Kootenay Employment Services has hired Amy Hotchkiss and Kris Dickeson to serve as Recovery Advisors for the Creston Valley-Kootenay Lake region, Cranbrook and Kimberley and their surrounding areas.
Hotchkiss and Dickeson will be visiting businesses around these areas in order to connect them to the various supports that exist under the ETSI-BC Rural Business and Community Recovery Program.
Hotchkiss is based out of the Creston Valley-Kootenay Lake area and has a background in international economic development.
“I am looking forward to meeting local business owners and hearing firsthand the challenges they are facing,” Hotchkiss said. “The Creston Valley is overflowing with potential to be a place where people can afford to live and work. We hope to help the business community and help them grow.”
Dickeson comes to the position with a background in media and marketing spanning over two decades. She will be responsible for covering Kimberley, Cranbrook and the surrounding communities.
“I am pleased to have this opportunity to connect with the diverse variety of employers and business owners in this area,” she said. “For over a year they have been forced to deal with unimaginable obstacles that have changed how businesses operate. Cranbrook-Kimberley area business owners are strong, determined and want to succeed. Our goal is to help them achieve this.”
Alongside Theresa Wood in the Columbia Valley and Melanie Rowland from Golden, these Recovery Advisors are tasked with helping guide businesses through accessing support, delivering one-on-one coaching, hosting virtual workshops and working closely with local community organizations to help bring economic recovery support to the area.
The Rural Business and Community Recovery Program is funded by Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI‐BC), and the Province of British Columbia as it delivers on its StrongerBC Plan.
It is delivered locally through a partnership between Kootenay Employment Services, Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce, Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce and Golden Community Coop.
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