For a town of just over 23,000 people, there are a surprising number of industry leaders who quietly call Squamish home.
Take Theresa "Tess" Eriksson, for example. Having earned a PhD that focused on kindness in business—pay-it-forward kindness, in particular—Eriksson serves as chief operating officer of JTS Consulting, which focuses on smart infrastructure.
Last month, she took home a Women of Inspiration Award in the Authentic Leader category in New York City.
"The industry we work in—which is consulting in the smart infrastructure space, utilities, oil and gas—they are spaces in which you often see men in leadership positions," said Heather Quigley, senior manager, people and culture, at JTS, who was part of the group nominating Eriksson for the honour.
"Tess has worked in this space … and has managed to navigate her way up to chief operating officer. She's held different positions over the years and managed to achieve a pretty high-level role in a space that you'd normally see men in. We felt as though that's a good reason to submit an application for her for a female leadership award."
On top of that, she added, "She is somebody who leads with authenticity and is quite an admired leader in her role. She's a people-centric, people-first leader."
Eriksson was up against other nominees from across Canada and the United States.
"I feel very excited and grateful," Eriksson said. "It's been wonderful."
The award ceremony was part of three days of events. For Eriksson, the highlight was meeting so many different people.
"I'm a big believer in everyone has a story and it was such a wonderful reminder that everyone has a story," she said.
While she attended the award ceremony knowing she was nominated, the moment her name was announced as a winner was "amazing."
"I feel so much gratitude for that," she said. "Particularly because of the category—authentic leadership. For me, especially early in my career, I was kindly coached, 'don't be too much to people.' 'Don't thank people for doing their jobs.' I always thought it was the right way … I did my PhD on kindness in business, particularly on pay-it-forward kindness. Now I feel older and experienced enough to say with credibility, if you're authentically engaging in meaningful relationships, it's worth a lot."
But, she added, she didn't earn it alone. "I don't believe for a second this award is just for me," she said. "You don't get anywhere without your community and colleagues and friends—standing on the shoulders of giants. I really believe that to be true."
Eriksson first moved to Canada 17 years ago as part of a job that involved working on Whistler Olympic Park and the sliding centre. "Back then, I lived in the city, and the highway was being fixed up," she said. "It was a very slow drive to Whistler."
While she commuted from the city for some time, she and her husband started to take note of Squamish and, in 2011, moved to town.
"I feel a lot of gratitude to work in the industry I work in and live here," she said. "We love it here."
