Bonners Ferry Coalition brings people together

BONNERS FERRY — The Coalition: Bonners Ferry Entrepreneurs is a group of individuals who bring local business minded people together to meet, make friends, and network, in order to assist each other and develop the economy in Boundary County.

Brought to fruition by co-founder Tim Garcia with his wife Shontel, the Coalition brings people with businesses — existing, in the planning stage, and those who have a business idea fulfilling a need in the area — together in order for everyone to work together and encourage one another to meet the needs of the community.

Business men and women came together on April 9 at The Plaza Downtown for their second gathering. Everyone attending was given refreshments and the chance to introduce themselves and their businesses, and then they were free to talk and network.

“There’s tons of independent-minded people up here, hiding in the woods, doing their own thing locally or via the internet. The mission of The Coalition is to build a community around entrepreneurship, and see how we, with all our varying skill sets, can help each other,” Garcia said.

A common phrase is ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ and that is relevant in the entrepreneur’s growth because having the connection of knowing other business minded people in the area not only expands the customer base, but allows people to help each other increase the size of their businesses.

Having that solid network of people, not only is encouraging to a business owner, but it opens the door for people to give advice, introduce friends and acquaintances, provide opportunities, a boost in confidence, and give an all around positive influence in order to help local business minded people succeed.

“My passion for entrepreneurship, and probably my own personal agenda to meet and network with other like minded people up here, led me to lead this type of group,” said Garcia. “Community is so important.”

The Coalition doesn’t require a membership, but provides an open door for people to connect and learn from and about one another.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition go hand in hand when it comes to local businesses and business minded people. The Chamber provides a new business owner with assistance in networking, finding locations, upcoming ideas, and much more.

“The Coalition is more focused on helping individuals, ideas, and startups, especially those wanting to utilize technology and/or the internet,” said Garcia. “I think The Chamber of Commerce and The Coalition really compliment each other. If you’re a Chamber member, and you’ve got a passion for helping other businesses, you should definitely get involved with The Coalition too.”

Garcia began his career working for a company as a talent buyer and concert producer in southern California, producing concerts for many artists including T-Pain and Miley Cyrus. After gaining a feel for the music industry, Garcia began branching out on his own with music and technology ventures, having both good and bad outcomes.

“All great learning opportunities,” said Garcia.

About a year ago, Garcia and his family moved to Bonners Ferry from Los Angeles and they are now working in E-Commerce with the focus on the outdoor industry, as they own a few brands of camping and survival products under the name of Modern Outdoor Life LLC, and they are continuing to look for a building to occupy with their products.

“With internet access, and this beautiful backdrop, we feel there’s no better place to continue growing our businesses,” said Garcia.

With the second meeting of the Coalition at the Plaza Downtown, there were more attendees than the first meet and greet, which makes the gatherings increasingly productive.

“If you’re a local business owner, or simply an individual interested in entrepreneurship, you should definitely attend,” said Garcia.

“The opportunities are much different now than they were 20 years ago. In terms of accessibility, the world is much smaller,” said Garcia. “With the internet, you can have a thriving business, just about anywhere, which inadvertently, creates new local opportunities as well. While we absolutely want to maintain everything that makes Bonners Ferry great, I think there’s also a ton of economic opportunities here as well. If starting a business feels overwhelming, there’s plenty of awesome people within The Coalition that would love to offer you support in your new venture.”

With people in the community working together, the room for growth is endless, and getting to know community members of any profession and hobby, allows Bonners Ferry to grow, not only business wise, but friendships as well.

The next meeting will be held in June; further information will be available on their Facebook group site at The Coalition/ Bonners Ferry Entrepreneurs.