About us

Welcome friends,


My name is JoJo and I am the Executive Director here at SOARE. 

I was born in Kolkata, India, and have since hopped and skipped my way through my home country, Canada, Indonesia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. I had never considered myself as an outdoors oriented person until I moved to Vancouver in 2013. On the ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, I developed a strong love and passion for rock climbing. 

Doing new things is hard, and SOARE will be no different; this society is not only new to me, but it is new to the S2S corridor as a whole. There’s going to be some steep trails to climb, uncertainty when the runouts get a bit long, and rocks and roots that look a bit too tumultuous to roll over. However, I am very much looking forward to the inspiring vistas up top, the rush and thrill when hitting that hold, and feeling of flow when the trees fly past you. 

Let’s build something exciting, together.
Because together, the sky’s the limit!

There’s more than one route up the wall

In 2020, the District of Squamish endorsed its Emerging Sector Action Plan, with a focus on developing outdoor recreation. The goal - bolster the Outdoor Industry here in Squamsh and the Sea to Sky Corridor as a whole. The plan - create an on the ground organization that can work with local businesses and emerging organizations to support their growth and progress in the recreation technology sector. That was the thesis behind SOARE, and the starting point for us as a non-profit organization.

In the 3 years that followed, SOARE has been quietly working in the background, gathering funding, rallying support, and putting together an outstanding team of staff and advisors to spearhead this project. We are excited to bring this non-profit out into the light, and to the nearly 400 businesses and organizations in the S2S that form its thriving and continually growing Outdoor Industry. We hope that you will join us in this adventure, and help contribute to a more meaningful model of business.

Meet. Make. Advocate.

Board of Advisors

Kieran is an outdoor lover and enthusiast, and the face behind Community Futures Howe Sound. From doling out business wisdom and loans, to fostering local entrepreneurship, Kieran's your go-to guy. When he's not sound boarding the next big business idea, he's out looking for his next fresh trail.

Kieran Hale

James is the Founder & Principle at Venture Web. VentureWeb offers creative digital services exclusively for adventure, lifestyle and travel brands; James joins the SOARE Board of Advisors with digital expertise and marketing wizardry.

James Morris

Mike is a seasoned entrepreneur and the Owner of Sombra Outdoor Living, and brings his business acumen to the board of directors of SOARE. Committed to environmental stewardship, Mike strives to bridge his outdoor lifestyle brand with conservation efforts for a sustainable future.

Mike Wilson

Jen is the Economic Development Officer for the District of Squamish. Her work focuses on developing the local economic ecosystem, and she is continually learning and enjoying this rapidly evolving field where economic development and sustainability intersect.

Jen Stone

Hamish is a sales manager and mediocre mountain biker, who is passionate about collaboration and outdoor products. Originally from New Zealand, Hamish now calls Squamish home, and is always trying to prioritize time outside with his wife and daughter.

Hamish Elliott

An avid skier and mountain biker, Josh is passionate about product-led business in the outdoor industry. In 2016, he co-founded gogglesoc, a brand that manufactures accessories from eco-conscious materials. The company has sold over two-million products and repurposed over 650K post-consumer plastic bottles in the process. 

Josh Gray

Dustin is a financial professional and Chartered Accountant with more than a decade of experience; his expertise lies in supporting company growth through financial planning & analysis. As a keen outdoors-person himself, Angus is keen to help support the intersection between recreation and innovative businesses.

Angus Naismith

A passionate mountain biker and entrepreneur, Dustin is the founder of We Are One Composites, a proud Canadian-based manufacturing company specializing in carbon fibre components and mountain bike frames. Dustin is an an avid problem solver who desires the best possible solution and outcome, with the belief that everything can be improved.

Dustin Adams

James is the founder of Venturing Up and a Senior Merchant at MEC, where he runs a successful $60M product portfolio. James started his career as an entrepreneur and his goal with Venturing Up is to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge, mentorship, and community he wished he’d had himself when starting out.

James Friedrich

Getting a business off the ground is tough. Aside from a great idea, strong work ethic and optimistic attitude, you need cash. Come learn from two great minds, Josh & David, in the world of Start Up Financing next week at Basecamp! Monday, Aug
Another excellent workshop coming your way - this time from our friends at @weareskeletoncrew (to be fair, we are biased!) Come learn on how to make those all important decisions around design, brand language, and how to float between Yes and No!
SOARE is designed to directly benefit sole proprietor, small, and medium businesses. Your Membership allows access to all of our programming and events, opportunities to connect and expanding your professional network! Be apart of our growing communi
A friendly reminder to stay cool with all this heat!
Thank you to the wonderful humans that came out to our Intro to Industrial Sewing Workshop! The incredible Dayle from @chenkostudios took our participants through the wide arc of sewing a product; from ideation, to sketching, to putting all the piece
These are our three goals with SOARE - Meet, Make, and Advocate. We believe that there is strength in numbers, and power within community. Our frequent in-person programming enables productive spaces to make new connections and learn useful busines
Join us for a hands-on workshop designed for beginner and intermediate sewers. This session, led by Dayle Wilnechenko, will introduce you to the world of industrial sewing. Whether you’re just starting out or have some prior experience, our fle
With this week of sustained sunshine, it finally feels like we have left winter behind! SOARE is excited to take advantage - we have a full programming calendar with back to back in person events for the next 3 weeks! Industrial Sewing, Cyber Insur
Thank you to the 45+ people that came out to our Community BBQ yesterday! A lovely celebration to the change of season, our non-profit growth, and to the Members who make it all possible. See you at the next one! Special shout out to @peakprovisions
A social for social’s sake - come enjoy some delicous food and drink, and meet fellow business and community members here in the S2S. SOARE is dedicated to continue adding value for its Members, and one of those goals is helping people get to
We are steadily growing into the Sea to Sky’s only formal network for Outdoor Recreation Technology businesses. With 12 workshops and 4 socials hosted every year, SOARE offers their Members significant opportunities to network, learn, create, a
SOARE is running full steam ahead with our programming for this summer! We have a bunch of exciting new events in the calendar for both our Members and general community, from a bbq social, to cyber insurance, to building your brand! Check out thes