58 INVEST in BC 2 0 2 4
F O R T S T . J O H N
HOMESTEADER
HEALTH FOODS
Trish and Steve Brousson were
always interested in healthy living,
but they had no idea how this
passion would change their lives,
until a small health food business
came up for sale in Fort St. John
in 1989.
They couldn't resist.
Fort St. John offered everything
they wanted—affordable rents,
reasonable taxes and a strong
community. "A big advantage
of doing business in a tight-knit
community is, you get to know
your customers," Trish says. "That
means your customers are also
your friends."
The couple truly learned about
community in 1998, after they lost
the store in a fire. Within five days,
the community had come together
to help set up a new location,
where the store operated for the
next 15 years.
Today, the store brings whole-
some food and supplements to its
four locations in BC and Alberta.
"Living in a smaller community,
there's always so much more,"
Trish says.
COBS BREAD BAKERY
Hardik Patel moved to Fort St.
John from India in 2013 to continue
his education and settle down in
Canada. He finished a diploma
in Business Management from
Northern Lights College and
set his sights on a business
opportunity—COBS Bread Bakery.
He loved that the fresh bread
franchise donates its leftovers to
charities and food banks. "I was a
customer before and always loved
COBS products," Patel says. "We
decided to invest our time, money
and life in Fort St. John."
He and his wife opened the
bakery in 2020 after researching
the economic advantages of Fort
St. John—affordability, abundant
real estate options and friendly,
helpful landlords.
Community support was
instrumental to the bakery's
success while navigating the
challenges of opening during the
pandemic. Customers visited every
day while patiently following the
pandemic's safety guidelines—
sometimes waiting in -40 degree
Celsius cold!
PIMM'S PRODUCTION
EQUIPMENT,
INSTRUMENTATION,
ELECTRICAL
Ted Primm, general manager of
Pimm's Production Equipment,
Instrumentation, Electrical, has
felt connected to Fort St. John his
entire life. The family business was
founded there in 1980, and three
generations later, it is still providing
for the oil and gas industry from
northern BC to western Alberta.
Thanks to endless possibilities
in the Peace River region, the
business has expanded its services
to include telecommunications,
IT, computer communication
equipment, air compressors,
millwrighting and more.
"Economically, the city has
been a boon for the company,
and geographically, it has been
well-positioned to thrive in multiple
industries," Primm says.
The company's multigenera-
tional success has allowed it to
stay agile and branch out to other
industries.
"We didn't choose Fort St, John,"
Primm says. "It chose us."
POWERING POSSIBILITY
Fort St. John is well-known as
a Peace River Region hub and
an area of progress, growth and
opportunity.
Ready to discover yours?
Visit | fortstjohn.ca
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ENTREPRENEURS CALL FORT ST. JOHN HOME FOR
THE AFFORDABILITY, ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY
Fort St John.indd 1 Fort St John.indd 1 2024-07-18 10:53 AM 2024-07-18 10:53 AM
Official Publication of the BC Economic Development Association in special partnership with BCBusiness.
