Progress 2016

1 PROGRESS 2013 okanaganlife.com

2016 edition

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL ISSUE

Small business

SUCCESS

Okanagan business profi lesPR

OG

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SS

2

016

3.9

5 PM40028474

1-7.indd 1 2016-02-26 11:46 AM

COMMITTED TOEXCELLENCESINCE 1988

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At DermMedica we offer modern cosmetic solutions in a comfortable, no-pressure, patient friendly envi-ronment. Call us today to schedule your personalized confidential consultation.

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Get Ready For Summer Now!

With Kelowna’s Most Popular Non-Surgical Skin & Body Sculpting Treatments

Dr. Craig Crippen MD CCFP

1-7.indd 2 2016-02-26 11:46 AM

COMMITTED TOEXCELLENCESINCE 1988

WWW.PARSHOMES.CA250.878.0662 BOTOX® | FACIAL FILLERS | VEIN TREATMENTS | LASER TREATMENTS | SKIN CARE | COOLSCULPTING®

DermMedica | 1626 Richter St., Suite 200 Kelowna, BC | Toll Free 866-861-3070 | Local: 250.868.3070

At DermMedica we offer modern cosmetic solutions in a comfortable, no-pressure, patient friendly envi-ronment. Call us today to schedule your personalized confidential consultation.

dermmedica.ca

Get Ready For Summer Now!

With Kelowna’s Most Popular Non-Surgical Skin & Body Sculpting Treatments

Dr. Craig Crippen MD CCFP

1-7.indd 3 2016-02-26 11:46 AM

4 PROGRESS 2016 Okanagan Life Magazine

Visit our new website: www.keithconstruction.ca

250-545-1300

CUSTOM HOMES & RENOVATIONS

DESIGN | DRAFTING | CONSTRUCTION | NEW HOMES | RENOVATIONS & ADDITIONS

Best Renovation Company - North

Best BuildingCompany - North

Winners from 2011 - 2014Best Renovation Company - North

Best Building Company - North

Keith Construction is proud to announce that we have been awarded 3 Silver Georgie’s (BC Builder Awards), and 3 Silver Tommie’s (Thompson Okanagan Builder Awards) including “Renovator of the Year” for 2016.

Keith Construction is proud to announce that we have been awarded Keith Construction is proud to announce that we have been awarded

Okanagan Life is published by Byrne Publishing Group Inc.

To subscribe, call 250.861.5399; email [email protected]; or online

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Okanagan Life is available at Mosaic Books in Kelownaor at our offi ce: 814 Lawrence Ave., Kelowna.

© 2016, All rights reserved. Opinions and perspectives expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership

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ISSN 08405492 (Okanagan Life) / ISSN 11803975 (Okanagan Business). Okanagan Life magazine is a

member of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) and

Circulation Verification Council (CVC).

Publisher/editor J. Paul Byrne

Senior editor Laurie Carter

Administration Wendy Letwinetz

Graphic design Mishell Raedeke, Andrew Hutton

Account executive Alan Monk

Contributing writers

Bruce Kemp, Laurie Carter, Jaimie Kehler,

Dona Sturmanis, Yvonne Turgeon

Contributing photographers

Bruce Kemp

Peter Solymosi

okanaganlife.com & social media

Yvonne Turgeon

CIRCULATION

C O U N C I LVERIFICATION

41 Minstrel Café & Bar

40 PARS Homes

34 Roger Watts Advocacy Debate

39 Scorched Earth Winery

42 Skaha Hills

30 Sleepy’s

27 Sparkling Hill Resort

34 Sticks & Stones Desgin Group

31 The Cottages

47 The Herbal-Health Centre

36 Third Space Coffee

35 West Harbour

CONTENTS34 Argus Properties

38 Beachcomber Home + Leisure

44 Big Audio Productions

34 Bohemian Café & Catering

33 Boyd Autobody & Glass

37 Central Green

34 Country RV

26 DermMedica

28 Dilworth Homes

33 Downtown Vernon Association

32 Fawn Run at The Ponds

39 KGH Foundation

8 SMALL BUSINESS

See how Okanagan small business owners fi nd ways to prosper, fi lling local and international niche markets even in trying economic times

Feature

6 PAUL’S VOICE Real giants, superstars

and Titans

46 REARVIEW Have you got what it takes

to be your own boss?

Plus

On the cover (clockwise): Jason Cox, Ken Carmichael, Janet Cody, Ray Morin, Ragwha Gopal, Sharleen McBain, Steve Jasper, Linda Andersson, Rob Rickard, Salina Colpitts, Jack Borden. Cover and Contents photos by Bruce Kemp.

in their own words

1-7.indd 4 2016-02-26 11:46 AM

okanaganlife.com PROGRESS 2016 5

41 Minstrel Café & Bar

40 PARS Homes

34 Roger Watts Advocacy Debate

39 Scorched Earth Winery

42 Skaha Hills

30 Sleepy’s

27 Sparkling Hill Resort

34 Sticks & Stones Desgin Group

31 The Cottages

47 The Herbal-Health Centre

36 Third Space Coffee

35 West Harbour

CONTENTS34 Argus Properties

38 Beachcomber Home + Leisure

44 Big Audio Productions

34 Bohemian Café & Catering

33 Boyd Autobody & Glass

37 Central Green

34 Country RV

26 DermMedica

28 Dilworth Homes

33 Downtown Vernon Association

32 Fawn Run at The Ponds

39 KGH Foundation

8 SMALL BUSINESS

See how Okanagan small business owners fi nd ways to prosper, fi lling local and international niche markets even in trying economic times

Feature

6 PAUL’S VOICE Real giants, superstars

and Titans

46 REARVIEW Have you got what it takes

to be your own boss?

Plus

On the cover (clockwise): Jason Cox, Ken Carmichael, Janet Cody, Ray Morin, Ragwha Gopal, Sharleen McBain, Steve Jasper, Linda Andersson, Rob Rickard, Salina Colpitts, Jack Borden. Cover and Contents photos by Bruce Kemp.

in their own words

1-7.indd 5 2016-02-26 11:46 AM


Real giants, superstars and TitansIn early March 1989, 60 business people gathered at the Four Season’s Racquet Club in Kelowna to display their per-sonalities for the cover of Okanagan Life’s Progress issue. � is was a hybrid magazine created by Okanagan Lifeand Okanagan Business to celebrate the people, stories and faces behind the great business community that powered the local economy of the day. Perhaps Progress was the � rst Facebook?

In 1992 the Okanagan was bene� t-ting from free market growth or, as it was known, the boom years. � ese Cover Men and Cover Women were the giants, the superstars and the Titans of the local economy. Perhaps you see a friend or neighbour? One thing’s for sure — all 60 put their best face forward.

Notice that nobody is texting, Yelp-ing or Flickring? No cat videos? Have you StumbledUpon one of them Snap-Chatting, Googling, hogging their space or MySpace for that matter? No! Digg deeper and you’ll see these LinkedIn businesses Tweet great respect, shout Yahoo and show great Bing for one another. No blogging or Technorati crappy here. � is is simply a great cover of 60 interesting souls who are focused, attentive and, best of all, in the moment.

Exceptional value with local media� e 1992 issue of Progress probably registered 300,000 to 400,000 read-ers — real readers who were in� uenced to buy local products and services. � e 2016 version you are reading will reg-ister over half a million total readers. Newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and other local media have served the Okanagan in good and honest ways also.

� e most corrupt place on EarthDid you know that thousands of journal-ists, business leaders, politicians, lawyers and judges agree that Wall Street is the most corrupt place on Earth? Bernie Sanders is running for president of the

PAUL’S VOICE

United States on the platform that Wall Street is rigged and he has pledged to break up the big banks. Feel the Bern!

Digital media, unfortunately, is Wall Street’s newest baby. Years ago when Wall Street realized that digital advertising was actually a poor advertis-ing platform, they did what Wall Street does best — they lied. First, they created bots that mimic human behavior so well the clicks and page views seem like real people on the ROI reports, graphs and charts. � en they doubled-down with a media blitz claiming that digital media is so star-spangled-spectacular, that digital advertisers could walk on water and that all traditional media would die a slow and painful death.

Tom Foremski of the Silicon Valley Watcher sees it this way: “Advertising fraud, where large brands buy cheap tra� c that is not seen by anyone but provides audience numbers that look good, is costing the media industry bil-lions of dollars in annual losses. Some estimates are as low as $6 billion a year by the advertising trade association to as high as $18 billion by the Wall Street Journal. � is money would have gone to media companies. � e media industry thinks of it as an advertising industry problem. Ad budgets are not cut but newsroom jobs continue to be lost. At $6 billion — the lowest estimate — it would pay for a lot of newsroom jobs. Ad fraud is rife and no one is charged or arrested. � e media industry is having trouble enough surviving on the low ad revenues. You would think it would be up in arms over this daylight robbery. It shows again, how little the media indus-try understands the new economy.”

Covert partnersSuppose your best friend jumped into your car on a sunny Okanagan a� ernoon and yelled—drive! You blast away and a few blocks later, he informs you he’s just robbed a bank and is happy you

saved him from the RCMP. Wall Street invites many partners to join them this way, and many do. Many have.

� e bots that pose as real people are there for one reason — to deceive. � e digital web has become so toxic that only 5% to 25% of digital ads are seen by a human. � e rest are bogus. � e pretty graphs and charts complete the illusion. Advertisers are being � eeced but feel like they’re in a marketing fairy tale.

� ree rational and emotional points1 – Ad blocking is on the rise with

some 24% of all computers using ad blocking so� ware. No one’s fault here, it’s just that technology giveth and technology can taketh away. Estimates predict that nearly all computers will have some ad blockers installed by 2019.

