Squamish.com : What’s the Deal?

Squamish.com : What’s the Deal?
Amid laughter and jokes, the three partners each pull up a chair and settle in. They’re enlivened, prepared to share their story—the story of a new enterprise. Scott, bubbling with ideas, cracks open his laptop, Colleen sits tall, ready to expound, and Christian opens the mini-fridge for a beverage. It takes a while for the banter to subside and for the three of them to begin.

Like Squamish these days, Squamish.com is growing and reaching in new directions. It officially launched on July 30 and is an evolving work. Scott McQuade, Christian Thomson and Colleen Myers explain how they’ve arrived at this place and where they plan on heading next.

What’s the Deal, Anyway?

“The magic of Squamish is that’s it’s not just one thing or group of people. It’s all of the above; First Nations, adventure, logging, tourism, arts, young families, and original locals. Squamish is a community, a dynamic population with many layers and facets. The thing that connects them all is the strong sense of place. It’s worth celebrating.”, explains Colleen. Squamish.com’s mission is to create a space online to collect the stories and ideas that connect this community to this place.

“There is a context for what has made this a world class community. It’s only when you put the pieces together, can you see the big picture. Squamish.com wants to put the pieces together.”, she continues.

Who’s Behind Squamish.com?

Scott McQuade- No Other Domain Would Do

Scott McQuade was residing in Whistler and deep into the world of internet marketing for Whistler hotels. He ran across the then vacant domain Squamish.com and knew the potential. But it took him almost two decades to acquire it. Correspondence with the broker who held it was stagnant for many years, but Scott persisted.

When Scott and his family moved from Whistler to Squamish, he launched new businesses, Hotel Squamish and Scotties Liquor Store. Scott maintained his interest in the domain; he continued his pursuit of Squamish.com until one day in February 2016, when a deal was struck.

“I didn’t really feel like I wanted to do it unless I could get the premium domain. I didn’t want squamishonline.com, squamish.rocks, or something like that,” he says.

Scott has been trying to get the domain for so long, he wasn’t ready to have actually landed it.

“I was like holy sh*t, now what am going to do with it?”

Christian Thomson- Surfing On and Offline

Scott knew he would need partners. The day he acquired Squamish.com, he called up Christian Thomson, who currently owns Marwick Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Squamish. Christian was excited to get on board and add his expertise to the project. Christian is a digital maven these days, but that wasn’t always the case. He was previously a professional surfer.

While he was globe-trotting and slashing waves, Christian knew that he would find his way to another vocation eventually.

“I knew one day I would have to get a proper job,” he says. Working with international brands and being on the cusp of social media and digital marketing early in his surf career, marketing was the logical next step.He went on to start ErrantSurf, a surf-specialized travel agency, and then in 2012, he moved from the UK to Langley with his partner, three kids, a dog.The absence of wind and waves in Langley led Christian and the gang to move to Squamish.

United on Squamish.com, Scott and Christian jumped into building the site. There were ideas and iterations from the start. Some were acted upon, some were abandoned. Their quest was to create a site worthy of the domain they had acquired. Upon starting out, they began to discover the scale of the project on which they had embarked.

“We worked together for a couple of weeks and we began to quickly realise that we both had full-time commitments already and we didn’t have the time we would need,” says Christian.

Colleen Myers- The Last Piece

Meanwhile, Colleen Myers was looking for her next business venture. She had previously built two successful businesses in Squamish, Zephyr Cafe and The Hive. She had set her sights on starting her next business online.

Owning two storefronts allowed her to meet and connect with many different people in the community. She wanted to create a space online where people could get to know the community as intricately as she had. “I wanted to start an online culture magazine--not called Squamish.com though, because you can’t dream that kind of name up.” Her first step was to go back to school, and digital communications was the choice.

When she caught wind of the venture Scott and Christian were cooking up, she approached them with her idea. Connecting the people and stories from around town was the missing link.

The three of them began to refine the plan and the initial vision held by Scott and Christian was overhauled.

“At first we had more of a male, mechanical thing, with flashing banners,” laughs Christian. Colleen’s love of design and aesthetic rounded out the team. Christian adds, “When I read Squamish.com, I’m not reading regurgitated press releases; I’m reading cool stories about what makes the businesses, the community, the arts and the culture in the town come to life. For me it’s the people behind the stories, and that’s what makes it interesting to read.”

Started Up

With the immediate plan settled, the three began the journey of their new enterprise. Colleen bringing the brand vision and startup savvy, Scott and Christian providing their knowledge in advertising and digital marketing.

Any new business is a lot of work, and Squamish.com wasn’t immune to the hiccups of launching. But the three have settled in and things are moving. A couple dozen contributors are rolling out content ranging from Q&A with Sea to Sky’s badass mountain biker, Miranda Miller, to historic snippets like when the Highway opened in 1958, to learning traditional knowledge with Squamish Nation’s Tsawaysia Spukwus.

For now, Scott, Christian and Colleen are busy making the space to bring together these interesting Squamish stories, so contributors armed with creativity and a unique perspective can begin to use this digital medium.

“We have a lot of dreams and a lot of visions of what we want to do,” says Colleen.

“The foundation is being built, and once we get our feet under us, then we can start doing the fun stuff.”

Squamish.com is the new media force in town. You have probably already run across it in your travels online, and if you haven’t, you may want to go take a gander.