BCBusiness

bcbusiness.cA August 2015 BCBusiness 41 Networks, to name two—are well-known, Retzla‹ says that a lot of today's hope lies with the startups that "begin with an idea and a laptop. And that's where we come in: forming the collaborative of ideas, development, the pitch to capital and marketing." In two years' time, Accel- erate Okanagan—which has assisted 132 client companies that have raised a total of $16 million in seed capital—will move into a handsome new building nearby, the 100,000-square-foot Okanagan Cen- tre for Innovation, where they will share space with companies such as WTFast, which has monetized a niche by reduc- ing lag times for online gamers. Jason Richards is one of those who has spent most of his working life in Kelow- na's tech sector, ˜rst with Work˜re (sold to Packateer in 2000 for $80 million) and most recently with Vineyard Net- works. In January 2013, Richards and his partners sold Vineyard—a company that allows high-volume data users to speed up the analysis of their information Ÿow— to Procera Networks for $28 million in cash and stock. "Our investors did well, and so did we," says the tall 38-year-old. Richards points to the collegial nature of Kelowna's tech sector as being one of its key draws, noting how the founders of Club Penguin have continued to sup- port their community in the decade fol- lowing the sale to Disney. "I admire Lane Merri˜eld, Lance Priebe and Dave Krysko for recognizing the opportunity and seiz- ing it," Richards says, "but even more so for reinvesting their capital in new projects that have a public bene˜t while providing mentorship for younger entre- preneurs too." Now, while considering his future, Richards is a stay-at-home dad with a young family and a variety of vol- unteer projects; his wife Gilliane follows her reporting career with the CBC. For Richards and many other tech executives, the appeal of Kelowna extends far beyond the region's critical mass of tech companies. It also includes the cultural and lifestyle amenities— everything from the famous wineries, lakes and mountains to downtown Kelow- na's Cultural District—that make the city an attractive place to raise a family. That's certainly what inspired Ken Gordon. The Scotland native moved from Calgary to Kelowna with his wife in 2008 and now serves as the IT business solu- tions lead for QHR Technologies. QHR—a company in the electronic medical ˜eld that supplies paper-free management for physicians—has largely grown through acquisition and currently numbers about 200 employees in its o«ces just east of downtown Kelowna. "Kelowna is full of childhood adventures, and some of the best skiing in the world is 45 minutes from our front door," says the 43-year-old father of two. "We like the arts scene here too. And needless to say, the cost of real estate is ludicrously low compared with Vancouver. So low it warms my chilly Scottish heart." The Road Ahead The challenge for Kelowna is the challenge facing many fast-growing, rapidly chang- ing communities: how to retain a rural charm and heritage quotient while man- aging its big-city growth and prosperity. There are several red Ÿags on the hori- zon. Already, the commercial sprawl of strip malls and big box stores along Highway 97 between the airport and downtown is urban blight writ large; many locals, when picking up visitors at YLW, avoid the highway entirely by bringing their guests into town via the more rural Glenmore route (˜rst impres- sions and all). The growing problem of homelessness downtown is especially noticeable during Kelowna's ˜ve warm- weather months. Although public transit is improving—and as city o«cial Doug Gilchrist points out, "Kelowna has the most dedicated bike lane kilometres per capita in the province"—the city is still far too dependent on cars. And the relent-

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