2 – Broken defaults, bot tra� c and straight-up fraud are creating pretty graphs and charts, but the reality is most online ads are not seen by real people. � is bot problem has infected the entire web, making all digital advertising corrupt and fraudulent.

3 – Monopolies are anti-small busi-ness. � ey are like vampire squids that suck the lifeblood out of small com-munities. Google is a world monopoly. Instead of an Okanagan search engine or a Canadian search engine, we’re forced to use Google, which owns 95% of search in Canada. Apple, Facebook and Twitter are also monopolies and should be broken up as our laws call for.

� e real giants, supestars and Titans shop local. � at, my friends, is Progress. shop local. � at, my friends, is Progress

John Paul Byrnepublisher/[email protected]

1-7.indd 6 2016-02-26 11:46 AM


Real giants, superstars and TitansIn early March 1989, 60 business people gathered at the Four Season’s Racquet Club in Kelowna to display their per-sonalities for the cover of Okanagan Life’s Progress issue. � is was a hybrid magazine created by Okanagan Lifeand Okanagan Business to celebrate the people, stories and faces behind the great business community that powered the local economy of the day. Perhaps Progress was the � rst Facebook?

In 1992 the Okanagan was bene� t-ting from free market growth or, as it was known, the boom years. � ese Cover Men and Cover Women were the giants, the superstars and the Titans of the local economy. Perhaps you see a friend or neighbour? One thing’s for sure — all 60 put their best face forward.

Notice that nobody is texting, Yelp-ing or Flickring? No cat videos? Have you StumbledUpon one of them Snap-Chatting, Googling, hogging their space or MySpace for that matter? No! Digg deeper and you’ll see these LinkedIn businesses Tweet great respect, shout Yahoo and show great Bing for one another. No blogging or Technorati crappy here. � is is simply a great cover of 60 interesting souls who are focused, attentive and, best of all, in the moment.

Exceptional value with local media� e 1992 issue of Progress probably registered 300,000 to 400,000 read-ers — real readers who were in� uenced to buy local products and services. � e 2016 version you are reading will reg-ister over half a million total readers. Newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and other local media have served the Okanagan in good and honest ways also.

� e most corrupt place on EarthDid you know that thousands of journal-ists, business leaders, politicians, lawyers and judges agree that Wall Street is the most corrupt place on Earth? Bernie Sanders is running for president of the

PAUL’S VOICE

United States on the platform that Wall Street is rigged and he has pledged to break up the big banks. Feel the Bern!

Digital media, unfortunately, is Wall Street’s newest baby. Years ago when Wall Street realized that digital advertising was actually a poor advertis-ing platform, they did what Wall Street does best — they lied. First, they created bots that mimic human behavior so well the clicks and page views seem like real people on the ROI reports, graphs and charts. � en they doubled-down with a media blitz claiming that digital media is so star-spangled-spectacular, that digital advertisers could walk on water and that all traditional media would die a slow and painful death.

Tom Foremski of the Silicon Valley Watcher sees it this way: “Advertising fraud, where large brands buy cheap tra� c that is not seen by anyone but provides audience numbers that look good, is costing the media industry bil-lions of dollars in annual losses. Some estimates are as low as $6 billion a year by the advertising trade association to as high as $18 billion by the Wall Street Journal. � is money would have gone to media companies. � e media industry thinks of it as an advertising industry problem. Ad budgets are not cut but newsroom jobs continue to be lost. At $6 billion — the lowest estimate — it would pay for a lot of newsroom jobs. Ad fraud is rife and no one is charged or arrested. � e media industry is having trouble enough surviving on the low ad revenues. You would think it would be up in arms over this daylight robbery. It shows again, how little the media indus-try understands the new economy.”

Covert partnersSuppose your best friend jumped into your car on a sunny Okanagan a� ernoon and yelled—drive! You blast away and a few blocks later, he informs you he’s just robbed a bank and is happy you

saved him from the RCMP. Wall Street invites many partners to join them this way, and many do. Many have.

� e bots that pose as real people are there for one reason — to deceive. � e digital web has become so toxic that only 5% to 25% of digital ads are seen by a human. � e rest are bogus. � e pretty graphs and charts complete the illusion. Advertisers are being � eeced but feel like they’re in a marketing fairy tale.

� ree rational and emotional points1 – Ad blocking is on the rise with

some 24% of all computers using ad blocking so� ware. No one’s fault here, it’s just that technology giveth and technology can taketh away. Estimates predict that nearly all computers will have some ad blockers installed by 2019.

2 – Broken defaults, bot tra� c and straight-up fraud are creating pretty graphs and charts, but the reality is most online ads are not seen by real people. � is bot problem has infected the entire web, making all digital advertising corrupt and fraudulent.

3 – Monopolies are anti-small busi-ness. � ey are like vampire squids that suck the lifeblood out of small com-munities. Google is a world monopoly. Instead of an Okanagan search engine or a Canadian search engine, we’re forced to use Google, which owns 95% of search in Canada. Apple, Facebook and Twitter are also monopolies and should be broken up as our laws call for.

