Greg Lister, Revelstoke's Tourism Coordinator, is leaving to take a position in his hometown of Peterborough, Ont., months after the Chamber of Commerce fought to save funding for his position.
"I'm taking on a new opportunity in my hometown in Peterborough as a marketing specialist with the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation," said Lister, 33. "It's very much related to the kind of work I've been doing the last 18 months. It was a really good opportunity that came my way and it made the most sense to take that next step."
The move will bring Lister closer to his family but he said he will miss Revelstoke.
"I'm really excited to go on to the next chapter but at the same time I've made so many friends and so many great experiences here in Revelstoke and I'm really hoping it will continue the way its going right now," he said.
His decision comes not long after the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce lobbied city hall to maintain funding for his position. Chamber president Brydon Roe said Lister was a great asset to the Chamber and wished him luck in his new post.
Meanwhile, Roe said the position would have to be filled quickly.
"It's a very essential position that we'll need to fill in the short term," he said.
Lister began as the Tourism Coordinator in the Fall of 2009. His accomplishments in the 18 months since then include a re-design of the Chamber's tourism guide, the Mountain Paradise Wedding Planner brochure that was launched last Fall, and, biggest of all, the new trail map that was released in January.
"That was a huge undertaking and something we're very excited about," said Lister. "It's going to really promote our trails, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and cross-country skiing. There's lots of interesting aspects it's promoting and visitors are getting really excited about it too because it has a great representation of what Revelstoke offers close to town."
On the personal side, Lister said he'll miss the people he's met here.
"They've made me feel very welcomed here. I have, through my work, developed a lot of close relationships and I'm going to really miss the tourism work I do here," he said. "Also, I'm going to definitely miss the snow. Last winter was exceptional and unquestionably the best year of skiing in my life."