|
|
|
This year marks “40” years in the irrigation business for Vern Burnell. Always an entrepreneur at heart, he saw a window of opportunity to introduce this new fangled automated irrigation concept in B.C. after wandering into a Toro irrigation seminar when he was supposed to be sitting in an entirely different room. That’s Vern! With a leap of faith and the support of his wife Verna, Burnell’s Turf Irrigation was started in 1969 with the primary focus on golf course installations. As the saying goes, the rest is history. After many years of installing irrigation systems, Vern was presented with the opportunity to become an irrigation products distributor. Val-Kel Distributors was born. With the recent sale of Van-Kel, he has a little more time to do what he wants, but continues to inspire and be a tireless teacher in the industry. In saying this, he has just received a great honour. The Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA) has honoured Vern with a Life Membership. Call him at 470-2452 or 765-7353
Got a note from Wayne Clements stating that he will no longer be leading Kelowna’s Tree Brewing as its President/CEO, however for the time being will retain his significant share holdings in the company. At this time, he’s not sure what direction he will be taking with his career except to say that he will be taking some time to evaluate the many opportunities that present themselves in our area. He’s had a lot of fun being the boss of a brewery, saying that it has been the time in his life when he has been most popular, when you own a brewery you make lots of friends (ha!). wayneclements@shaw.ca
These are two really neat gals. Tina Stewart and Wendy Tingley’s company is called “The Old Shopping Bags”. These ladies are certainly far from old shopping bags; they shop for everyone, including busy professionals, families, seniors, bachelors or anyone who hates grocery shopping. They are very professional, dressed in sharp tuxedo uniforms and shop where the customer chooses or where they find the great deals, even with discounts. They shop, deliver and put the groceries away. Both Tina and Wendy also work at the Kelowna Dental Centre; Tina for 22 years and Wendy for 35 years. Call 763-8685 or 762-8589 or e-mail theoldshoppingbags@hotmail.com
Wrote about “Tops Auto Repair” at 2494 Enterprise Way and printed the incorrect phone number. Oops, had a blonde moment! It’s 763-7867.
Lorraine McGrath, formerly of Prospera Credit Union has been appointed to the board of directors of Paragon Pharmacies Limited. Craig Cameron is the president and CEO of Paragon, which owns and operates 18.5 retail pharmacies, three central fill pharmacies and two home healthcare stores in Western Canada.
Congrat’s to Al (aka Santa) Dalsvaag of A. Dalsvaag and Son Enterprises Ltd. Consultants and Contractors, the winner of the Exceptional Service Under the Sun Award for December, 2007. He and his crew go generously out of their way to light up the downtown Visitor Centre every Christmas.
Had a great chat with MLA Sindi Hawkins when I was in Vancouver last week. She is doing really well and her transplant was a success. She will be home in about 6-8 weeks and her spirits were very high. She is also able to get out a little more now.
Agostino of Agostino’s Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar would like to let everyone know that their restaurant on Bernard Avenue is still open for business, even though they are also opening Agostino’s at Shannon Lake, with Agostino at the helm of both. Call 979-1555
Jim Belshaw is the new owner of Roy’s Shoes at 1627 Ellis Street. Jim took over the business from Dan Van Norman, who you might still see spending time at the shop. Jim is donating $1 from every shoe repair to support an Orphanage in El Salvador, a project taken on by Sunrise Rotary of which he is a member. This might sound like a small thing, but with matching grants from Rotary International he expects to be sending in excess of $15,000 to the Orphanage this spring. He has already sent the first of two shipments of shoes down for the kids. His son, Jim Jr. has recently started working at the store, working along side a third generation shoe maker. Along with repairs, Roy’s also sells shoes and boots. Call 763-5696 or roysshoes@shaw.ca
Birthday cakes for dog – fantastic! Even if you don’t have a dog or cat, you’ll want to visit this new store. “The Bone & Biscuit Co.” is opening this Friday, February 29 in Orchard Plaza at #136 – 1876 Cooper Road (between Nature’s Fare and the Theatres). Owned and operated by Bonnie Schadech and Lee Drescher, it’s the only one in B.C. with two in Alberta. The store is primarily for dogs, although they offer cat products and specialize in pet supplements along with eleven lines of popular raw food. They offer 100 per cent human grade ingredients and I was blown away with the wonderful, colourful dog biscuits in the shapes of ice cream cones, fancy pears with sparkles, cup cakes with sprinkles, éclairs, croissants and Italian crazy canolies. All are either yogurt or carob dipped and look fabulous. Brand names of dry and canned pet foods are Evo, Orijen, California Nature and Innova. They also sell wonderful cookie jars, bowls, all natural chews and treats and have a huge selection of unique pet toys. Essentially, this a health food store for pets but believe me, there’s certainly nothing normal about this shop. Call 448-7738 www.theboneandbiscuitcompany.com
Madhouse Creative has moved to their new digs at 202-1353 Ellis Street in the heart of the cultural district in the historic cold storage building which was originally built in 1908 used by Okanagan Packers Co-operative. Tammy Moore is the CEO of Madhouse. Call 860-8651
Congratulations to I. A. Pacific Life on receiving the “2007 United Way In-Kind Award.” As you know, the company has been a major, extremely generous sponsor of the Maxine DeHart – United Way, Ramada Hotel, Drive-Thru Breakfast for the past ten years and was the first major sponsor who came on board for this successful event. As I always have said, there would probably be no Drive-Thru without local MGA Terry Wardrop of I.A. Pacific Life and the support of the company. (In the picture is Terry Wardrop, local MGA, Randall Fell, vice-president of I. A. Pacific Life from Vancouver and Dallas Gray the presenter)
The Kelowna Hotel Motel Association has a new board for 2008. Congrat’s to president Rosemary Patterson (Best Western Inn); treasurer Heather Smith (Casa Loma Resort) and secretary Heather Schroeter (Manteo Resort). Directors are Brad Sieben (Hotel Eldorado); Gavin Perry (Coast Capri Hotel); Karen Stevenson (Accent Inns); Ingrid Jarrett (Cove Lakeside Resort) and Glen Standon (Okanagan Seasons). Stan Martindale of the Ramada Hotel & Conference Centre is past president.
