Campion Boats sails out of Kelowna after nearly 50 years

The remnants of one of Kelowna’s biggest international success stories were quietly sold off as the manufacturer moves to warmer and more affordable climes.

Campion Boats was sold in late 2018 to KV Private Equity of Edmonton, Alta.

This week, what’s left of the once local operation was auctioned off so it could move forward and set up shop in Texas and, in part, Mexico.

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Kelly Minisofer’s company Grasswood Auctions has been hired to do the liquidating and said there were 1,000 lots containing everything from tools to boat building equipment sold in recent weeks. Buyers were just getting let in on Tuesday to pick up their purchases.

“The bidding was very strong, but we had really good quality equipment. (Campion) took very good care of their stuff. We have a lot of good tooling prices were where I think there was some good deals, but prices were pretty strong overall

He said people have been talking about the legacy of Campion, which started in Kelowna in 1974, when they came through to pick up their purchases.

“People are sad to see it go. It employed at its height, 250 to 300 people, when they were running 24 hours,” he said. “It’s employed and supported a lot of families in this community of Kelowna and area for a lot of years. So … it’s a sad loss.”

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Not only did Campion employ thousands of people over the years, putting food on the tables of countless families, it placed Kelowna on the map for quality boats, some of which Minisofer purchased himself over the years. He was happy to share that with one of the previous owners of the company when he came through.

The move away from the city it made home for so long, however, is reflective of situations Minisofer has heard of repeatedly with businesses across Canada.

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“It’s hard to get a lot of workers and, Kelowna itself, my understanding is, it’s pretty expensive for people to live,” Minisofer said. “It’s just a competitive workplace environment in an expensive community. It’s just the way it’s become here in Kelowna and I think it’s due to economics that they’re relocating.”

Kelowna has a high cost of living but more than half of Canadians said they are struggling to make ends meet in a recent Angus Reid Institute survey. It surveyed 2,279 Canadian adults from Aug. 8-10 and found that 56 per cent of them are struggling to keep up as high inflation and interest rates force them to tighten their belts.