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Business notes: Pride Motorsports in Cobble Hill moves to new location

The latest from Cowichan’s business community
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Pride Motorsports Inc. has moved to a new location in Cobble Hill.

Pride Motorsports is a family-owned business that has been operating in Cobble Hill for the past four years that specializes in cars, boats, motorcycles and “all things fun”, according to co-owner Dustin Hofer.

He said members of the Bond family that owned Good Used Cars gave him the opportunity to take over part of their site at 1310 Fisher Rd.

“That site is now our new home base, and we’re using our old site to store motor homes and RVs,” Hofer said.

“The new site also has a mechanics shop with five bays, and that will be very useful for us.”

Hofer said a grand opening at 1310 Fisher Rd. is being planned for sometime later this spring.

As for plans for further expansion of Pride Motorsports, Hofer said that may be in the cards.

“We’re working on a potential deal in Duncan,” he said.

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The Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan won the “Resilient Business of the Year” award at the 2022 Vancouver Island Tourism Conference Industry Awards ceremony that was held on April 13 in Victoria.

This award celebrates the industry members who participated in the Vancouver Island Coastal Tourism Resiliency Program and demonstrated a keen ability to innovate, adapt and build during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Kaatza Station Museum has been faithfully engaged in the Vancouver Island Coastal Tourism Resiliency Program since its inception in April 2020,” said a press release from Tourism Vancouver Island which hosted the awards ceremony.

“They have leveraged program offerings to complete a website redesign, e-commerce set up, TripAdvisor optimization and more, including taking on an exciting new partnership to support reconciliation: a meeting place featuring Indigenous art, history and information displays in Lake Cowichan.”

Sue Lindstrom, a member of the board at the Kaatza Historical Society who led the museum’s engagement in the resiliency program, said she was very surprised and honoured that the museum won the award.

“We don’t get many awards, so this one will be prominently displayed in the museum,” she said.

“We’re all still in a daze. We never expected to win an award.”

••••

In related news, the Malahat SkyWalk won the “People’s Choice” award at the same ceremony on April 13.

A statement from Tourism Vancouver Island said the award was conceived as a way to give kudos through the conference attendees.

“It’s all about sharing the love for an incredible experience on Vancouver Island,” TVI said.

“We asked participants to share what made it special and what it meant to them.”

The Malahat SkyWalk was also recognized in March with a 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Award in the category of Innovation.

TVI said the Malahat SkyWalk is thoughtful, well designed and accessible.

“The partnership with Malahat Nation, the mindful travel aspects and forest, history, and education… and that’s before visitors even reach the incredible spiral tower,” TVI said.

“The experience of climbing the tower is a slow build of breathtaking excitement, and the panoramic views at the top are unmatched. The slide down is a fun and fast way to get your adrenaline up on the way down.”

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The local chapter of Business Network International - the Valley Voices is being retired.

A memo from the organization said business people of the Cowichan Valley have been gathering at BNI for more than 15 years.

“Long lasting and meaningful relationships have been formed, business has been passed, and a lot of fun has been had,” the memo said.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the retirement of the chapter. The past two years have been a challenge on many levels to individual businesses and overall in the community. Sending much gratitude to the BNI community for supporting each other over the years.”

Should anyone wish to connect through BNI in the future, there are chapters in Nanaimo, Westshore and Victoria.

Anyone who has received value from BNI and would like to consider launching a new chapter in the Valley, email Mark Simmons at mark@bnibc.ca for more information.

••••

Community Futures Cowichan is offering a free online workshop to help local businesses plan for disruptions and disasters.

The past two years have been challenging for businesses of all sizes.

British Columbia experienced multiple natural disasters on top of having to cope with the lingering effects of COVID-19 on the economy.

Well-prepared businesses have proven to fare much better through disasters because they have already considered the possible impacts to their business and developed strategies ahead of time for dealing with them.

The Business Continuity Planning Tool will help business owners identify hazards to their business, core assets and functions, and how to mitigate those risks.

“We’re excited to announce this free online tool that allows business owners to focus on what they can control when a major disruption or disaster strikes,” said Cathy Robertson, GM of CFC.

“It will assist you to be prepared to respond and poised to recover. The future is uncertain and the best way to face this uncertainly is with a well-made plan.”

The workshop will be held on April 27, beginning at 8 a.m.

To register or for more information, contact Robertson at 250-746-1004, 250-746-8819 or email at CRobertson@cfcowichan.ca.



robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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