Of course, the threat of Trump tariffs and international uncertainty is on the mind of the new chair of the Central Okanagan Economic Development's advisory committee.
"Canada-US relations are evolving and the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission is monitoring the situation and what it means to our businesses closely," said Sharon Hughes-Geekie.
"The current situation reinforces the need to focus on business resiliency through diversification of markets and revenue streams."
President Donald Trump suspended 25% tariffs on Canadian goods entering the US for at least 30 days so Canada can tighten its border with the US to drugs and immigrants.
But the looming threat of tariffs has almost all companies in Canada thinking about how they can do business differently to reduce reliance on US markets.
Central Okanagan businesses are no exception, whether they directly export to the US or are somehow indirectly involved in the ripple effect.
"In terms of priorities, the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission will publicly release its new strategic plan later this month but one of the key priorities is business resiliency," said Hughes-Geekie.
Hughes-Geekie just took over as the 2025 chair of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission's advisory committee.
She is the CEO of JumpStart Communications and Business Development, author of the book Fear Less: Transforming Fear Into Courage within Relationships, Career, Society and Self and a contributor to the book Mama's Gotta Work: Stories and Survival Hacks from Real-Life Working Moms.
"Together, with the expertise of our committee members and the dedicated Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission staff, we are poised to drive economic development in the Central Okanagan region," added Hiughes-Geekie.
"I look forward to a productive year ahead."
Generally, the commission, which is a service of the Central Okanagan Regional District, has a mandate to support businesses and attract new business and investment by providing resources, fostering valuable connections and offering data-driven insights.
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The commission's advisory committee is big with 45 members on the executive committee, industry representatives, local government appointees, partner organization appointees and local government staff liaisons.
- Chair: Sharon Hughes-Geekie, JumpStart Communications and Business Development
- Vice-chair: Paula Quinn, consultant
- Past-chair: Janice Larson, Muse & Effect Consulting
- Angela Nagy, GreenStep Solutions
- Ryan Malcolm, Emil Anderson Properties and Dilworth Homes
- Carla Berrie, Vitalis
- Mark Burleigh, Northside Industries
- Alex Carnio, ProducKIDvity
- Jeremy Dawn, SNFLWR Investment Corporation
- Christina Ferreira, Impact Events and Brand Management
- Alan Gatzke, Gatzke Orchards
- Chantel Popoff, consultant
- Sepideh Rezania, Unrooz Solutions
- Robert Shelby, TigerCat Industries
- Rich Threlfall, Empacta
- Roger Wong, Intrigue Wines
- Joanna Schlosser, Niche Wine Company
- Garrett Jones, Delphi Canada
- David Metvedt, Swift Aerial Surveys
- Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland
- Kelowna councillor Gord Lovegrove
- Westbank First Nation councillor Andrea Alexander
- West Kelowna councillor Jason Friesen
- Peachland councillor Dave Collins
- Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas
- Brea Lake, Accelerate Okanagan
- Rama Alluri, Business Development Bank of Canada
- Larry Widmer, Central Okanagan Community Futures
- Laurel Douglas, Economic Trust of the Southern Interior
- Heather Robinson, Greater Westside Board of Trade
- Maryse Harvey, Kelowna Chamber of Commerce
- George Greenwood, Kelowna Chamber of Commerce
- Geoff Ritchie, Kelowna International Airport
- to be announced, Lake Country Chamber of Commerce
- Laura Thurnheer, Okanagan College
- Jonathan Wall, Peachland Chamber of Commerce
- Lisanne Ballantyne, Tourism Kelowna
- Dave Mullings, UBC Okanagan
- Sandra Spencer, UBC Okanagan
- Shauna Harper, WeBC
- Cory Labreque, District of Peachland
- Ron Bowles, City of West Kelowna
- Bill Wang, Westbank First Nation
- Michelle Kam, City of Kelowna
- Ruth Sulentich, District of Lake Country
- Myles Burnes, BC Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation
