Board of Directors
Peter Bourke
President
With over 20 years of senior management experience throughout tourism, hospitality and customer service sectors, Pete is a culture focused leader with a coach approach mindset.
He understands the value of enhancing managers and business leaders with the tools to succeed. Having owned his own business in Invermere and worked in senior roles with some of the larger employers in the region, Pete has a firsthand appreciation for what it takes to be successful in the Columbia Valley.
Pete places high importance on building a sense of community and giving back to others, as evidenced through his continued commitments to non-profit organizations.
An alumnus of Royal Roads University, he holds a Graduate Executive Coaching Certificate and is EQ-i2.0 & EQ360 certified for Emotional Intelligence. Pete is also currently challenging for his Associate Certified Coach credential through the ICF and undertaking his Masters in Business Administration.
Pete calls Invermere home where he lives with his two teenage children.
Adrian Bergles
Vice President
Originally hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Adrian and his wife Stephanie have lived in the Columbia Valley since 2005. Over that time Adrian and his family — which includes a daughter and a son — have rented, owned, rented, and owned property again… With a background in journalism and communications, Adrian has worked in local government, Indigenous and municipal, in progressively senior roles for over 15 years – the last five spent as a chief administrative officer. He brings experience in municipal processes, regulations, and approvals – including as approving officer for the Village of Radium Hot Springs. Adrian has served on the board of the Columbia Valley Housing Society since its inception and is at present its vice president.
Richard Haworth
Treasurer
Richard Haworth is owner of Haworth Development Consulting Ltd., which provides land use planning and land use approval services throughout the Kootenay region. Richard has been providing consulting services related to land use planning and entitlements for over 25 years with boutique planning firms based in Vancouver, Calgary and Invermere.
His experience includes President of the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the BC Property Assessment Review Panel (Golden/Invermere), Member of the Regional District of East Kootenay Board of Variance and as a member of the steering committee for the Columbia Headwaters Community Forest.
Gerry Taft
Director
Gerry was born and raised in and around Invermere; he left for college and returned two years later after completing a diploma in hospitality management (and after realizing that this was a special area and where he wanted to live). Gerry has been working as a full time REALTOR® for the last five years, and is currently serving as a town councillor for the District of Invermere (he has been on Invermere council for the last twenty years in various capacities).
Gerry was previously the Mayor of Invermere and Director with Regional District of East Kootenay (2008 – 2018) and a director at large for the Union of BC Municipalities, he also used to own and operate a local coffee & gelato shop (founder of Stolen Church Coffee). Gerry is also a real estate investor with a number of long term rentals and he is currently doing a small land development north of Edgewater.
Gerry brings a blend of hands-on experience and unique perspectives in local government, land use planning, real estate, long term rentals, and mixes it all together with a dose of local history and a practical approach to getting things accomplished. Gerry is proud to be raising his own young family in Invermere, including kids aged 5 & 8.
Jeff Martin
Director
Jeff is a lawyer based in Invermere, BC, and who serves the Columbia Valley region. In his legal practice, Jeff advises clients primarily on residential and commercial real estate transactions, business transactions and finance, including construction finance.
Jeff was born and raised in the East Kootenays. He spent several years in Asia working for international law firms, advising clients on cross-border finance and direct investment transactions. One notable transaction was providing local counsel advice to a syndicate of lenders on the first major telecom infrastructure rollout in Myanmar (Burma), which included a combined loan facility of US$250 million.
In 2018, Jeff returned to the Kootenays, where he lives with his family.
Ben Green
Director
Ben Green is the Managing Broker of Green Door Property Management and co-owner at Fairmont Creek Vacation Rentals. Green Door Property Management is a licensed Real Estate Brokerage specializing in the long-term rental market which has serviced the Columbia valley for over 10 years. Fairmont Creek has been providing short term rental management services in Fairmont Hot Springs for over 20 years, Ben and Becky completed a MBO in 2019.
Having met and finished a BA in Events Management at Leeds Metropolitan University in England, Ben and Becky landed in the valley with backpacks and snowboards in 2004. They have called the Columbia valley their permanent home since 2007. They love adventuring in the Valley with their 2 children, and Ben’s perfect day out requires only a fly rod and a river.
Ben Green has worked as a professional property manager at the forefront of rental housing in the Columbia valley for over a decade. He has extensive knowledge and experience in both the long- and short-term rental markets and is pleased to serve as a Director to the Columbia Valley Housing Society.
Kyla Lam
Director
Kyla is the Founder and Principal at Aspire Professional Corp, a boutique CPA firm in Invermere. Aspire provides audit, accounting, tax and cloud-based bookkeeping services to local and remote clients.
After growing up in northern BC, Kyla earned double degrees in Environmental Science and Commerce at the University of Alberta. She attained the Chartered Accountant designation in 2009, articling with a national firm. Her career has included accounting & finance roles in both public practice and industry, founding and growing two businesses as well as being an educator and not for profit volunteer and leader.
Kyla is passionate about families, businesses and communities. In addition to her role with the CVCC, she is a CPA Canada Financial Literacy volunteer and Chair of the CV Housing Society and EMP Parent Advisory Council. In her leisure time, Kyla, her husband & their son are avid outdoorspeople.