out of internet marketing.

“When you are advertising, there are three doors to your business. The actual door, the telephone and the internet. I tell my customers that they should open all three. With us, you can pre-pay a set amount and drive traffic to your site or we can create a presence for you. Our cost to do pay per click on Google is significantly cheaper than if you did it yourself.”

There is another option for more established businesses with a web site. Enter Gord Addison with Venture Web. Gord cut his teeth on internet marketing years ago while managing the local hostel. Now as a freelance maven of internet marketing, he helps local companies like Blurr, Echoflex Solutions and Canadian Outback Adventures expand their reach on the local and international front. Try typing in “Hotel Squamish” into Google or MSN and you’ll see Sea to Sky hotel at number one.

“The thing with web marketing is that it is accountable. Unlike print advertising, if something isn’t pulling, you can change it.”

He also warns that many companies make the fatal mistake of being close minded to how people find their business.

“How you might describe your product might not be the same as how your customers find you. Internet marketing is largely about market research. “

Addison offers Search Engine Optimization, email marketing, Pay per click campaigns and web site “use-ability audits”.


At the end of the day, getting located on the internet is becoming more and more complicated. Depending on your needs, you will want to consider the Yellowpages or a freelance type like Gord Addison to increase sales at your shop. Chances are this stuff is beyond the reach of your web savvy nephew and you’ll need a helping hand to succeed.

Republic Cycles Not a Third Wheel in Brackendale

Any Brackendale citizen knows “Republic Bikes” is aptly named. Lifelong resident and proprietor Armand Hurford jokes that he used to hang out in the café next to his new shop whilst In-Utero. Now the upstart bike shop is tucked away in a tin shed beside the historic Post Office and Bistro.

Huford is a mature twenty nine years and riding bikes has taken him many places far and near. First as a BMX racer in grade one and later, guiding mountain bike tours at sixteen. He’s wrenched for other shops and sold bikes for Kona, traveling between Winnipeg and the Yukon.

“I’ve literally been in every bike ship in Western Canada. There is no way I’d build a shop anywhere else but in this location.” chides Hurford.

Community is key when building a bike shop. It’s more than a place to buy bikes and get them fixed. It will take some time for the Republic to build its own culture. The freshly hewn wood exterior and a friendly dog tied outside give the shop the right “feeling, vibe and soul”.

The former auto body and furniture shop was worse inside than the roughshod looking exterior when Hurford took over. When asked about the most satisfying moment prior to opening last week, he says it was the opportunity to have four generations of his family working together.

“It’s pretty rare that I can work with my Grandfather, Father and daughter (age 5) to help build my dream.”

When asked about challenges he hasn’t faced many yet. Hurford feels that everything lined up to make it happen. The perfect location. The correct timing. The right concept. Being the third wheel in town doesn’t phase him.

“ Both bike shops (Tantalus and CORSA) do an excellent job and are very successful. But there is a point where someone is going to open another shop and my business model doesn’t need a whole lot of sales to be sustainable.”

Currently he does all the sales, repairs and grunt work. His fiancé Jen helps with the books. This small shop concept has its share of challenges he admits. Often times he can be found fixing bikes until the wee hours of the night.

“My niche will be one to one customer service. I also feel that bikes are meant to be ridden and not driven around.”

Many riders finish their weekend rip and drop their wheels off at the shop for a tune up and then walk home. Approximately twenty people a day were stopping in during the opening week.

Product wise, Republic will hinge its line on Jamis mountain bikes. The American company has slowly been building a reputation south of the border and is making its break into Canada. Hurford is an avid road rider and he plans to support that market as well. Squamish’s burgeoning BMX scene will also find their tricked out bikes at his shop.

To get the word out, Republic is sponsoring a SORCA Youth Toonie race on April 29th. Group rides are also on the horizon. Republic’s grand opening will be announced in May.