� e real giants, supestars and Titans shop local. � at, my friends, is Progress.

John Paul Byrnepublisher/[email protected]


1-7.indd 7 2016-02-26 11:46 AM

POSITIVE Okanagan small business owners maintain optimistic outlook for regional economy

PROSPECTS

Positive prospects-LC-V4.indd 8 2016-02-26 11:53 AM


POSITIVE Okanagan small business owners maintain optimistic outlook for regional economy

PROSPECTSPOSITIVE Okanagan small business owners maintain

optimistic outlook for regional economy

PROSPECTS

Story and photos by Bruce Kemp

A wide range of small businesses

from personal, fi nancial and high

tech services to retail and

hospitality fi nd success in the

Okanagan by fi lling niche markets

here is the Okanagan econo-my headed? � at’s the ques-tion on everyone’s mind these days. With the crash in oil prices and a stock market tank-ing, largely based on China’s economic output, do we have

any wiggle room to prosper and grow here in the Valley? According to local business people, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes” — but with some understand-ing and strategies to deal with current conditions.

One of the reasons it’s so hard to assess what’s going on is the lag time for data to be collected and factored into the overall picture. Many surveys on which economists base their predictions are several years old and don’t take into account recent events that sandbag their assumptions.

WLabour marketAccording to the WorkBC website, the latest numbers for the � ompson-Okanagan regions show a total popula-tion of 433,000 people with 244,300 in their working years (aged 15 to 64). As of December 2016, overall regional unemployment sat at 7.3%, while Kelowna fared a little better with 6.6%. � is lower unemployment � gure is not surprising as the Central Okanagan/Kelowna region is the most urbanized population (82% urban as opposed to 28% rural) of the � ve districts within the region.

Interesting, because despite the disparity in urban vs. rural population, the largest employment generator in the � ompson/Okanagan is the agricultural sector, with 23.2% of the total number of jobs. Kelowna is the anomaly in the equation because, as Kelowna Chamber of Commerce presi-dent Ken Carmichael points out, “Kelowna is a city, not just a retirement community, and businesses want to locate here.”

8-25.indd 9 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


Across the province in 2014 (these numbers may have changed since the oil and stock market crashes of the past eighteen months) the Thompson/Okanagan region ranked fifth in a list of six regions for full-time employment.

However, the market outlook for job creation from 2014 to 2024 predicted an increase of 37.5% in new jobs and 62.5% for replacement jobs — due to retirement, outf low emigration and other causes.

Other groups with a vested interest are watching the Okanagan closely. The Central Okanagan Development Commission asked Malatest Program Evaluation and Market Research to complete a labour market outlook study. The study was released on June 16, 2014 and covers the period from 2014 to 2020.

Oil prices were starting to wobble by this point, but they hadn’t crashed to the near record lows of 2015. China’s woes were some distance in the future and that economy was still considered the bright star the world’s trading nations would follow to prosperity.

Kelowna is a city, not just a retirement

community, and businesses want

to locate here.”

Ken CarmichaelKelowna Chamber of Commerce President

Ken Carmichael, president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, in the city’s popular Pandosy Village, a haven of small business success.

Source: Malatest Program Evaluation and Market Research.

47%of the regional workforce has

only a high school diploma

Employment numbers2014-2020

� e Malatest study took a pretty sobering look at local conditions. On the plus side, it predicts an increase in the workforce: 18.5% in the six years post 2014. But there’s a problem: our workforce is ill-suited to answer the needs. New positions opening up will demand an educated workforce. About two thirds of all new hires will require some post-secondary education. As of 2014, 47% of the local workforce only had a high school diploma.

Since its creation as a province, BC has had a resource-based economy. When you could make big wages cutting down trees or digging rocks out of the ground, an education seemed unnecessary. Because of this, British Columbia has not placed the same emphasis on higher education as other provinces. � e Malatest study ranks BC as eighth overall in terms of provinces whose workers have an undergraduate degree or equivalent. Even in engineering there’s a lag. � e national average is 46.1 engineers for every 100,000 people. BC produces only 27.7 engineering grads. We could train more, but � rst we have to put the programs and seats in place.

� e Malatest study predicts that unemployment rates should remain close to stable until 2020. It does predict a slight climb, 0.5% over the six years, but there will be changes in the make-up of the workforce. � e number of men participating in full time employment will decrease by 0.3% while the number of women will increase by 1.3%.

One of the facts of life in the Okanagan is that its population is grey-heavy. Out of the more than 400,000 residents, 45.9% are over the age of 50 — BC’s average is 38.6% — and there are fewer people working here — 63.3% compared to 68.5% provincially. � e study anticipates that only 4.8% of the total population will reach working age (15+ years) by 2020.

Valley demographics are also highly subject to migration patterns. Immigration policy, household development and real estate prices all have their impact.

