Editor’s Note: Our team has heard from various community members all the ways Revelstoke punches above its weight class. From non-profits to businesses to events, there are examples everywhere. We’re putting a spotlight on these humble brags and giving them a chance to highlight who else they think is making big things happen in a small town.
Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce (RCC) was named the fastest growing chamber of commerce in B.C., and the third fastest growing in all of Canada after a year of focusing on member accessibility, highlighting what the chamber offers and actioning what it has been hearing from the community.
Once she’d confirmed the news Caroline Lachapelle, CEO of RCC made sure her team stopped to take in the accomplishments and recognize the work they’d done.
“It’s a privilege to be able to celebrate your wins when you’re running so hard and your entire focus is on your community,” Lachapelle told Revelstoke Mountaineer.
Listening to all of Revelstoke’s business community
Lachapelle credits much of RCC’s success to prioritizing and learning from feedback provided by the business community.
“I think our collective approach of not being afraid to take in constructive criticism, or just straight-up criticism, and then doing something with it is why we are so successful at what we do.”
RCC gathers as much information on the community as possible through direct connections and events. Instead of trying to guess what Revelstoke businesses need, Lachapelle wants the word straight from sources.
“It’s not my job to think about what the community needs, it’s my job to know what the community needs,” she said.
That data-leads-action mindset is at the heart of RCC’s latest project, the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) survey, which gives businesses in Revelstoke a chance to share information about trends, barriers and resources they need.
“One thing that’s coming up a lot already is that businesses are stretched so thin in every possible way that they have given up on wanting to give feedback about their business because they feel that nothing’s going to come from it,” Lachepelle said.
With that feedback, RCC is doubling down on advocating for local businesses at all levels of government, as well as hosting various events inviting government members to speak with community members to help bring real solutions.
Data from the BRE and other networking tools also help prove the balancing act the chamber is seeing around the city and within the own organization.
Pain points such as housing, healthcare, affordability and more are not unique to Revelstoke. Instead, Lachapelle explained those core challenges manifest in different ways in each community. As Revelstoke continues to grow, RCC is working to forecast what strategies and resources are needed to keep from growth plateauing and inevitably crashing.
“Where is that crash moment? Are we starting to feel it right now? Are we going to feel it in 10 years? I don’t know unless I have the information from the business community,” Lachapelle said.
Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce’s local, provincial and national allies
To help build resources and strategies for Revelstoke’s business community, RCC has nurtured connections across Canada.
Talking with other resort municipalities across the country, Lachapelle has a front-row seat to the multi-layered challenges echoed throughout smaller communities bringing in big crowds.
“It’s not only finding tourism staff, it’s finding staff in general to be able to mobilize the resources that we need to grow our infrastructure at the same time as we’re growing our tourism,” Lachapelle said.
Through connections, RCC has been able to provide other communities with successful strategies such as inspiration for building collective business and visitor information centres or the relaunched member portal, as well as tapped into other chamber resources including staff.
To develop the BRE, RCC reached out to Tammy Verigin-Burk, executive director of the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce and asked her along as Revelstoke BRE lead. The collaboration helped RCC create groundwork that will assist in keeping metrics on business retention for the long term.
“We wanted to go with someone who knew what was the best course of action that we could have for our community. Understands how a remote, rural community functions.”
That secret sauce of reaching out and connecting with anyone who can give RCC just a little more insight, a couple new strategies, anything Lachapelle thinks can help Revelstoke is making an impact. Now RCC staff and board members are being invited to national conversations and events focused on Canada’s business ecosystem.
“Our chamber used to have to chase down members of government. And now they’re coming to us and saying they’re so proud of the work that we do that they want to share it with other people.”
Staying humble in celebration
When asked why RCC and so many other businesses and organizations in Revelstoke seem to be leading the way across a range of industries, Lachapelle brings it back to the very land Revelstoke is shaped by.
“You have this sense of being humbled by nature, people move here for that. And when you’re humbled by nature on a regular daily basis, you’re just constantly able to take that breath in wonder. It attracts the type of people who understand the importance of living in that moment on a regular basis.”
Keeping that humble wonder and keeping the stories that come along with a town like Revelstoke has been part of RCC’s focus in one way or another since 1895. It’s the core Lachapelle says will keep RCC sustainable for another 130 years.
“As we move forward with economic development, that sense of place that we have here in Revelstoke, and the stewardship to land needs to be kept as part of our vision. That’s the meaning behind sustainable growth.”
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