Tofino’s business community has a new leading advocate at the helm.
Samantha Hackett has been announced as the Tofino Long Beach Chamber of Commerce new executive director. She’ll be taking the wheel from Jen Dart, who steered the ship for a decade and is expected to remain acting in the role until next month.
“Members can expect the Chamber’s high level of service and representation to continue under Samantha’s leadership,” Dart said through a Jan. 31 announcement of Hackett’s hiring. “She is a highly qualified person to be taking on this position, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be handing off this role to Samantha.”
Joining the chamber means Hackett will be leaving her position as general manager of Long Beach Lodge, which she has held for 12 years.
Hackett told the Westerly part of her motivation for applying for the chamber position was seeing the success under Dart’s leadership.
“Obviously, Jen’s been in that role for a long time and has done an amazing job and it wasn’t until thinking about the chamber going through that transition and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope we get someone amazing in that role.’ There’s so many things that the chamber does for the community and we need that strong leadership through so much that’s going on right now and that will be going on in the future,” she said. “Then, I was sort of realizing that there was no one I could think of in the community, but ‘Wait a second, I would love to do that.’”
She added some of her favourite experiences at Long Beach Lodge came through forging connections with the community and working with stakeholders to help connect dots.
“That is what the chamber does and I started to think that here’s my opportunity to do something different,” she said. “It just really shows how resilient and how important businesses, especially small businesses, are to a successful and healthy community.”
She acknowledged that moving on from the Lodge after working there for 16 years is a big step that will likely come as a surprise to the local community.
“The experience at the lodge has been an absolutely amazing roller coaster,” she said. “It’s a surprise for me. It’s obviously very bittersweet. I want to be the general manager at the Lodge and the executive director at the chamber at the same time. I absolutely want that, but I know my limits and I know that that can’t be done and it wouldn’t do justice to either organization.”
Hackett is a well known volunteer for several local organizations, including as a Tofino Sparks leader, a past chair of Tourism Tofino, and current chair of the West Coast Multiplex Society.
“We are thrilled that Samantha will be joining the organization as its next executive director,” said TLBCC president Laura McDonald. “She is poised to lead the Chamber into its next successful chapter.”
Hackett’s long list of accolades includes being named among Vancouver Island’s Top 20 Under 40 Business and Community Awards and receiving the chamber’s Business Leader of the Year Award in 2023 for her leadership at Long Beach Lodge as well as her volunteerism.
She said she is excited to work with the chamber’s “amazing board” and to follow Dart’s footsteps into her new role.
“It’s going to be definitely consistency as far as what the chamber is currently doing and then just looking to see what else we can do to help the community and support the community,” she said. “I’m keeping an open mind and trying to come in without those pre-conceived notions…I’m wanting to talk to business sectors, especially in some of the areas that I haven’t spent as much time with, to really learn what the opportunities and needs are.”
She added she keeps a keen eye on Tofino’s municipal council, watching every meeting, and is excited to collaborate with the town’s elected leaders.
“I love following what’s going on municipally, provincially and federally and I’m wanting to make sure that we’re definitely utlizing all the information and things that are changing to really help businesses succeed,” she said.
“I am so excited. I’m excited for a change for me, but I’m excited to really be able to publicly support everyone in the community and equally support everyone in the community. I don’t have to wear one business’ hat, I can really see the big picture and work with all aspects to help support each other…I’m so excited to work with everybody.”
The chamber currently represents roughly 330 local businesses and organizations and also runs local programming like the West Coast Ambassador Program and the Tofino Business Retention and Expansion Program.
“The Chamber lobbies on behalf of its membership, educates about business issues, and exposes the public to our thriving business environment,” the announcement reads.
“The Chamber’s mission is to inspire business excellence by the beach and its vision is to ensure that our diverse and united business community is thriving, engaged and resilient.”
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