As real estate prices rise in Vancouver and baby boomers reach the end of their working lives, they are migrating east into the Okanagan. Fi� y-� ve per cent of our in� ow comes from within BC. Many of those people are arriving from the coastal markets with wads of cash generated by runaway housing prices and they have no intention of working here. Internally, we’re seeing people on the move to Kelowna from the north and south ends of the Valley to take advantage of city amenities and better employment opportunities. In� ow relocations from other provinces and outside Canada comprise 37.6% and 7.4% respectively. At the same time, there is a de� nite out� ow of population from BC. Between 2006 and 2012, nearly 81,000 people le� the province producing a net population increase of slightly more than 22,500 new residents.

-0.3%Men

participating in full time employment

+1.3%Women


0

1

55%from

within BC

37.6%from other provinces

7.4%from other countries

Okanagan infl ow

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 20200

20

40

60

80

18.5%

Workforce increase

Okanagan workers will provide only 69.4% to 52.3% of new hires

0

20

10

30

40

50

60

52.3%

69.4%

Regional workforce education level

Small business employment in the private sector

54%

Changes in full time employment

8-25.indd 10 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


Across the province in 2014 (these numbers may have changed since the oil and stock market crashes of the past eighteen months) the Thompson/Okanagan region ranked fifth in a list of six regions for full-time employment.

However, the market outlook for job creation from 2014 to 2024 predicted an increase of 37.5% in new jobs and 62.5% for replacement jobs — due to retirement, outf low emigration and other causes.

Other groups with a vested interest are watching the Okanagan closely. The Central Okanagan Development Commission asked Malatest Program Evaluation and Market Research to complete a labour market outlook study. The study was released on June 16, 2014 and covers the period from 2014 to 2020.

Oil prices were starting to wobble by this point, but they hadn’t crashed to the near record lows of 2015. China’s woes were some distance in the future and that economy was still considered the bright star the world’s trading nations would follow to prosperity.

Kelowna is a city, not just a retirement

community, and businesses want

to locate here.”

Ken CarmichaelKelowna Chamber of Commerce President

Ken Carmichael, president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, in the city’s popular Pandosy Village, a haven of small business success.

Source: Malatest Program Evaluation and Market Research.

47%of the regional workforce has

only a high school diploma

Employment numbers2014-2020

� e Malatest study took a pretty sobering look at local conditions. On the plus side, it predicts an increase in the workforce: 18.5% in the six years post 2014. But there’s a problem: our workforce is ill-suited to answer the needs. New positions opening up will demand an educated workforce. About two thirds of all new hires will require some post-secondary education. As of 2014, 47% of the local workforce only had a high school diploma.

Since its creation as a province, BC has had a resource-based economy. When you could make big wages cutting down trees or digging rocks out of the ground, an education seemed unnecessary. Because of this, British Columbia has not placed the same emphasis on higher education as other provinces. � e Malatest study ranks BC as eighth overall in terms of provinces whose workers have an undergraduate degree or equivalent. Even in engineering there’s a lag. � e national average is 46.1 engineers for every 100,000 people. BC produces only 27.7 engineering grads. We could train more, but � rst we have to put the programs and seats in place.

� e Malatest study predicts that unemployment rates should remain close to stable until 2020. It does predict a slight climb, 0.5% over the six years, but there will be changes in the make-up of the workforce. � e number of men participating in full time employment will decrease by 0.3% while the number of women will increase by 1.3%.

One of the facts of life in the Okanagan is that its population is grey-heavy. Out of the more than 400,000 residents, 45.9% are over the age of 50 — BC’s average is 38.6% — and there are fewer people working here — 63.3% compared to 68.5% provincially. � e study anticipates that only 4.8% of the total population will reach working age (15+ years) by 2020.

Valley demographics are also highly subject to migration patterns. Immigration policy, household development and real estate prices all have their impact.

As real estate prices rise in Vancouver and baby boomers reach the end of their working lives, they are migrating east into the Okanagan. Fi� y-� ve per cent of our in� ow comes from within BC. Many of those people are arriving from the coastal markets with wads of cash generated by runaway housing prices and they have no intention of working here. Internally, we’re seeing people on the move to Kelowna from the north and south ends of the Valley to take advantage of city amenities and better employment opportunities. In� ow relocations from other provinces and outside Canada comprise 37.6% and 7.4% respectively. At the same time, there is a de� nite out� ow of population from BC. Between 2006 and 2012, nearly 81,000 people le� the province producing a net population increase of slightly more than 22,500 new residents.

-0.3%Men


+1.3%Women


0

1

55%from

within BC

37.6%from other provinces

7.4%from other countries

Okanagan infl ow

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 20200

20

40

60

80

18.5%

Workforce increase

Okanagan workers will provide only 69.4% to 52.3% of new hires

0

20

10

30

40

50

60

52.3%

69.4%

Regional workforce education level

Small business employment in the private sector

54%

Changes in full time employment

8-25.indd 11 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


Agriculture remains the single largest

small business sector in the Okanagan, but independent

tradespeople and small manufacturers also fi nd their niche.

