Photo: SOICS
“Community Champions” is a media campaign led by the South Okanagan-Similkameen Local Immigration Partnership and supported by Castanet. We share stories that raise awareness of the contribution immigrants make to the community while introducing small businesses to new Canadians.
A new immigrant who arrived amid the pandemic has found his place in Penticton.
Quoc Dung Pham, aka Brian, is the owner and operator of EmoChoice, a printing company providing design and printing services in Penticton and the South Okanagan region.
Brian and his wife and three children came to Penticton from Vietnam in July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many immigrants, Brian and his spouse decided to move to Canada to give their children a better future: a better education, health and environment.
They chose Penticton for its beauty and lifestyle. They wanted to live in a small community where everyone cares about each other.
Brian owned a similar business for over ten years in Vietnam. One of the unique products Brian’s company exported to Sweden was reflective vests for adults and children. Brian hopes to introduce this product to Canadian customers as well.
“I did a lot of research on this product and found that reflective vests for kids are usually just smaller versions of adult vests. My product is different. It’s designed especially for kids. It’s more comfortable, adjustable and easier to use,” Brian shared proudly.
The company name “EmoChoice” comes from a combination of two words “emotion” and “choice”.
The small business is quite busy, and Brian often has to work more than ten hours a day to keep up. But the situation is not due to the high volume of orders, but to the shortage of staff. Right now, it’s just Brian and one other staff member running the entire store. Brian has been looking for a team member for several months, but it has been very difficult.
“I don’t know what it is,” Brian said. “Maybe because it’s a small community and there aren’t many people with certain skills that I need. Or maybe that’s because I’m foreign… During interviews I ask applicants what salary would make them happy and offer them that exact amount but they still don’t accept the offers or come for a couple of months. I train them and then they leave.”
“In Vietnam we used to travel a lot around the country and enjoy picnics in nature. I don’t have much time to do it now but when I have free time, the whole family goes to parks, hockey games and other events. I also take my children to the Vietnamese center to help them build relationships with other Vietnamese children and learn about their native culture. I hope to have a picnic with my family here as well.
Recently, Brian had a “newcomer” moment. His two sons love to fish. During their last fishing activity, one of the hooks got stuck in the weeds and the boys asked their father for help. At that very moment, an officer approached them and asked Brian to show him his fishing license.
“I didn’t even know I needed a fishing license,” Brian admitted with a shy smile.
Brian’s advice to newcomers is to be flexible and adaptable. It’s important to do your research before moving somewhere new, but don’t expect things to go exactly as you planned. You may need to acquire new skills and build your networks before things start working for you. The important thing is to be positive.
Learn more about immigrant services in the South Okanagan community online here.