Maxine Dehart

Straight from DeHart

Date: December 12/2007

Photography West located on Tutt Street, owned and operated by Arik Broadbent and Stephanie Tracey are opening two new locations, one on the Westside and one at Big White. The new Westside store is located at 309 – 3021 Louie Drive (Governor’s Landing) and will be managed by Kellie Cuthbert formerly of Sony Canada’s retail division. The new store and is a full service camera store, offering cameras from entry level point-and-shoots to professional equipment, lenses, tripods, bags, paper, ink and printers. They are also expanding into video cameras and plasma TV’s for the first time at the Westside location. Photography West has also opened a kiosk at Big White. Call Kellie at 801-0180.

Former Mayor Walter Gray has been appointed as a Director on the Board of the Crown Corporation of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

Deb Harris, membership and sponsorship development director of the Chamber of Commerce for the past two years is moving on and has accepted the position of community investment coordinator with the Kelowna Community Food Bank effective December 17th. 861-1515 ext, 36.

BMO Nesbitt Burns has expanded to the Westside and opened a new sub-branch in Westbank at 3640 Gossett Road with Brent Hamilton as manager. Relocating from the downtown branch, where he has been for six years is investment advisor Ron LeStage who offers stocks, bonds, mutual funds options and life insurance products. BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Montreal and Member CIPF. Call Ron at 707-2190 or ron.lestage@nbpcd.com

Pauline Loyie, branch customer service specialist of HSBC Orchard Plaza is transferring to the HSBC Bernard Avenue Branch and will be the new supervisor of customer service and Preston Goulet has relocated to Kelowna from Edmonton to take the position of supervisor, customer service at HSBC Orchard Plaza.?

Sarah Williams, owner of Bella Clothing Boutique at 3005 Pandosy Street is expanding the business to include a Nail Boutique, just in time for the holiday season. Located inside the clothing store, the nail boutique will offer manicures, pedicures as well as gel? nails. After hours appointments are available. Call 868-0220.?

Well-known financial advisor Randy Quigley of R.J. Financial Services located in Landmark III is celebrating his 20^th anniversary in business (Dec. 7). Before venturing out on his own, you might remember he was with Met Life for many years. In chatting with him he said he was accepting 12 year-old Gibson’s Rye or Welch’s Grape Juice as gifts (ha!). I’m giving him a gallon of the grape juice. Call 861-1219.

Jason Ball, Jon Carleton and Ariel Livingstone have all relocated from Calgary and have started Manther Construction Inc. These three young men specialize in framing quality custom homes, garages, decks and are also proficient in renovations. Call (403) 400-0559

Abaco Health at #5-3818 Gordon Drive owned and operated by Steve and Shauna Jones is moving and expanding, doubling in size. They are not moving far and are relocating in the same centre as they are in now; in the space formerly occupied by Bridge Medical Clinic who has moved to Pandosy Street. The new store will be open at the end of January and will now be offering fresh produce and organic meats along with their present products of vitamins, organic health foods and the Infrared sauna. Call 861-3090??

Andrea East has relocated back to Kelowna and has joined Pushor Mitchell LLP. Andrea practices primarily in the area of business law and has a background that includes law firm experience as well as in-house counsel experience for both a private corporation and a public body. Call 869-1245 or east@pushormitchell.com

Couple of management changes at City Hall. The Director of Financial Services, Paul Macklem and the Director of Works and Utilities, John Vos are taking on additional responsibilities in managing the City’s affairs on an interim basis for about six months. Macklem will be responsible for the Department of Planning and Development Services which encompasses Development Service, Policy and Inspections. Vos has accepted responsibility for Corporate Services which includes the Clerk’s Office, Community Development and Real Estate and Information Services. David Shipclark, the former Director of Corporate Services recently retired and had also been Acting Director of Planning and Development Services since June 2007 as a result of the departure of the former Planning Director, Mary Pynenburg.

The Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society (OAAS) celebrated World AIDS Day by presenting a $500 bursary to Dreannon Smathers, a Grade 11 student at Kelowna Secondary School, for submitting the winning artwork in their logo contest. Dreannon’s artwork depicts a Red AIDS ribbon, combined with an eagle feather, a bear paw and the traditional Medicine Wheel. The Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of B.C. presented Smathers with her award. Other finalists were Shayla Driver, Sharah Robins and Chloe Stirbys. The Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society provides education and support to all bands within the Okanagan Nation Alliance around issues of HIV, AIDS, and Hepatitis C. They work in close partnership with the Living Positive Resource Centre and Interior Health Authority. The OAAS program coordinator is Buffy Mills and Karen Alexander is the Community Development Coordinator of Living Positive Resource Centre.?

If you’re looking for a neat new Christmas gift Nick Kellet’s “GiftTRAP” might just be the thing on your list. Voted by Games Magazine as “Best Party Game in 2008” you can pick it up at Chapters, Functional and Loadz a Toyz. It’s the hilarious social conversation starter that will get you and your friends talking about things that matter. It works for both adults and children and you don’t need skills in drawing, acting or trivia. The new version is family friendly and bilingual with a price of only $29.99. Take a look at www.gifttrap.com or try it on-line at http://live.gifttrap.com or call 448-4906.

Tree Brewing and president and CEO Wayne Clements are flying high these days. They won three awards at the “5^th Annual Canadian Brewing Awards.” Tree took home the Gold for Cutthroat Pale Ale in the English Style Pale Ale (Bitter) category; Silver for their Kelowna Pilsner in the European Style Lager (Pilsner) category and Bronze for Hophead in the India Pale Ale category. The competition is open to all commercial beers brewed and bottled in Canada with 45 breweries and over 200 beers submitted in 21 categories, judged by a panel of eight Certified Beer Judges, based on flavour, aroma, overall impression, mouth-feel and appearance. Call Wayne at? 717-1091.?

More awards! CedarCreek Estate Winery, was awarded the honour of Canada’s Red Wine of the Year for its 2005 Estate Select Syrah by Wine Access Magazine at the 2007 Canadian Wine Awards. The 2005 Estate Select Syrah, one of the eleven wines submitted for judging, took the Gold Medal as well as ranking best in category along with the 2005 Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir Block Four – Cedarcreek’s first ever single-vineyard designate. Gordon Fitzpatrick is the president of the winery.?

This is really neat!? 23 year old local Jesse Pettersen has won “Fourth in the World” at the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship in Mesquite, Nevada with a 404 yard drive. He is relocating to Phoenix in the New Year and will be training on the long drive team competition full time. You can watch the final? “8” of the competition on TSN on December 25 at 10am Kelowna time. Call Jesse at 862-3826??

Stratis Fitness Solutions is a new fitness centre at #10-1851 Kirschner Road (Stewart Centre) owned by Joanne and Chris Stratis with open houses being held on the weekends of Dec. 8^th, 15 and 22^nd from 12-2pm. On January 7^th the company is hosting the “Rebuild the Temple Program”, an innovative new video series based on the New York Times bestselling book Body by God by former Olympic Team physician Dr. Ben Lerner. There are four keys to maximized living; nutrition, exercise, stress management and time management and Dr. Ben gives readers simple keys to all four areas.? Using the same technique and strategies for success employed by Olympic athletes, Dr. Lerner shows people how taking simple steps, he call it “getting one-percent better for God each day” can result in dramatic improvements in as little as 40 days. Call Joanne at 859-2510 or Chris at 317-7411 or www.stratisfitnesssolutions@gmail.com for times, dates or to register. ?

Interior Tax and File Small Business Services Ltd. located at #113-1835 Gordon Drive (Capri Centre) owned by Elaine Martelli has expanded and opened a second office Vernon. The company offers small businesses bookkeeping, small business services, payroll, tax preparation, including full bookkeeping, initial set-up of the client’s books through to year-ends and tax preparation to companies that may not yet require larger accounting firms. They have a full time staff of four and increase to 16 at tax time. Marie Stancer will be working out of their Vernon location. Call Elaine at 762-6604or info@itfbc.ca

Habitat for Humanity Kelowna has established a new Chapter in Vernon. It will operate under the auspices of the Kelowna Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. This arrangement will allow the new Vernon Chapter to take advantage of the experience accumulated in Kelowna where 15 Habitat homes have been built since 1993, with another two units are under construction on Highway 33. Habitat Kelowna will be responsible to ensure that the Vernon Chapter is operated in accordance with all applicable rules and guidelines of Habitat for Humanity Canada, with the ultimate goal of Vernon achieving Affiliate status. Brigitte Reimer is the Chairperson, Habitat Kelowna and Gloria Westwell, Acting Chairperson, Habitat Vernon. Call 762-7303

JCI Okanagan have a new executive for 2008. Congrat’s to president, Jennifer Sencar (B.C. Government); vice-president, Sarah Campbell (Kelowna Art Gallery); secretary Oksana Fodor (Capri Insurance); treasurer, Heather Sanders (Meyers Norris Penny) and past president Kendal Weiss Shaw (Chem Tec West). Directors are Sue Bojahra (Club Penguin); Jen Lewis (Downtown Kelowna Assoc.); Sheila Randall; Tracy Rawlings; The following received 2007 awards. Corinne Shoranick, Grant Thornton (Effective Speaking); Nicole McNicole, Arbonne International (Rookie of the Year); Shannon Tartaglia, Regional District (Executive of the Year); Jennifer Sencar, BC Government (Jaycee of the Year) and the Project of the Year was Urban Adventure Challenge (UAC).

This holiday season, the Westside Youth Centre is providing their “3^rd Annual Community Christmas Dinner” on December 20 for 100 youth and their families. In order to provide the meals they are asking for donations of the following: 20+ pound turkeys, stove top stuffing, potatoes, veggies and desserts. Gifts would also be appreciated. They will gladly pick up the items. The Centre is a drop-in centre for youth at risk providing a variety of activities for youth to do five days a week. They also provide a free meal for approx. 30 youth a night. Call Lenora Nielsen at 768-9139 or 870-1046.

When you’re shopping downtown, drop in for a bite to Caf頓oleil at 553 Bernard Avenue who are now open on Thursday evenings until 7pm and Friday’s until 8pm.

Had a great chat with Kelowna airport pre-board screener Doug Atkinson. This year for the holiday season, the airport will be offering three screening lines in the pre-board security area to help ease congestion and get you on your way in a fast and efficient manner. Doug was telling me that people in Kelowna have been really great this year. They have even received some really nice Christmas cards and chocolates. With over 92,000 passengers traveling through the airport this year, that type of kindness will go a long way.?

Quote of the week –The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time (Tracy Nyboe, RE/MAX Kelowna)

Birthdays of the week – Ken Firkins, California Custom Fruits and Flavors (Dec.13);Will Hoogewoonink, Northside Steel (Dec. 8); Shelly Ann Zemlak (Dec. 9); Lesley Pierce, Creative Mortgage Corp. (Dec.17); Dave Willms (Dec.17)

Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna hotelier. Phone her at 979-4546, fax 860-3173, E-mail maxdehart@telus.net and web-site www.welcometokelowna.com (click on Business)