Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce

What Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce does

The Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit membership organization founded in 1946 and headquartered at 1995 6th Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. It serves local businesses, professionals, and community members in Castlegar and District through advocacy, networking, visitor services, and business resources. Its core operational products are a tiered Chamber membership program, the Member 2 Member discount card program running annually from September 1 to August 31, an online Business Directory, advertising panels at Hwy 3 West and Hwy 3A visitor-information pullouts ($100/year for 2'x2' panels and $250/year for 2'x4' panels), the annual Business Excellence Awards ceremony (with $60 attendee tickets), and the annual West Kootenay Trade Show. The organization is run by a six-person staff team — Executive Director Tammy Verigin-Burk, Membership Manager and Confluence Booking Coordinator Ashley Costa, Visitor Centre Manager Diana Quisobony, Marketing Coordinator Andrea Ryman, Business Retention Advisor Christina Allen, and Bookkeeper Cym Lamont — supported by a 13-member volunteer Board of Directors for the 2025/2026 term chaired by President Jo-Ann Bursey.

The Chamber's revenue model is a mix of recurring subscription streams (annual membership dues, recurring annual advertising panel leases) and transactional event revenue (Business Awards ticket sales and sponsorship, Trade Show vendor booth fees). It has no proprietary technology platform; operations are supported by standard business systems and a website maintained by Genex Marketing on AWS S3. Its most significant forward initiative is The Confluence, a $8.7 million, 8,300-square-foot multi-use building developed in partnership with the Regional District of Castlegar Areas I and J to host events, support tourism, and serve as a community economic-development hub. The Chamber also acts as a coordinator for inbound tourism through its Visitor Centre and highway signage, and it partners with the BC Chamber of Commerce to deliver the Member Advantage Program (health insurance, merchant processing, payroll, and travel discounts).

The Chamber operates entirely within the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, with no global footprint, and is governed as an independent nonprofit by its elected board. Strategic partnerships include Destination Castlegar for co-marketing, Selkirk College as a venue partner for the Business Awards, and a broad roster of local business sponsors across the awards program. As a small, volunteer-driven nonprofit, the Chamber is not a target for PE/VC investment; rather, it functions as a regional economic-development intermediary whose principal asset under development is physical community infrastructure rather than a scalable software or financial product.

Name

Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce

Legal name

Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://chamber.castlegar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce is a 1946-founded nonprofit in Castlegar, British Columbia that serves local businesses and the West Kootenay community through membership programs, advocacy, visitor services, advertising signage, and annual events including the Business Excellence Awards and West Kootenay Trade Show.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Castlegar

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from local businesses and organizations in Castlegar and District. Members receive benefits including the Member 2 Member discount program, access to BC Chamber Member Advantage Program, and inclusion in the business directory.
2. Visitor Information Sign Advertising: Advertising panel spaces at Highway pullout areas (Hwy 3 West and Hwy 3A) leased on annual contractual basis. Panels include a city map and showcase local businesses including lodging, dining, attractions, and services.
3. Business Excellence Awards: Annual awards event generating revenue through ticket sales and sponsorship. The 2019 event was priced at $60.00 per attendee. Multiple award categories are sponsored by local businesses.
4. West Kootenay Trade Show: Annual trade show generating revenue through vendor booth fees and exhibitor applications. Early bird rates available for registrations paid by January 15, 2026.
5. The Confluence Building: Multi-use building project at $8.7 million, 8,300 square feet. Revenue through donations for the building project and ongoing facility bookings managed by the Membership Manager & Confluence Booking Coordinator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit membership-based business association that advocates for local businesses, runs networking and recognition programs, operates the regional Visitor Information Centre, and provides advertising and event services including the annual Business Excellence Awards and West Kootenay Trade Show. It also leads The Confluence, a new $8.7 million multi-use community building project.