Around the Water Cooler

Should Tantalus way be called “Eatery Alley”?
Sushi Sen Japanese Restaurant and Essence of India open their doors
Lizzie Bay Logging is moving its office to Pemberton

Please check out this story and others here http://www.ultipromo.com/blog/index.htm Tips and story ideas are welcome. ideaguy@ultipromo.com

New Association Serves up Squamish’s best

The Sea to Sky Restaurant and Bar association is slated to take flight this week. Founder Marnie Green presented their new mission statement recently during an interview.

“The Sea to Sky Restaurant and Bar Association seeks to build cohesive relationships amongst food and beverage establishments from Britannia Beach to Brackendale.”

Green, an industry veteran who currently works at Pepe and Gringo’s, started the organization in response to a great need for organization and communication between restaurants and bars in the area. She recruited seven members for the founding committee including Howe Sound Inn and Brewing’s Dave Fenn and Chef Paul Foster, Greg Fischer from Carina Gelato, Dan McRae from The Brackendale Bistro and Lance Mclure from Galileo coffee.

Mclure says “it’s a great idea because the whole region needs to pull together pre 2010”.

He also feels that the association members can help one another with staffing issues.

“A few months back Marnie Green referred an employee to us that didn’t fit with her organization.”

This could work on a much larger level for other business owners within the association, says McLure.

“Recruitment is going to be the number one issue for our members. We are going to offer free job listings on our web site. You can join as business or as an individual. Supplier members will also benefit.” says Green

A membership drive will begin shortly and businesses can join for $250/year and anyone else can join for $75.

The association hopes to create a united voice for her industry when it comes to governance and legislation. She doesn’t expect that many of her members will be in favor of the pending laws prohibiting smoking outside of establishments on patios. Green also hopes to beef up their industries presence on the Spirit of Squamish committee and the Tourism Advisory Committee. There are also plans to recruit a lawyer to help members with advice on labour relations.

Green sees events as an integral part of the restaurant and bar scene.
The “Taste of Howe Sound” event she started while working at the Howe Sound Inn is being resurrected. Each month a themed presentation of wine, spirits and cuisine will be offered for local Foodies.

“ We want to move the ‘Taste’ to different locations as a way to showcase the best of what each establishment has to offer. In addition to this event we also hope to bring in speakers and offer workshops at our monthly meetings.”

Green sees events as an integral part of the restaurant and bar scene. She points to the ever popular “Dine out Vancouver” event that is organized by Tourism Vancouver and hopes to emulate that in Squamish.

For more information on the association, contract Marnie Green at 604-815-4201


The Idea Guy would wants to hear about your business story! Check out his blog and or email Craig at ideaguy@ultipromo.com http://www.ultipromo.com/blog/2007



Around the Water Cooler

Mostly French (dot.ca) in Squamish began offering adult French lessons and youth programs. Call Valerie at 604-898-2323

Whistler Blackcomb Plumbing and Heating opens in Squamish. Owner George Lewis can be reached at 604-932-9611

Keep in touch with Blogging and Newsletters

If you are a business owner and want to expand your reach or keep in touch with your customer base, email marketing or blogging may be the answer.

Some email newsletters are graphics rich and others are text based. If you are looking for a snazzy looking communique, check out web based services such as Constant Contact and Campaign Monitor. They make it easy to learn about this massive topic. Constant Contact is easier to use and offers online “webinars” daily. Campaign Monitor is geared to graphics control freaks who know a thing or two about HTML.


A Squamish company that does a very nice job of marketing itself and keeping in touch with its 400 subscribers using Constant Contact is Emeria Health and Wellness . This newsletter has several things going for it. It’s visually appealing and contains very useful information including workshops, health tips and even guilt free cookie recipes! They publish often. Owner Marissa Scheisser says it’s a winning marketing strategy.

“My open rates have gone from about 20% up to 50% which is quite high. Clients I haven’t seen for awhile, rebook. Most of the business that has been generated from my newsletter has been for workshops.”

Perhaps simple is best? Vancouver’s “networking queen” Alice Zhou from Gracious Host, publishes a text based newsletter about social and business events in Vancouver. This simple format newsletter could be run from common email programs such as Outlook. For a one person show, she has a massive subscriber list containing 4000 members! Occasionally she gets hired by one of her subscribers to write paid business profiles for her audience.

