Every small business has a unique approach, and the Chief Louie Paddle Company is no different.  "Our plan does not include benefit/cost analysis; instead we ask whether Chief Louie, the last hereditary Chief of the Cheslatta people, would be pleased with what we are doing.  He is our guiding principle," Mike Robertson says.

The inspiration for the company came in 2009, after the local sawmill shut down and left unused lumber behind.  The Cheslatta set to work carving paddles out of this lumber and the wood submerged in Ootsa Lake after the flood Chief Louie predicted in 1951.  Now, carvers gather to make up to 40 paddles per day, connecting with the Earth and the spirits of their ancestors whose lives were washed away in the flood.  "They tell stories as they carve each paddle, ingraining our history into the wood," Robertson shares.

Robertson prefers to keep the company small and sustainable with the focus not on profits, but on employment, culture and resources management.  Their paddles have been shipped to Germany, China, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and throughout North America, often presented as gifts to politicians, celebrities and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

International recognition is rewarding, but what drives Chief Louie Paddle Company is community.  By staying true to their roots, the company inspires other members and artisans to create.  "The wood brings out the best in all of us.  Chief Louie would be so proud," says Robeertson, "and to us, that is success."

www.chieflouie.com