Canada’s outdoor recreation industry has long been defined by innovation, self-reliance, and a deep connection to place. In the Kootenays, that spirit has helped fuel a growing network of gear makers, repair specialists, and entrepreneurs building businesses shaped by the realities of mountain living. Now, a new initiative between KORE Outdoors and College of the Rockies (COTR) aims to take that momentum even further by establishing Canada’s first outdoor gear repair and advanced manufacturing centre.
Backed by $1 million in provincial funding through British Columbia’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), the Rehub Circular Technology Centre will be based at COTR’s campus in Cranbrook and serve as both a training hub and social enterprise focused on outdoor gear innovation, repair, and circular manufacturing.
The Centre represents a major step forward for rural manufacturing in British Columbia and reflects the growing demand for infrastructure that supports local production, repair, and workforce development. Equipped with advanced repair and prototyping technology, the facility will provide hands-on learning opportunities in industrial sewing, technical apparel repair, upcycling, and small-scale production. It will also help regional businesses access manufacturing and testing capacity closer to home, shortening supply chains while creating new opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers throughout the Kootenays.
“This is a transformational investment in rural innovation,” said KORE Outdoors Board Chair Matt Mosteller. “The Rehub Circular Technology Centre will help build the skilled workforce, shared infrastructure, and business support services needed to grow B.C.’s outdoor gear sector from within our region. It will allow more companies to design, repair, test, and manufacture products closer to home, while creating new economic opportunities in the Kootenays.”
The project builds on momentum generated through KORE Outdoors’ Rehub Mobile Repair Tour, which spent the summer of 2025 travelling throughout the Kootenays offering free gear repair and promoting circularity in the outdoor industry. Over the course of the tour, more than 500 jackets, tents, sleeping bags, and technical garments were fixed, demonstrating both the demand for repair services and the growing appetite for keeping outdoor equipment in use longer.
That demand helped shape the vision for a permanent facility where education, manufacturing, and repair could exist under one roof.
For College of the Rockies, the partnership also represents an opportunity to deepen its connection to regional industries while creating new pathways for applied learning. Long recognized for its outdoor recreation and adventure education programs, the College sees the Centre as a natural extension of its role in supporting economic development in the region.
“We’re doing something that is unique in Canada,” said Michael Crowe, COTR’s President and CEO. “For decades, College of the Rockies has been a leader in adventure education and outdoor recreation, rooted in the landscapes and industries of our region. This partnership with KORE builds on that legacy by connecting our outdoor expertise with advanced manufacturing, applied research, and circular economy innovation.”
Crowe added that the Centre will create opportunities not only for learners and entrepreneurs in the East Kootenay, but also for companies and organizations across the province looking to strengthen local manufacturing and sustainable production.
The initiative arrives at a time when more outdoor brands are rethinking how and where products are made. Concerns around global supply chains, waste, and product longevity have pushed repairability and circular design to the forefront of the outdoor industry. Rather than viewing repair as an afterthought, the Rehub Circular Technology Centre aims to integrate durability, reuse, and end-of-life planning directly into product development.
That philosophy has become increasingly central to KORE Outdoors’ work in recent years. The organization, which supports a network of more than 80 outdoor gear manufacturers and designers across the Kootenays, has steadily positioned the region as a hub for craft outdoor production and innovation.
By combining industry partnerships with workforce training and applied research, the new Centre hopes to strengthen British Columbia’s capacity for circular manufacturing while helping smaller companies access infrastructure that would otherwise be difficult to afford independently.
Over time, the facility is expected to support small-business growth, reduce material waste, extend product life, and create new opportunities for local manufacturing in the outdoor sector. It also reinforces the growing reputation of the Kootenays as a place where outdoor recreation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability intersect in practical ways.
Project implementation is expected to begin in spring 2026.
KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP).