BCBusiness

SOCIAL CUES SECOND HAND IN STYLE From its home base in Vancouver, online fashion resale marketplace Poshmark Canada is delivering good engagement and great memes on Instagram by Alyssa Hirose Be a Doll Adding brand-related text to a beloved scene from a box- office sensation like Barbie creates a meme that's both funny and marketable: that's Kenough for us. 209 likes 8 comments Super Search The simplest way to get more comments? Ask. This "Your 2024 in 3 Words" word search post encour- aged IG users to comment with the first three words they found. (Just how ac- curate the prediction is hardly matters.) 401 likes 147 comments Icon Behaviour For a fashion-focused platform like Poshmark, partnering with savvy style influencers (like Vancouver local Lydia Okello) is a no-brainer: this collab post put the brand in front of an already interested audience. 11.8k plays 406 likes 16 comments 56 B C B U S I N E S S . C A A P R I L 2 0 24 Fame and the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. But Lawes couldn't help but notice it was heading in the wrong direction: "We were get- ting smaller with fewer teams, and finances were a challenge, so [a group of us] volunteered our time and stepped in to re- ally turn it around. And that's been nice and fulfilling." As president, Lawes handles all the administrative require- ments of Vic West and its teams, from decking out the clubhouse with memorabilia to ensuring that the bills get paid, the maintenance gets done and the fields get booked. In 2023, the club won the regional Jackson Cup for the first time in 34 years, in a dramatic match that ended with penalties. "It was a big celebration for all the alumni and a lot of fun to be part of," Lawes recalls. He also plays with Vic West H2X (the club's over-49 team) as a forward: "My teammates joke that there's no position they can say I play because I like to play them all." Office duties can get in the way of passion, as Lawes often travels for work. But he still tries to show up to every match and insists that it's an exciting time to be CEO: Interchange is evolv- ing and helping more and more manufacturers, retailers and businesses collect and recycle used oil, antifreeze, filters and automotive containers. "We are expanding beyond the current products," Lawes adds—that means being able to recycle different types of containers and figuring out how to give other automotive parts (like tires and car batteries) a second life. "We're also expand- ing beyond B.C. and into other jurisdictions. This year, we hope to get started in the Yukon and we're also working with the U.S." With big shifts and moving parts in the business, time on the field feels more necessary than ever. "I talk about this with my soccer friends and none of them want to let it go because once you stop playing, you'll never get back," says Lawes. "There's a little bit of fitness involved, but there's a whole lot of social. I would call it mental health support, too. You're busy in your work and day jobs and the soccer field can be our fun outlet to burn off some energy and have some laughs." D a v i d L a w e s : L illi e L o ui s e M aj o r JUGGLING ACT David Lawes has been a fixture in Vancouver Island's soccer commu- nity for decades

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