Who we are... and who we're not!

Webmaster, early April, Sunshine Coast - a proud Canadian, eh?

You may think Bigpacific.com (and our mirror domains such as TheSunshineCoast.com and TravelSunshineCoast.com) are the product of a big community organization or franchised outlet, but we're really just a small privately owned company - a family - made up of:

• Webmaster Laurie McConnell (pictured above)
• Diane Mueller
• McConnell family, without whom none of this would be possible or meaningful
• A whole bunch of people who helped out at various times, as employees or volunteers - Heather Till, Kryss Rubeniuk, Lee McCulloch, Maureen Wylie, Jackie Henderson, Paul Fenton, Monika Melvin
• Contributors of content and images, most notably Dan McCormick of Photographytips.com, Heather Till, Duane Burnett of DuaneBurnett.com
• All the advertisers on the site, who are more than customers - they're friends
• Community organizations that have participated and believed in this site
• Every person who has called or written to tell me they like the site and the Coast

WHO IS BIGPACIFIC/THESUNSHINECOAST.COM?

As company founder I oversee content development and business strategy from behind the scenes, and also run Bigpacific's parent company, Bad Dog Design Inc.

Bigpacific.com originated in the fall of 1997 out of a simple desire to explain to people on the Web just where exactly in the world our Sunshine Coast is. Given that there are actually four Sunshine Coasts we know of that are being actively marketed on the Internet as such (Australia, South Africa, Florida and BC's Coast) there was understandably a lot of confusion. I started creating the site from a corner bedroom in our home in West Sechelt while home with my first child, Annie and my husband, Gerry McConnell. I soon found herself explaining that no, we aren't a part of Australia, yes we do get a lot of sunshine, and wow, is it ever a great place to live or visit.

What started out as a hobby developed into a business plan and finally a business in the spring of 1998. Several business models later, after four years of working with the tourism, business and volunteer communities, we have found a great combination built on the sales of comprehensive advertising listings (one to four pages) and the dedication to compelling and original content written - not by far-away corporate marketers - but by people who live here and love the region.

Feature articles designed to give a magazine feel to the site and promote various activities, businesses and events in context makes the site unique in a marketplace populated with generic sites functioning in more of an online telephone book format. My goal is to have you *feel* the Coast!

NOT JUST A TOURISM WEB SITE

I work very hard behind the scenes to develop content, tools and business directory categories for those businesses or organizations not directly involved in tourism. All that is needed is participation from the businesses themselves to mold the site into a solid component of Sunshine Coast business strategy in concert with other local organizations and companies. Together we can build a network of sites, commerce and community interaction unparalleled in British Columbia today. We embrace competition AND partnership - anything that benefits our communities ultimately benefits us as well.

Values and philosophy:

• Exceptional customer and visitor service - my goal is to make my customers and visitors feel like they're the best part of my business. I aim to wow you with my service, and follow it up by delivering on our promise of great visibility and web design for an unbeatable combination.
  
  
• Great and dynamic partnerships with other stakeholders and organizations in the community
  
  
• Stewardship of the quality of life on the Sunshine Coast, so that while we invite visitors to come, we ask you to be mindful of our way of life, community values and the integrity of our visitor experience with its focus on the wilderness recreation experience, educational travel, and arts and cultural values. A jet-ski and bar scene destination we're not!
  
  
• Mutually beneficial business relationships. I bring a lot of value to my customers through not only Bigpacific's traffic, but also my commitment to our clients in the family of Bigpacific.com. I work hard on my clients' behalf and try to deliver outstanding return for the level of investment. I hope that if I can provide relevance and a good return for the business that it in turn will increase its investment into my company and products so I may continue to innovate on its behalf. So, please don't ask for free links as they are pretty much what we have to sell :)
  
  
• Responsible participation in the Internet Economy. After seven years of sharing the Sunshine Coast with the world, I've learned that the best Internet company is really a customer service company.
  
  There's no other company like this one, because I've gotten to learn from great people like you!

If you would like to advertise your business, organization or even yourself on this site, just call 885-5913. If you would like to get involved and help Bigpacific.com/ TheSunshineCoast.com to grow and involve more of the community, I'd love to hear from you.

We're a family here at Bigpacific.com...
Come join us!

Bigpacific.com/TheSunshineCoast.com
A Sunshine Coast Company!
Advertising Inquiries:
Best Contact: webmaster@bigpacific.com
Or call 604.885.5913.
Mail: PO Box 2119 Sechelt BC Canada V0N 3A0