� e Malatest study also points out the fact that the Okanagan Region cannot depend on traditional business models any longer if it hopes to grow. In the future, we may not be labouring to cut down trees. New and proposed trade agreements like the TransPaci� c Partnership will put shut to that.

� e study’s authors go on to point out that as our current labour pool stands, Okanagan workers will only be able to � ll somewhere between 52.3% and 69.4% of all new hires.

We will always have tourism creating jobs in the Okanagan. At best, the majority of those will be

low-paid, seasonal positions. To earn a living income in the Valley, a person must be in � elds like the trades, medicine or education. � e alternative for people without the requisite training to work in any of these is to attempt to build a small business.

has eroded their income base. For them, a small business is just a way to make ends meet. It’s a waiting game for the high-paying northern camp jobs to come back. When they do, the trades people will return to that industry as soon as possible.

Others need work to stay in the Okanagan and enjoy its life-style. � ey see small business as a means to an end. It’s a way to pay for real estate and ski li� tickets. For more than a few, a small busi-ness is the di� erence between the grocery store and the food bank. Still others see small business as a way of realizing their passions.

All that being said, there is a remarkable level of entrepreneur-ial enthusiasm here. Many of the

Valley’s younger residents see small business as a way to employ their cre-ative skills, or avoid low-paying ser-vice and retail employment, thereby avoiding the necessity to move to larger centres to make a decent living.

� e proof of this pudding lies in Kelowna Chamber of Commerce membership. � e second largest such organization in BC outside the Lower Mainland, it acts on behalf of 1,300 businesses and their 25,000 plus employees. Penticton’s chamber has another 600 members on its list and the Greater Vernon Chamber advertises 750. � ere are more still in smaller centres like Osoyoos. Roughly 2,700 mem-bers belong to the various o� cial chambers throughout the Valley.

Small business According to the federal govern-ment website, a small business is one that employs from � ve to 99 people, while the BC de� nition is one to 49 employees. Statistics reported on the provincial government website indicate that small business employs 54% of private sector employees. Federally, companies with fewer than � ve employees are considered micro-businesses while provincially no such distinction is made. Because some are registered and some are not, it’s hard to determine how many micro-sized companies there are locally. Many of these micro-businesses are one-person shops.

BC and Saskatchewan are tied as the top provinces for small busi-ness with 82.6 companies per capita. � is doesn’t necessarily re� ect an entrepreneurial spirit. In a number of instances it may simply mean that Employment Insurance has run out and starting a small business is the only way to feed a family when there’s no other work in the region.

� ese smaller Okanagan businesses work within the narrow market of the Valley, selling their products or services locally. � ey include the dry-wall installers, roofers, driveway pavers, wedding photographers and one-man electrical services.

For many of these people, start-ing a pro� table and ongoing busi-ness is a struggle for a number of reasons. In the case of trades people with viable industrial construction skills, the collapse of the Oil Patch

These smaller Okanagan businesses work within the narrow market of the Valley, selling their products or services locally. They include the dry-wall installers, roofers, driveway pavers, wedding photographers and one-man electrical services.”

8-25.indd 12 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


Agriculture remains the single largest

small business sector in the Okanagan, but independent

tradespeople and small manufacturers also fi nd their niche.

� e Malatest study also points out the fact that the Okanagan Region cannot depend on traditional business models any longer if it hopes to grow. In the future, we may not be labouring to cut down trees. New and proposed trade agreements like the TransPaci� c Partnership will put shut to that.

� e study’s authors go on to point out that as our current labour pool stands, Okanagan workers will only be able to � ll somewhere between 52.3% and 69.4% of all new hires.

We will always have tourism creating jobs in the Okanagan. At best, the majority of those will be

low-paid, seasonal positions. To earn a living income in the Valley, a person must be in � elds like the trades, medicine or education. � e alternative for people without the requisite training to work in any of these is to attempt to build a small business.

has eroded their income base. For them, a small business is just a way to make ends meet. It’s a waiting game for the high-paying northern camp jobs to come back. When they do, the trades people will return to that industry as soon as possible.

Others need work to stay in the Okanagan and enjoy its life-style. � ey see small business as a means to an end. It’s a way to pay for real estate and ski li� tickets. For more than a few, a small busi-ness is the di� erence between the grocery store and the food bank. Still others see small business as a way of realizing their passions.

All that being said, there is a remarkable level of entrepreneur-ial enthusiasm here. Many of the

Valley’s younger residents see small business as a way to employ their cre-ative skills, or avoid low-paying ser-vice and retail employment, thereby avoiding the necessity to move to larger centres to make a decent living.

