David Thomson is climbing the ladder at the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA).
The group recently announced the appointment of Thomson as its vice president and general manager, effective immediately, which means he's now responsible for overseeing all of the WCRA's operations.
"The biggest change for me is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of the Heritage Park and begin a more intimate understanding of the overall business plan for the association and the strategic direction contained within," Thomson told The Chief. "It will be my role to ensure that direction is maintained to secure the future of the association."
Coincident with this appointment, the board also announced that Don Evans's title is now president emeritus. The title recognizes Evans's many years of leadership with WCRA. He will continue to be the WCRA's fundraising lead as well as an active volunteer.
"This is a first stage of 'retirement' from my former president and CEO role at WCRA," Evans said. "My role becomes a volunteer one, with a focus on supporting and training Dave in his new position and continuing to lead fundraising efforts."
The announcements were made by WCRA board chair Bob Phillip, who said he thinks it should be a smooth transition.
"This is a very important day for the WCRA," Philip said. "We are looking forward to Dave's increased leadership responsibilities and delighted that leadership transition for the future of the organization can get underway with continuity. We thank Don for his many years of leadership service, and for his continued involvement."
Thomson said he's looking forward to his new role.
"We have worked hard in the association over the last year to take advantage of our strengths, minimize our weaknesses, and engage, head on, our opportunities," he said. "The fact that the board has elected to hire me in this senior role and keep me in Squamish is a testament to the association's strong ties to this community and the great support we have received over the 20 years we have been in Squamish."
In other WCRA news, the recent Thomas the Tank Engine event proved to be a smash success. The group attracted more than 10,000 guests and generated an estimated $750,000 in economic impact for Squamish, WCRA officials said in a statement. Thomas is scheduled to return to Squamish on the first two weekends of June 2012.
For more information on the WCRA, visit www.wcra.org.
