About us
Welcome friends,
We the Board of Directors are thrilled that you are here.
SOARE was founded on the idea that we are Better Together, and through our goals of Meet, Make, and Advocate, we can build an even stronger outdoor economy right here at home.
Doing new things is hard, and SOARE will be no different; this society is not only new to us, but it is new to the S2S corridor as a whole. There’s going to be some steep trails to climb, uncertainty when the runouts get a bit long, and rocks and roots that look a bit too tumultuous to roll over. However, we are very much looking forward to the inspiring vistas up top, the rush and thrill when hitting that hold, and feeling of flow when the trees fly past you.
Let’s build something exciting, together.
Because together, the sky’s the limit!
There’s more than one route up the wall
In 2020, the District of Squamish endorsed its Emerging Sector Action Plan, with a focus on developing outdoor recreation. The goal - bolster the Outdoor Industry here in Squamsh and the Sea to Sky Corridor as a whole. The plan - create an on the ground organization that can work with local businesses and emerging organizations to support their growth and progress in the recreation technology sector. That was the thesis behind SOARE, and the starting point for us as a non-profit organization.
In the 3 years that followed, SOARE has been quietly working in the background, gathering funding, rallying support, and putting together an outstanding team of staff and advisors to spearhead this project. We are excited to bring this non-profit out into the light, and to the nearly 400 businesses and organizations in the S2S that form its thriving and continually growing Outdoor Industry. We hope that you will join us in this adventure, and help contribute to a more meaningful model of business.
Meet. Make. Advocate.
Board of Directors
Jack is the Creative Director and Founder of Skeleton Crew, a brand and communications agency in the Sea to Sky corridor. As a keen mountain biker and snowboarder, his career in the creative industry has led him to work with, and foster a range of outdoor businesses and brands of all sizes.
Jack Finn
Hamish is a sales manager and mediocre mountain biker, who is passionate about collaboration and outdoor products. Originally from New Zealand, Hamish now calls Squamish home, and is always trying to prioritize time outside with his wife and daughters.
Hamish Elliott
An avid skier and mountain biker, Josh is passionate about product-led business in the outdoor industry. In 2016, he co-founded gogglesoc, a brand that manufactures accessories from eco-conscious materials. The company has sold over two-million products and repurposed over 650K post-consumer plastic bottles in the process.
Josh Gray
Steph is a strategic advisor with over twenty years of experience in executive recruitment, talent strategy, and leadership development. As an early hire at Lululemon and then the Founder of The Corker Collective, she has supported founders and executives to build high-performing teams, strong cultures, and sustainable organizations with great heart.
Steph Corker
Previous Staff & BoD
SOARE would not exist without people; below are the humans who have helped build, shape, and form the non-profit into what it is today. We are forever grateful for their effort.
JoJo Das was the Executive Director of SOARE from 2023 to 2026. In these years, under his leadership and guidance, SOARE grew from an idea into a fully fledged and operating non-profit, significantly changing the outdoor recreation business landscape in the Sea to Sky Corridor.
With 29 unique programs hosted, 36 SME’s assisted, 12 new jobs created, and over $500K in revenue growth for its Members, SOARE continues to operate in the heart of Squamish. With a 24-7 humming innovation center servicing a dedicated cohort of makers and entrepreneurs, JoJo’s impact and effort lives on in the successes and growth of SOARE’s current and future Members.
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Below are the previous Board of Directors - all of whom brought niche and incredibly useful insight and knowledge during their board terms. Thank you for sharing with the organization the most valuable resource there is: your time.
Kieran Hale
Kate Mulligan
James Morris
Jen Stone
Angus Naismith
James Friedrich
Deanna Dougan
Dustin Adams