� e proof of this pudding lies in Kelowna Chamber of Commerce membership. � e second largest such organization in BC outside the Lower Mainland, it acts on behalf of 1,300 businesses and their 25,000 plus employees. Penticton’s chamber has another 600 members on its list and the Greater Vernon Chamber advertises 750. � ere are more still in smaller centres like Osoyoos. Roughly 2,700 mem-bers belong to the various o� cial chambers throughout the Valley.

Small business According to the federal govern-ment website, a small business is one that employs from � ve to 99 people, while the BC de� nition is one to 49 employees. Statistics reported on the provincial government website indicate that small business employs 54% of private sector employees. Federally, companies with fewer than � ve employees are considered micro-businesses while provincially no such distinction is made. Because some are registered and some are not, it’s hard to determine how many micro-sized companies there are locally. Many of these micro-businesses are one-person shops.

BC and Saskatchewan are tied as the top provinces for small busi-ness with 82.6 companies per capita. � is doesn’t necessarily re� ect an entrepreneurial spirit. In a number of instances it may simply mean that Employment Insurance has run out and starting a small business is the only way to feed a family when there’s no other work in the region.

� ese smaller Okanagan businesses work within the narrow market of the Valley, selling their products or services locally. � ey include the dry-wall installers, roofers, driveway pavers, wedding photographers and one-man electrical services.

For many of these people, start-ing a pro� table and ongoing busi-ness is a struggle for a number of reasons. In the case of trades people with viable industrial construction skills, the collapse of the Oil Patch

These smaller Okanagan businesses work within the narrow market of the Valley, selling their products or services locally. They include the dry-wall installers, roofers, driveway pavers, wedding photographers and one-man electrical services.”

8-25.indd 13 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


It is now possible to build

a billion dollar company on your couch…

in the Okanagan.”

Ragwha Gopal Accelerate Okanagan CEO

Accelerate Okanagan CEO Ragwha Gopal with marketing and business relations director Jennifer Lewis, working to help small businesses succeed in the information economy.

High-tech solutionsStrong e� orts are being made by government-funded agencies like Accelerate Okanagan to become part of the new information economy .

CEO Ragwha Gopal is quick to point out that there are 86,600 tech jobs in BC today and that number is growing. He also notes, “that BC tech sector wages are 60% higher than the provincial average.” Part of Accelerate Okanagan’s pitch in promoting the tech sector is that, “It is now possible to build a billion dollar company on your couch… in the Okanagan.”

Although the statement may be a little ambitious, there are certainly a number of small business people who have succeeded in making sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Lane Merri� eld, Lance Priebe and Dave Krysko started Club Penguin in Kelowna on their credit cards and personal lines of credit. A� er test-ing their product through a variety of web applications, they o� cially launched in 2005. Two years later they were boasting a user-base of 12-mil-lion kids generating annual sales of $40-million. � is caught the atten-tion of the Disney mega-corp, which purchased the business for $350-mil-lion with promises of roughly another $350-million through bonuses.

So it can be done — just not to the billion-dollar level yet — but it is coming.

� e province is staking a lot on information technology and high tech manufacturing. It believes this sector will be our next economic base and through these businesses, the rest of Okanagan businesses will bene� t from the trickle down e� ect.

Information technology is one of the new global businesses that know no political boundaries. It’s based in California and India, Australia and the Philippines, China and Korea, Germany and France. In fact IT and high tech is being developed just about anywhere there is an electrical and Internet connection. It is also becom-ing a prominent feature on the land-scape of Okanagan business. Locally,

8-25.indd 14 2016-02-26 11:54 AM


It is now possible to build

a billion dollar company on your couch…

in the Okanagan.”

Ragwha Gopal Accelerate Okanagan CEO

Accelerate Okanagan CEO Ragwha Gopal with marketing and business relations director Jennifer Lewis, working to help small businesses succeed in the information economy.

High-tech solutionsStrong e� orts are being made by government-funded agencies like Accelerate Okanagan to become part of the new information economy .

CEO Ragwha Gopal is quick to point out that there are 86,600 tech jobs in BC today and that number is growing. He also notes, “that BC tech sector wages are 60% higher than the provincial average.” Part of Accelerate Okanagan’s pitch in promoting the tech sector is that, “It is now possible to build a billion dollar company on your couch… in the Okanagan.”

Although the statement may be a little ambitious, there are certainly a number of small business people who have succeeded in making sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Lane Merri� eld, Lance Priebe and Dave Krysko started Club Penguin in Kelowna on their credit cards and personal lines of credit. A� er test-ing their product through a variety of web applications, they o� cially launched in 2005. Two years later they were boasting a user-base of 12-mil-lion kids generating annual sales of $40-million. � is caught the atten-tion of the Disney mega-corp, which purchased the business for $350-mil-lion with promises of roughly another $350-million through bonuses.

So it can be done — just not to the billion-dollar level yet — but it is coming.

� e province is staking a lot on information technology and high tech manufacturing. It believes this sector will be our next economic base and through these businesses, the rest of Okanagan businesses will bene� t from the trickle down e� ect.

