For Ch’nook Scholars alum Keenan Beavis, it’s all about growth and giving back

When Keenan Beavis was 12 years old, he had the 27th most viewed YouTube channel in all of Canada. By his own admission, he created “the worst videos on the Internet,” some of which featured him lip-synching to his favourite childhood songs and others wrestling his brother Quinn on a trampoline. Though his content left a lot to be desired, Beavis had carefully studied the platform’s algorithm and knew how to use key words to come out on top of search results.

Fast forward to adulthood, and Beavis now uses those same lessons in search algorithms to help his clients as the founder and lead growth consultant of digital marketing agency Longhouse Media. “I’ve developed a team around the skill set that I learned when I was a cringey, grade 7 kid,” says Beavis with a laugh.  

Longhouse Media’s most common clients have at least $500,000 in revenue and the Longhouse team takes them through the next growth stages of their business, up to $5 million. Its varied clientele consists mainly of small or medium-sized businesses, everything from physiotherapists and dog groomers, to laser eye surgery clinics and plumbers. The company also works with universities, non-profits, and municipalities. 

“Working with so many different types of businesses is like reading a new book every day,” says Beavis. “Life would get a little boring if you’re always reading the same book or even the same genre, so I’ve built my life and business around reading all the different genres.”
 

Growing in confidence
 

Beavis is a graduate of the Ch’nook Scholars program at the UBC Sauder School of Business, which provides scholarship funds to Indigenous post-secondary business students and offers access to a variety of opportunities to develop leadership skills and business acumen.

Beavis participated in the program from 2014 to 2019 as an undergraduate student majoring in finance and economics at the University of the Fraser Valley. When he reflects back on those years, Beavis says he learned so much outside the formal programming and events.

“I gained a lot out of Ch’nook Scholars that went beyond the speakers and the scholarship funds,” he says. “The soft skills shouldn’t be overlooked. I bought my first suit, rode public transit for the first time, took a plane to Nanaimo, and checked into a hotel all on my own to attend Ch’nook gatherings. Those experiences helped build my confidence as a young person.”

That confidence didn’t go unnoticed. Jonathan Easey, program manager of Ch’nook Scholars, could see that Beavis was laying the groundwork for a successful venture.

“When I first met Keenan, I knew he was headed for entrepreneurial success. He’s always had the passion and the savviness that are required to grow a business from an idea into reality and it’s been so cool to see him do just that,” says Easey.
 

For a marketer, what’s in a name?
 

Eager to put his business learnings into practice, Beavis founded Longhouse Media in 2017 before he had even finished school. When it came time to brand his own agency, Beavis wanted two things: a name that was memorable, and a name that had meaning. 

A citizen of Métis Nation British Columbia and a member of the Waceya Métis Society in Langley, Beavis was inspired by the symbolism of the long house as a community gathering place.  

“The long house is a place where people come together and work collaboratively towards common goals,” says Beavis. “It’s the same thing for us at the agency – we want to get partners to their goals, collaboratively.”
 

‘The rising tide raises all the ships’
 

Beavis served as valedictorian at the Ch’nook Scholars graduation in 2019. Four years on, the close bonds he formed with his cohort have evolved into professional connections. 

“Multiple business deals have come out of those connections since my friends from the program went on to roles at organizations like TD Bank, Vancity, Mitacs, and the BC Indigenous Housing Society,” says Beavis.

If he could choose one word to summarize his experience in the Ch’nook Scholars program, Beavis says it would be opportunity. 

“There is no limit to the opportunities presented by the teachings, connections, and the opened doors,” he says. “The real value hasn’t even been fully realized yet. As my peers progress in their careers and they reach the executive level in their respective organizations, we can all move forward together. The rising tide raises all the ships.” 
 

Giving back and looking southward 
 

Beavis received the BC Achievement Young Indigenous Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2020 and landed on BCBusiness’ 30 under 30 list earlier this year.

As he and his team continue their upward trajectory, they’re also focused on giving back to the community. The company created the Longhouse Media Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Award, a financial scholarship that comes with free in-person workshops on web design, digital advertising, and graphic design that are delivered by Longhouse Media team members.

“It's been wonderful seeing Keenan’s desire to give back to the community. He has the kind of heart that I know will take him far, not just in business but in life,” says Easey.

With its firm footing in Abbottsford, Langley, Surrey, and across B.C., as well as a growing presence nationally, Beavis says the biggest opportunity is the potential to expand the business into the United States. 

“We really like growing, and we all want to grow. As long as we maintain the quality of the work and the results that we get, we plan to keep expanding,” says Beavis. “The majority of our services are digital, and there are no geographic barriers stopping us from expanding to wherever the market wants us.”