Published Originally November 1st 2019 on the RPM Facebook page, written by Ashley McKenna,on behalf of Alan and Tiffany Ritchie.
After living and working in an oil field town for over a decade, we knew we needed something different. This wasn’t the way we wanted to spend our days. We were craving change and new opportunities!
On a visit to the Crowsnest Pass in September 2015 we got this sinking feeling watching the mountains recede as we headed “home”.
In that moment we looked at each other and knew what we needed to do. This needed to be our new home. This gorgeous community, surrounded by majestic mountains that was still a part of our home province! ALBERTA.
As soon as we got home from that trip, we began making preparations to get our property ready to sell and begin the move south.
Within a couple months, Alan had a job lined up in Pincher Creek. Even though we knew that we would be living in the Pass, this was a huge step in the right direction. We had a goal, and we went for it.
Alan moved down first and I started to liquidate. By September of 2016, we were thrilled to have sold our property up north, (during the recession) and moved to the Pass with our pets in tow.
Doug offered Alan a local job at the veritable "Alan Candy Shop" which was just blocks from our new home. We were so happy that Alan wouldn’t have to commute to work any more.
Early on, Doug and Alan discussed the possibility of Al taking over the business once he was ready to retire. At the time however, we were not in a position to really consider it, and didn't think we would be anytime soon.
Alan spent the next few years helping Doug maintain and grow Top Gunn, making connections and becoming a familiar face in the community.
This year Doug expressed his serious desire to begin the transition into retirement. We had some deep conversations with one another about the type of person Alan would want to work for if Doug sold the business to someone else. Those conversations lead to even deeper discussions about if Alan even wanted to run a business. Not just any business but a business he knows, enjoys and excels at.
At the end of the day, it was a no brainer! We knew that Alan had great working relationships with both the people he served, and the other companies in town. He had a solid vision of what it would take to grow the business, and the enthusiasm to put it into play. Together, we knew we could conquer anything.
After some false starts, and a few struggles, everything came together for us to be able to step into this exciting new adventure.
The support from the community has been amazing and has only allowed us to realize even more that we are on the right path and doing exactly what we were made to do!
This journey has only just started to take off. We are beyond excited to see where this adventure will take us and we couldn’t be happier than to be able to share this experience with all of you!
Alan and I would like to thank all of our friends and family who never stopped believing in us, as well as the communities continued support as we begin this new chapter of our lives.
Sincerely,
Alan & Tiffany Ritchie
