Barb Brouwer
Contributor
A long managerial history and a love of movies have led Joel de Boer to the Salmar Theatre.
He joins administrator Jody Jones in managing the busy enterprise.
De Boer, who worked with the local Rona store for almost 20 years, helped out at the theatre in the past, standing in when then-manager Daila Duford and staff were at other events.
He is also president of the Salmon Arm Minor Hockey Association and coaches hockey, soccer and baseball.
Following his interview, de Boer worked a few shifts at the theatre to see if the job would be a good fit.
“I really enjoyed it and I love movies, and it goes hand-in-hand with that,” he said, noting one of the biggest draws to the position was the way Salmar gives back to the community.
“I am a very community oriented person and to be able to give back every day is a pretty exciting bonus.”
Chris Papworth, who with Chelsea Kraft is part of the Salmar Community Association’s human resources committee, says de Boer’s philosophy on giving back to the community is one of the things that attracted the board as well.
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Papworth says the final decision to hire de Boer was made by the entire board whose members believed he’d be a good fit for the Salmar.
“We’re excited for him, he’s a good manager with lots of skills and we’re really excited to have him on the team,” Papworth said, noting de Boer was highly recommended by Duford.
“As with all things, there’s a learning curve, but I think with Joel we’re in good hands.”
An enthusiastic Duford says de Boer and Jones will make an amazing team.
Born and raised in Salmon Arm, Jones has been with Salmar on and off for 15 years and has a strong background in office administration, Duford says, noting that Jones carried the full managerial load since she left on Dec. 1.
“So she’s taking care of a lot of that (administrative role),” said Duford, who felt leaving the Salmar in someone else’s hands was much like handing over a child for someone else to raise.
“It’s nice to have a team to work so well and support each other,” she added, explaining the theatre industry has undergone many changes, including a move from manual to digital operations.
“And communication has changed, you’re in constant communication all the time. Basically it’s a 24 hour job.”