Product overview

Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce operates as a membership-based organization offering a portfolio of programs and services. Its core offerings include Chamber membership services (networking, benefits, and advocacy), the Member 2 Member (M2M) Discount Program (a discount card system for member-to-member discounts), a Business Directory, the annual Business Excellence Awards, the West Kootenay Trade Show, an Event Calendar, and Visitor Information Signs advertising. The Chamber also supports The Confluence, an $8.7 million multi-use building initiative. These products function as standalone programs rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership Services
• Member 2 Member (M2M) Discount Program

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• BC Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BC Chamber of Commerce Member Advantage Program provides Chamber members with access to exclusive benefits including customized health insurance, merchant processing, online marketing, payroll solutions, and discounted office supplies. Members also receive travel and hospitality discounts including reduced hotel and car rental rates and savings on fuel and fleet costs.
• Regional District of Castlegar Areas I and JcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Confluence building project, a new $8.7 million multi-use building serving the broader regional community. The Confluence is designed to foster economic growth, boost tourism, and support local businesses.
• Destination CastlegarmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-branded logo partner for tourism promotion. Destination Castlegar is the regional destination marketing organization working in conjunction with the Chamber for visitor attraction.
• Selkirk CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Business Excellence Awards events (301 Frank Beinder Way, Castlegar). Educational institution serving the community with potential for student business programs and workforce development.
• Local Business SponsorsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner15+ local businesses sponsoring Business Excellence Awards categories including Kalawsky Auto Group, Ernie's Used Auto Parts, Kootenay Career Development Society, Nupqu Resource Limited Partnership, Mercer Celgar, Teck Trail Operations, Sandman Hotel, Assante Wealth Management, StellerVista Credit Union, Bill's Heavy Duty Enterprises Ltd, Trowelex Rentals & Sales, FortisBC, Doane Grant Thornton LLP, and City of Castlegar.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Chamber of Commerce: National federation of Canadian chambers and business associations. The ultimate umbrella for Castlegar through BC Chamber membership, offering national policy advocacy and program resources at a much broader scope.
• Vancouver Board of Trade: Large incumbent business association in British Columbia providing membership, advocacy, and networking services. Offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a much broader portfolio serving a major metropolitan market rather than Castlegar's small-community niche.
• BC Chamber of Commerce: Provincial umbrella organization of which Castlegar is a member. Provides the Member Advantage Program and policy advocacy framework that smaller BC chambers plug into; operates at broader provincial scope rather than local niche.

Regional players

• Destination Castlegar: Co-branded regional destination marketing organization already working in conjunction with the Castlegar Chamber. Closely adjacent in mission (visitor attraction and tourism promotion) but operating as the dedicated DMO rather than as the broader business chamber.
• Tourism Kelowna: Regional destination marketing organization in BC's interior. Adjacent to Castlegar's visitor-services function but operating as a dedicated tourism-marketing body rather than as the broader business chamber.

Direct peers

• Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce: Mid-sized BC chamber of commerce serving the Abbotsford region. Comparable mid-provincial scale with the same membership-advocacy-networking-event model, useful as a scaling-stage benchmark for Castlegar.
• Kamloops Chamber of Commerce: BC interior regional chamber of commerce serving the Kamloops area. Comparable structure and mission — membership-based business advocacy, networking events, and visitor-information services — for a mid-sized interior BC market.
• Kelowna Chamber of Commerce: A larger BC interior chamber serving the Kelowna region. Operates the same core model — membership programs, advocacy, visitor services, and business events — at a meaningfully larger scale, illustrating the growth archetype for Castlegar.
• Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce: Direct peer operating in the neighboring West Kootenay community of Nelson, BC. Offers the same core membership, advocacy, visitor-services, and business-directory model serving a similarly-sized small-town economy in the same region.
• Trail & District Chamber of Commerce: Direct peer in Trail, BC — the other principal West Kootenay community adjacent to Castlegar. Provides the same small-city BC chamber functions including membership, visitor information, and local business advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce