Flaunt Squamish’s outdoor lifestyle and business will follow, says the municipality’s general manager of business.
Last week, District of Squamish councillors questioned the economic development component of the municipality’s new branding campaign. While the community-based Brand Development Committee (BDC) has highlighted the community’s adventurous nature, Coun. Ron Sander asked where the linkage was in luring new companies to town.
The brand will be lifestyle driven and that’s what drives people here, Randy Stoyko stated in a press release. Squamish is a great place to live and learn, which attracts highly talented, educated and energetic individuals, he said, noting this is a big draw for employers.
“People will only invest in a community if they like what they see,” Stoyko said. “The new brand execution will ‘sell’ potential investors on the lifestyle first, which is often communicated through activity-based or tourism messages.”
For the past two months the branding committee analyzed more than 300 pages of data from 1,143 survey responses to a public questionnaire on what Squamish means to residents and visitors. The community’s natural environment and access to recreation triumphed the themes throughout the surveys.
While Squamish continues to support economic resilience and diversification, the brand direction will help inform new economic development opportunities that are synergistic with the brand, Stoyko said.
“Synergies will increase the chances that our efforts to attract new businesses to Squamish are successful,” he said. “There will be great alignment and power across the community when we all talk the same language and pull in the same direction.”
A new Brand Leadership Team, to be announced in mid-May, will focus on the components that comprise the brand, including an action plan, marketing messages, signage and product development. By the end of May, the team will present a proposed action plan to council. In early June, staff has proposed to finalize the plan and roll it out.
