The Chims Motel has received yet another accolade.
The latest recognition comes in the form of being selected as the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Business Investment recipient.
Chims Motel, which launched as an operation in 2016 with one guesthouse, now consists of six modernized cabins.
Tseshaht First Nation member Naomi Nicholson is the general manager of the facility. She owns and operates the motel with her husband Ed.
Chims Motel was honoured during the local chamber of commerce’s Business Excellence Awards ceremony held on Nov. 29.
Naomi Nicholson said winning the Business Investment award was rather meaningful because two weeks earlier the couple had invested $50,000 in a pair of generators in preparation for the bomb cyclone weather warning in the area.
“I bought them to make sure that my tiny homes were okay,” she said. “You didn’t really focus on the fact that you’re going to have medically fragile elders who literally just got out of the hospital and they were 80 pounds soaking wet. Or people stranded from Ontario that have never been in storms like this and they’re panicked but they feel safe because they’re at your place and they have power.”
Nicholson said it felt a bit different originally being nominated for the award.
“But then when you see the human aspect of what accommodations is, then you realize, wow, we really did invest in something that’s going to make a difference,” she said.
Nicholson said funding for the second generator was provided via a grant from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
“We applied for their grant and we made that choice to take that money for the generator just because with the tiny homes if anything happens to them, I can’t just cut drywall, fix that burst pipe and put that drywall back together because everything is sprayed foamed,” she said. “There is that limitation. We really made that massive financial choice to protect the assets.”
Nicholson said in the company’s original business plan there was never any discussions on buying generators.
“It wasn’t until we got into the business that you realized weather is changing and I’m liable for stuff,” she said. “So yeah, this award means something a little bit different now we realized the impact we can truly have on our community with this investment.”
Jolleen Dick, the chief executive officer of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, praised the Nicholson’ recent efforts.
“Their dedication to expanding accommodations and investing in critical infrastructure, like generators, has not only provided essential support during recent storm outages but has also strengthened the community by increasing the availability of quality accommodations in the region,” Dick said.
Dick added she felt Chims Motel was indeed a worthy award recipient.
“The Nicholsons’ vision and commitment to growth embody the spirit of resilience and innovation, making this recognition truly well-deserved,” she said.
Naomi Nicholson had previously been recognized by the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2018. That year she was named as the winner of its Women of Influence Award.
Meanwhile, her husband said being a small business owner takes up a good chunk of one’s life.
“When you own a small business, it becomes part of your life,” he said. “It’s not just a financial investment. A lot of your time, a lot of your thoughts, a lot of your efforts go into the thing. And basically, if you talk to a small business owner, the business becomes their life. It’s what they do. It’s what they think and breathe every day.”
That’s why he was pleased to see Chims Motel honoured by the local chamber of commerce.
“This award is more of a recognition of our efforts in our life over the last six years more than anything,” he said. “It’s nice when you put that much work forward and that much effort forward and just to be recognized.”
He added the couple still have to work rather hard promoting their business.
“Getting our name out there that is always the hardest part,” he said. “Because we live in Port Alberni a lot of our advertisement is in Port Alberni but people here don’t stay here. We have to get our name out there further and further to the people coming in.
“So, I think one of the big steps we have to take now that we’re established is to get our name out there and get known, get that word of mouth.”
Chims Motel had also received some other recognition in recent years.
For starters, it was a finalist for the Commercial Building Award in 2021 presented by the Business Examiner, which publishes various business publications in B.C.
Then, the following year, Chims was chosen as the Business Examiner’s Hospitality and Tourism Business of the Year.
And then in 2023, Chims captured the Business Examiner’s Commercial Building Award.
