About KVR Outfitters
KVR Outfitters Ltd is a business that is being operated as a social enterprise.
KVR Outfitters Ltd is a business that is being operated as a social enterprise.
We are wholly owned by the non-profit Trails to the Boundary Society: https://www.westboundary.com/about-us/
Trails to the Boundary Society was formed in 2015 by a group of individuals from across the West Boundary who shared a vision for regional community development.
In 2024 we purchased the business assets of Kettle Valley Railway Cycle Tours, who operated tours in the Boundary since 2011. Many of our readers will have interacted with Paula & Swade over the years and will understand their passion for the economic benefits of sustainable tourism in small rural communities. They saw the impact of rail trail development in rural New Zealand, where they call home for most of the year. Their website and promotion of our rail trail brought thousands of people to our area over the years.
If you want to see what Paula and Swade are up to now, check out their boat tours in New Zealand https://www.okaritoboattours.co.nz/ and the Trust they’re involved with: https://www.okaritonursery.co.nz/
Tour Manager: Bear
Bear is our new Tour Manager. He is also in his 2nd year as Trail Manager for our parent organization, Trails to the Boundary Society. It was a great fit for him to take on the Tour Manager role, because of his knowledge of the trails and the area. In the Winter, Barry manages Ski Patrol at Mount Baldy Ski Resort, including advanced paramedic training. In his “spare” time, he and his wife raise horses and Shetland ponies and are very active in the Rock Creek Horse Club.
Communications: Emily
Emily is our new Communications person. She is highly energetic and multi-talented. She has a background in customer service as a sports equipment sales person and buyer. Her academic background is in Anthropology, where she specialized in cataloguing ancient artifacts. Emily and her partner Mark are both free-style skiers. They also operate a ski clothing business, which they’ve brought with them to the Boundary. When they aren’t working on their homestead, they can be found exploring local heritage sites.
Tour Support: Mark
Mark has a long and varied background in sports, starting with hockey. He’s a professional free style skier, who has been riding for Sunshine Village Banff Shred SSV Marketing Team. This involves working with managers and photographers, planning, marketing and hosting events at the resort. He has experience in sports equipment sales and social media management in the industry. He and his partner Emily own a ski clothing company. In all of his endeavours, Mark devotes time to volunteering and mentoring coming generations of skiers and snowboarders.
How we came to start a social enterprise
Trails to the Boundary has held a Partnership Agreement with the Province of British Columbia for management of 155 km of rail trail since 2015. Our oversight includes trail maintenance, promoting the trail, working with neighbouring property owners, business development, advocating for resourcing and protection of the trail. We also operate a full service Visitor Information Centre through Destination BC.
We worked with Paula & Swade for years to support their business. When it was time for them to retire, they asked if we knew of potential buyers. In true Paula & Swade fashion, they were seeking local buyers, to keep the benefits in the area. After 3 years of trying to convince others to take on the business, and fearful of the impact of losing the business altogether, we thought “Why not us?!”.
With an ETSI-BC grant (Economic Trust of the Southern Interior), we were able to contract consultants from Purppl to help us develop our social enterprise and business plans. We leveraged this funding to get a Pacifican Tourism Growth Fund grant to provide seed money and to rewrite the website. We are very grateful for this support on our road to increasing business capacity around active recreation.
A social enterprise is an organization or program that is driven by a public benefit mission, and sells goods or services to earn a revenue, while also helping achieve its positive social, cultural or environmental objectives. Social enterprises can help promote resilience in rural communities by enabling community members to create positive, sustainable change.
Our values
We believe in local, community ownership of assets.
We believe in re-investing in our communities.
We believe in the power of regional collaboration.
We value the enormous contribution of our many volunteers, without whom none of our projects would exist.
Our goals and our impact
Immediate Impact is Business Retention for:
- 15 accommodators
- 2 caterers
- 11+ restaurants
- 3 shuttle services
- 2 bike repair businesses
Plans Moving Forward:
Hire a Tour Manager– Hired Doug Teramoto- Addition of other tour types (walking, bird watching, snowshoeing)
- Expand to 4 seasons
Benefits to Our Communities:
- Increase local employment
- New business starts
- New resident attraction
- Reduced dependence on resource-based industries
- Increase awareness of Indigenous history & culture
- Promote Indigenous tourism development
- Develop assets for travellers that will also benefit local communities
- Keep food businesses open year-round
- Increased sales of locally produced food
- Increase awareness of environmental issues: invasive species, drought, trail degradation, riparian areas, wildlife habitat & interactions
- Increase awareness of agricultural activities so recreation can co-exist
- Reduce climate change impacts by working around weather events
- Create attachment to our area to encourage return visits
KVR Outfitters Board of Directors
Memberships & Affiliations
