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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1388249
ON THE RADAR ( the informer ) KARI MEDIG M echanical engineer and outdoor gear designer Cam Shute quit an industry job and went freelance two winters ago, just as the coronavirus pandemic was poised to send the global economy into hibernation. After spending 18 years with Vancouver-based ski and winter gear company G3, the last four as director of product responsible for conception, development and innovation, Shute was ready for a new challenge. He also didn't enjoy frequent commuting between his place in Nelson and G3's HQ in Burnaby. "I was tired of thinking about the same problems," Shute says of his decision to launch Dark Horse Innovations out of his Nelson home studio. In hindsight, what might have looked like bad timing was serendipitous. Shute pulled his career 180 at roughly the same time that COVID-19 trig- gered a huge uptick in outdoor recreation, as demonstrated by record sales in 2020 for B.C.- born mountain bike makers like Rocky Mountain (see p.31) and Norco. The pandemic was also normalizing remote work as management dimmed the office lights and sent staff home. Adventureland Can the Kootenays become a hub for outdoor gear designers and makers? Nonprofit KORE is angling to make that happen by Andrew Findlay M A N U FAC T U R I NG JULY/AUGUST 2021 BCBUSINESS 23 UP FOR THE BAIT Cam Shute launched a design company out of his Nelson studio GEARING UP $2.2 billion Projected revenue from Canada's sports and outdoor recreation segment in 2021 g 7.42% Estimated annual growth rate through 2025, when the market could reach $2.9 billion SOURCES: STATISTA, BC ALLIANCE FOR MANUFACTURING, NPD GROUP, REPORTLINKER Then March 2020 saw the launch of KORE (the Koo- tenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise Initiative), a non- profit aimed at supporting the growth of the Kootenays as a hub for outdoor gear design and boutique manu- facturing. "We knew there were people out there doing interesting things, but we were blown away by how many," says Kevin Pennock, KORE's Kimberley-based project manager. Shaking the trees, Pen- nock discovered more than 30 ski shapers, design en- gineers, apparel specialists and other entrepreneurs in the outdoor gear sector, many of them unaware of each other. KORE's diverse membership now includes Shute, who since leaving G3 has collaborated on a host 4 Apparel's estimated rank among B.C. manufacturing sectors, after food and beverage processing, value- added wood and paper manufacturing COVID-19 triggered a huge jump in outdoor sports equipment sales in North America, according to market research firm NPD Group Cycling Paddle sports Q 51% Bird watching/ Nature sightings Camping Q 56% Q 63% Golf Q 31% Q 22% YOY INCREASE, June 2020 6.68% Estimated compound annual growth rate for the camping equipment market in North America through 2026