Alice does two things very well. She manages to keep her finger on the pulse of the business and events community and second, she actually generates a living for herself in the process. Visit gracioushost.ca to sign up or ask her questions.

Blogging is the next big thing in business communications. Aside from its yucky name, it’s a great way to position yourself as an expert in your field by blogging about what you know best. Nerds have taken this online diary concept one step further allowing the publisher to add pictures, links, color and style to their dispatches. Getting set up with Blogspot.com takes a few minutes and you can post your first entry in moments without a lot of technical knowledge and then use an “RSS Feed” to alert subscribers about new content. (consult Google for more info on RSS feeds)

The fundamental difference between blogging and newsletters and using a web site to market your self is that one is “push” and the other is a “pull”. The newsletter and blog are sent to a subscriber list. The web site requires a bit of marketing or techno-wizardry on the part of the webmaster to make sure your product or service gets located on search engines.

These tools are legitimate and perhaps better ways to make money on the internet than with a web site. Most web sites rely on random visitors to find you and hopefully initiate contact. Email marketing and blogging are fantastic ways to send offers and information to people who actually want to hear from you.

The Idea guy would really like to hear from you! Check out his blog and or email Craig at ideaguy@ultipromo.com http://www.ultipromo.com/blog/2007


Around the Water Cooler

Mostly French in Squamish began offering adult French lessons and youth programs. Call Valerie at 604-898-2323

Golder and Associates was declared one of Canada’s “50 Best Managed Companies”

Whistler Blackcomb Plumbing and Heating opens in Squamish. Owner George Lewis can be reached at 604-932-9611

Triack Turns Trash Into Cash

Squamish’s Triack Resources represents a new breed of greener entrepreneur.

On paper, logger Dave McRae looks like an unlikely champion of eco-business. With stints as a heavy duty mechanic and work in a saw mill, he ended up as an expert in sustainable forest practices. His forestry skills landed him several unique contracts during his career including thinning of Alice Lake campground, the Brohm Lake demonstration forest and cutting runs at Whistler Blackcomb.

“We have done a lot of logging that required a public persona of environment friendly and long term thinking on the part of the owner of the land”.

It seems sustainability and green business practices have been front of his mind long before the recent groundswell of corporate interest in this seemingly new eco-business trend. Since 1988, McRae has been working on plans to create markets for the waste. Perhaps the world is finally ready for his vision?

Triack charges a fee to companies that want an alternative to hauling the waste to a landfill. His business model relies on his own ingenuity by creating win-win with his customers. If he didn’t manufacture and market his own products from the waste, the hauling process alone would create a loss for the company. In turn his customers can pay less for disposal than at the District dump.

Currently Triack offers services that are not commonplace in the Sea to Sky corridor. Boasting a wood waste recycling facility on Government road in Squamish that accepts pretty much any organic material and even asphalt, Mcrae feels the days of burning waste, both at the District landfill and other job sites, are numbered.

“We take approximately 75% of the waste from AJ Forest Products and Fraserwood Industries that used to go in the District Landfill.”

The waste from Quest University and the expansion of the Industrial Park are two more examples of projects that would have been burned.

Triack can manufacture a number of innovative things with this waste including soil for landscapers, bedding for animals or even electricity. Wood grindings are used as a low-cost bio mass fuel for co-gen systems located in Vancouver. This green power is used to make pulp and paper. These systems use steam and heat to generate electricity and produces very little CO2 in the process.

“Co-gen one of the most efficient ways to create energy from waste wood products”

Now with a stable of industrial clients, McRae has set his sights on builders and even the average citizen. His one year old wood waste plant provides a great deal of opportunity for Triack as Squamish and Whistler’s building boom continues.

“We can take yard waste,old fences or wooden decks. Our tipping fee is $6/yard which is significantly lower than the District land fill. We hope people start to feel like it’s easier to dump their waste with us than to burn it. As the corridor expands we hope that there will be less and less burning and more recycling.“