With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1441359
40 BCBUSINESS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 DARREN HULL to really support a much wider creative sec- tor than we were before," Schneider says. "It feels like we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Morris reflects. "The way we've been able to get through it is pulling together, supporting each other— communication has been key. I think if that can continue, then it's only going to get brighter from here." A S U R E T H I N G Kelowna—consistently ranked in our top 10 for six years in a row—has earned its place among B.C.'s most economically resilient cities time and time again. Strong population growth, high housing starts and one of the province's healthiest unemployment rates were major contribu- tors to its success in this year's ranking. The Okanagan's residential real estate industry was another bright spot, with Kelowna's neighbours of West Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton all joining it among the top 10 performers for residential sales per 10,000 residents. "You can just feel the growth of the city," notes Yeti Farm co-founder and CEO Ramsay. "Looking across the downtown, it's all highrises now, filled up and with people living in them." Kelowna's tech business ecosystem and other development supports, such as the Centre for Arts and Technology, helped attract Ramsay to the city when she decided to launch an animation house with hus- band, Todd. "We had looked at other parts of B.C. to set up a studio, but we landed here after seeing the growth of Disney and the success of the animation school," she says. Regional tax credits offered a further com- petitive edge, she acknowledges. Since then, Ramsay has seen Kelowna and its tech industry boom. "It has grown a lot—faster than anyone could have imag- ined," she says, pointing to development of Kelowna's Innovation Centre, UBC Okana- gan's growth and planned expansion in the downtown core, and high-profile moves such as the recent acquisition of content moderation platform Two Hat Security by Microsoft Corp. "Kelowna, I feel, is really leading the way in growth in the province." Ramsay attributes the local tech sector's meteoric rise to a mix of factors, including an Okanagan lifestyle that attracts and retains talent and a favourable cost of living compared to other areas of the province. The area's solid pool of high-calibre artists, who are busy training the next generation of young talent, is another benefit. While Kelowna's tech industry has contin- ued to flourish—even through the pandemic —the past two years have had their chal- lenges. In particular, working from home has taken some adjustment for Yeti Farm's 100 employees, Ramsay observes. "In some ways, it's nice if staff can find a groove, but [it] can also hinder productivity because there are so many distractions and work hours are less controlled," she says. "We are looking at bringing back a substantial amount of crew soon and adopting a 50/50 hybrid model where more-senior roles can work remotely and junior roles must be in their teams in studio." Workplace challenges aside, Ramsay remains optimistic about the industry's prospects and her city's overall economic outlook. How much so? "Extremely," she says. "We anticipate a large growth curve [in 2022]." Ramsay points to signs that the rest of the city is similarly bullish. "You can sense the busy-ness downtown, and the hustle and bustle [has] definitely ramped up, with more funky restaurants opening and culture and diversity growing." Having a year of relative economic certainty to look forward to is a welcome change for the company, but after the tri- als of the past two years, Ramsay is making the mental health of Yeti Farm's employees her first priority. "Content has never been in higher demand, but we are choosing our projects wisely, focusing on making our intellectual property grow and staying at a sustainable number for the time being," she says. "Our core team is more important to us than growing and quickly rebounding." n DOWN ON THE FARM Kelowna animation studio Yeti Farm Creative has grown with the city's booming tech sector