“The King of Kelowna” restaurant owned and operated by Hira and Anju Hirendra at #12 – 515 Harvey Avenue (Lakeland Plaza) has recently opened. They offer East & South Asian Cuisine, plus sushi and are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and take-out. The Hirendra’s are from Nepal, but have also spent two years in Montreal. The restaurant is tiny but the menu is fairly extensive, including combo’s. Call 863-7836 or 712-0997.
As part of its ongoing commitment to foster education in the performing arts, Kelowna Actor’s Studio on Ellis Street is pleased to announce an artistic director internship. James Long will commence a nine-month, full-time internship under the supervision of its company’s artistic director, Randy Leslie.
The Lakeshore Centre Branch of Scotiabank won the “2007 Best of the Best Award.” This award is for the top team in the South East B.C./Central Vancouver District. The celebration was attended by Senior Vice President, David Poole; District Vice President Barb Ruff and District Banking Manager, Lynne Weber. Diane Feist is the branch manager of Lakeshore Centre Branch. Call 712-3078
RE.MAX gives back! The RE/MAX Awards Breakfast was held at the Ramada Hotel on February 22, and in just one hour, during a live auction, the realtors raised a whooping $30,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. RE/MAX Kelowna once again was named the #1 real estate office for 2007 in the Central Okanagan and also received the award for the top office in Miracle Network Contributions over the past year, beating out every other office in the world. Another special congratulations to my sister, realtor Tracy Nyboe, for once again achieving her 100% club level status. Way to go Sis!
If you were one of the lucky 101 winners to attend the 101-5 FM “Andy and T.J. in the Mornings” five-year anniversary at the Ramada Hotel on Friday morning, don’t forget to wear your pj’s. Andy, T.J. and me will be wearing ours from Jammeeze Pajamas in Spall Centre and are they all very cute, even Andy’s! See you there.
This Saturday, March 1 at 8:00am marks the day that the tickets will go on sale for the Kelowna Professional Firefighter’s Ladies Night out on April 5, priced at $150. It’s going to be a fantastic event with more new sponsors, including gold sponsor, First Response Safety and Training; bronze sponsors Omega Communications, Okanagan Restoration, Canadian Ensemble Services, Stutters Disaster Kleenup and Tristan Clothing in Orchard Park. In-kind donations are from Big White/Silver Star, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Plum Clothing, SUN FM/1150 AM and St. Hubertus Estate Winery. There will be a live auction sponsored by Chef Martin Laprise (The Chef Instead) for cooking lessons and dinner for 10 with wine included in one lucky ladies home. This is going to be a popular item, because as we know, we don’t cook as much as we used to! Get up early and call 469-8801 for tickets. They then can be picked up on March 8th at the Main Fire Hall on Enterprise Way.
Saturday, March 1st is Safeway’s (Dilworth) We Care Day. They are selling coupon books for $3 at the checkouts. It is immediately redeemable for $3 off their bill (with only 15 cents tax) and all funds go to Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation. Mayor Shepherd will be there from 11:30-12:30 to help out. Drop in for cake and coffee and see the store mascot. Brian Cranton is the charity captain and Judy Nightingale the co-captain.
The Okanagan Jazz and Blues Society are holding its AGM tomorrow, February 28th at 7pm at The Pheasant and Quail. The meeting will include the registration of members and volunteers and election of directors. The meeting is open to the public for anyone interested in becoming a part of the organization.
The Post House Pub was voted the friendliest pub at the recent Kelowna Kinsmen’s 21st Annual Pub Tour for Cystic Fibrosis held on February 17.
The girls from Modern Voice & Talent are giving a free performance on March 1st from 12-2pm at Starbucks at Highway 97 and Leathead. They sing everything; blues. country, pop and retro. They are also giving a free concert at Perc’s Place at 1014 Glenmore Road on March 7th from 7:30pm – 9:30pm. Modern is a performance school for singers. Call Evelyn Wardle at 869-4198
Quote of the week – God created a few perfect people, the rest are right handed. (Submitted by Lorina Dick)
Birthday of the week – Vern Nielson (Feb. 28); Kit Carson, Peachland (Feb. 25).
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) |
