Recipients of Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce Business and Ambassador Awards Greg Van Tighem and Nathan D'Heer represent the innovative and community-oriented spirit of Jasper. Their thoughts on taking home awards Oct. 18 offer perspective on that spirit.
Greg Van Tighem: Outstanding Community Ambassador and Ambassador fo the Year
Greg Van Tighem racked up some serious聽hardware Oct. 18 at the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce Business and Ambassador Awards Gala.
Jasper鈥檚 fire chief took home both the Outstanding Community Ambassador award, and the Ambassador of the Year award, largely thanks to his exceptional effort to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS).
In April of this year, Van Tighem pledged to raise $93,000 for the MS Society of Canada. The goal centered around his plan to raise money by cycling the length of Highway 93.
His 23-day solo ride was a huge success and, once bolstered by several other fundraisers, Van Tighem surpassed his fundraising goal earlier this month.
He guessed by the time he collects all his money and pays a few bills he will have raised more than $100,000.
Sitting in a Jasper pub, Van Tighem flicked through pictures of the bike tour on his phone, pointing out the best bacon double cheeseburger on Highway 93, and the place he 鈥渟tealth camped鈥� for the night.
The trip and the money he raised, he explained, is the perfect example of his approach to life.
He said that when he sets a goal for himself, he sets it above and beyond expectations.
鈥淚f you set a goal you know you can accomplish, sure it might feel good when you get there, but it doesn鈥檛 mean much,鈥� he said. Setting higher goals, Van Tighem said, forces him to push himself harder and accomplish things people didn鈥檛 think were possible.
He said he thinks his tour from Wickenburg, Ariz. back to Jasper was the main reason he won the awards, explaining how he talked up Jasper all down the highway. Nearly every time he got into a conversation with someone on the road, he would end up gushing about his hometown. He even had a PowerPoint presentation promoting Jasper.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for me to talk about how great it is here because I love Jasper so much,鈥� he said.
Like so many others, Van Tighem came to Jasper intending to stay for a few months but ended up making his life here. He explained how over the last seven years he has 鈥渞e-discovered Jasper in a major way.鈥�
As he became more physically active again, Jasper opened up to him: both the natural environment and the people.
鈥淚 get a lot from my community and I wanted to give something back,鈥� he said.
This isn鈥檛 the end for Van Tighem, either. He is currently planning his next adventure, a trip from Haida Gwaii to Winnipeg鈥攖he length of Highway 16. To top it off, he plans to do it in February and March on a fat bike.
To keep up with Van Tighem鈥檚 fundraising efforts and his adventures, visit his website at www.endms93.com.
Nathan D'Heer: Young Entrepreneur Award聽
Jasperite Nathan D鈥橦eer was honoured with the Young Entrepreneur Award at the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce Business and Ambassador Awards Gala, Oct. 18.
The owner and operator of Jasper Dive Adventures is the first to receive the award, which was new to the gala this year.
D鈥橦eer鈥檚 business, which he launched two years ago, brought him full circle in his life.
His plan had always been to go to school to help with the family business. But a year into business school he realized it wasn鈥檛 for him. He dropped out, and booked it to the Caribbean where he certified and worked as a dive instructor.
He said his dad was the one who got him into diving. They had family in the Caribbean, and were good friends with a diving instructor. After his dad saw a hammerhead shark when D鈥橦eer was 11, all the young explorer could think about was diving, so he nagged until the instructor agreed to take him along.
鈥淚 just remember being like a pinball,鈥� he said, 鈥渉e was just telling me to slow down. Slow down; that鈥檚 what I remember, because I was swimming too fast.鈥�
That initial excitement gradually gave way to a deep appreciation for diving, which he gets to share with his customers all the time.
鈥淭hat feeling of being able to share my love of diving with other people is amazing,鈥� he said.
So after leaving school and getting certified, it wasn鈥檛 long before he was back in Jasper, building his own diving business, and two years later, his drive to build that business secured him a nomination for the Young Entrepreneur Award.
D鈥橦eer said since he was up against such great competition鈥攖he guys from Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria鈥攈e had no expectations of winning; he was just happy to be nominated.
So when he heard his name called he was shocked; 鈥渉onoured, but shocked,鈥� he said.
After the initial shock his next thought was 鈥渃rap, I have to go up and talk.鈥�
鈥淚 was thinking in my head 鈥榙on鈥檛 swear, don鈥檛 swear, don鈥檛 swear, don鈥檛 swear,鈥欌�� he remembered.
D鈥橦eer said it felt great to have his business recognized, especially since he鈥檚 just doing something he loves. His voice was a little softer when he talked about diving, a little more poetic too.
He said being underwater is like exploring a whole different world. It鈥檚 effortless for him now, and he often feels like he鈥檚 flying.
鈥淚t鈥檚 silent. Living in a tourist town it鈥檚 kind of noisy: tourists complaining, cars going by. But in the water you鈥檙e just floating. I鈥檓 at peace in the water,鈥� he said.
Trevor Nichols
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