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About WKEDC

West Kelowna’s economic development corporation: owned by the City, guided by a board of local business leaders, and here to help businesses start, stay and grow.

Who we are

The West Kelowna Economic Development Corporation is a municipal corporation wholly owned by the City of West Kelowna. It was created as one of Council’s strategic priorities, under the pillar Pursue Economic Growth and Prosperity.

We work with local businesses, investors, First Nations, non-profits, educational institutions and all levels of government. When we can’t answer a question ourselves, we connect you with someone who can.

What the City asked us to do

Retain and expand businesses Attract investment Encourage innovation Promote tourism and events Support workforce development

Our mandate

To advance economic development strategies and to foster a vibrant, resilient, and prosperous community.

City of West Kelowna, 2025

Our focus

Deep Roots. Smart Growth. Invest West.

We start with the businesses already here, help them grow, and attract the people, projects and partnerships that will shape West Kelowna’s future.

Our strategic plan

Our mission, vision and values are being set with the Board as part of our first strategic plan, to guide our work to 2030.

Have your say in the survey
March 2025 Incorporated as a municipal corporation of the City BC Registries, 2025
November 2025 Inaugural Board of Directors appointed City of West Kelowna, 2025
February 2026 Our first Chief Executive Officer starts City of West Kelowna, 2026

Board of Directors

Five local business leaders guide WKEDC, joined by a City Councillor and the City’s Chief Administrative Officer as non-voting members.

Interested in joining the Board?

Collin Crabbe

Chair

Peter Balazsy

Director

Rick Maddison

Director

Joanna Schlosser

Director

Matthew Whitt

Director

Tasha Da Silva

Councillor, City of West Kelowna

Non-voting member

Ron Bowles

Chief Administrative Officer, City of West Kelowna

Non-voting member

Our team

Portrait of Ryan Malcolm

Ryan Malcolm

Chief Executive Officer

Ryan joined WKEDC as its first Chief Executive Officer on February 23, 2026. He brings more than 24 years of leadership in economic development, real estate and community engagement across Indigenous, municipal and private-sector organizations.

He served as CEO of Ntityix, the economic development arm of Westbank First Nation, overseeing real estate, property management, forestry and residential construction. He then worked with the Emil Anderson group of companies, first as Director, Development at Emil Anderson Properties and then as Director of Business Development and Indigenous Relationships. Earlier in his career, he spent ten years with the District of North Vancouver as Manager, Real Estate and Properties.

Ryan holds a BA and an Urban Studies Certificate from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma in Marketing Management (Commercial Real Estate) from BCIT. He is the 2027 Chair of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission (COEDC) Advisory Committee, and has served two terms on the board of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and one term on the Board of the Association of Interior REALTORS®.

Ryan on LinkedIn

Interested in becoming a Director?

We’d like to hear from business and community leaders who want to help guide West Kelowna’s economic future.

Tell us about your background and why you’re interested. We’ll be in touch about openings and next steps.

We use your details only to consider your application. See our Privacy Policy.

Common questions

We help businesses of every size start, stay and grow in West Kelowna, and we work to attract new investment: sites and listings, community data, guidance on where to start, and introductions to landowners, funders and partners. When we can’t answer a question ourselves, we connect you with someone who can.

The Board is setting our mission, vision and values as part of WKEDC’s first strategic plan, which will guide our work to 2030. Until they are adopted, our mandate from the City guides us: to advance economic development strategies and to foster a vibrant, resilient, and prosperous community.

WKEDC is a separate corporation that the City of West Kelowna wholly owns. It has its own board of local business leaders, with a City Councillor and the City’s Chief Administrative Officer as non-voting members.

Five local business leaders, chaired by Collin Crabbe, with a City Councillor and the City’s Chief Administrative Officer as non-voting members. City Council appointed the inaugural Board in November 2025.

Fill in the application form on this page. Tell us about your background and why you’re interested, and we’ll be in touch about openings and next steps.

Take the community survey on Engage West Kelowna before December 21, 2026. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and responses are anonymous. Business owners get a few extra questions about their operations, workforce and plans to grow.

Send us a message through our Contact page, or email us. Tell us where your business is today and what you want to do next, and we’ll point you to the right programs, advisors and next steps.

Have a question about your business? Send us a message and we’ll point you to the right people.

Contact us