Information technology is one of the new global businesses that know no political boundaries. It’s based in California and India, Australia and the Philippines, China and Korea, Germany and France. In fact IT and high tech is being developed just about anywhere there is an electrical and Internet connection. It is also becom-ing a prominent feature on the land-scape of Okanagan business. Locally,

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� nally turned to HSBC to get his funding. Since then business has pro-gressed and the company has grown.

“If you’re not set up with a bank,” he advises start-ups, “and don’t need them, it’s best to avoid them.” However, he adds, “…Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust (SIDIT) is an excellent avenue to explore for � nancing and grants.”

While new contracts have arrived from as far away as Australia, Veitch still faces many of the problems of other small businesses. “We don’t do much business here [in Canada] and the market for our product has taken some hits recently. Bell Helicopters is down about 15%. But we still do a lot of contract manufac-turing for companies like Cobham and we’ve taken on a great new con-tract with Skytrac, a local company, and we’re negotiating with some big new names from California.”

On the brighter side, “� e Canadian dollar has gone in the right direction for us, dropping like it did. We still have some material

it’s a billion-dollar enterprise with 558 businesses employing 6,551 people. � irty-eight per cent of these are under the age of 34 and 27% are female. Each company averages eight employees.

� is sector can be confusing. If you’re over 50, it’s likely you may not be fully knowledgeable in the various areas of the IT world. To keep it simple, 36% of the total IT companies pro-duce technology so� ware (programs used for everything from designing products to instructing a robot how to build those products) and services (actually operating those programs for clients and building websites); 33% are involved in new media (social media being a prime example — think Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and Internet technologies (provid-ing speci� c working platforms — like shopping cart programs — for a vari-ety of businesses); 11% are involved in life sciences and biotech; 8% produce products used in environmental tech-nology; 8% are in the electronics and peripheral � eld; with 3% working for the aviation and aerospace industry.

So far, this has generated $42.8-million in revenues pro-vincially and added 1,138 jobs to the economy. And it has attracted more than $126-million in invest-ments — although it is not clear whether that is local money or comes from investors from outside BC.

Dave Veitch, owner and CEO of Anodyne Electronic Manufacturing (see Okanagan Life Progress 2011) is someone who knows the bene� ts of the high tech industry using modern information technology. Anodyne (AEM) produces instrumentation for helicopters and � xed wing aircra� as well as public address systems to be used on the outside of aircra� . He’s been in business since 2009 when he and his wife Diana purchased the company (then Northern Airborne Technologies) from its parent com-pany, Cobham. � e larger parent was about to move Northern Airborne to the United States when the Veitches made a bold o� er. At � rst it was a struggle. � e major Canadian banks weren’t in a mood to play and Veitch

The Canadian dollar has gone in the

right direction for us, dropping like it did. We

still have some material we need to pay for in US dollars, but local costs, like labour are

all paid for in Canadian dollars because we

manufacture locally.”

Dave VeitchAEM owner

and CEO

Clockwise: CEO Dave

Veitch at the design phase

while AEM skilled workers

complete the manufacturing

process.

8-25.indd 16 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


� nally turned to HSBC to get his funding. Since then business has pro-gressed and the company has grown.

“If you’re not set up with a bank,” he advises start-ups, “and don’t need them, it’s best to avoid them.” However, he adds, “…Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust (SIDIT) is an excellent avenue to explore for � nancing and grants.”

While new contracts have arrived from as far away as Australia, Veitch still faces many of the problems of other small businesses. “We don’t do much business here [in Canada] and the market for our product has taken some hits recently. Bell Helicopters is down about 15%. But we still do a lot of contract manufac-turing for companies like Cobham and we’ve taken on a great new con-tract with Skytrac, a local company, and we’re negotiating with some big new names from California.”

On the brighter side, “� e Canadian dollar has gone in the right direction for us, dropping like it did. We still have some material

it’s a billion-dollar enterprise with 558 businesses employing 6,551 people. � irty-eight per cent of these are under the age of 34 and 27% are female. Each company averages eight employees.

� is sector can be confusing. If you’re over 50, it’s likely you may not be fully knowledgeable in the various areas of the IT world. To keep it simple, 36% of the total IT companies pro-duce technology so� ware (programs used for everything from designing products to instructing a robot how to build those products) and services (actually operating those programs for clients and building websites); 33% are involved in new media (social media being a prime example — think Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and Internet technologies (provid-ing speci� c working platforms — like shopping cart programs — for a vari-ety of businesses); 11% are involved in life sciences and biotech; 8% produce products used in environmental tech-nology; 8% are in the electronics and peripheral � eld; with 3% working for the aviation and aerospace industry.

So far, this has generated $42.8-million in revenues pro-vincially and added 1,138 jobs to the economy. And it has attracted more than $126-million in invest-ments — although it is not clear whether that is local money or comes from investors from outside BC.

Dave Veitch, owner and CEO of Anodyne Electronic Manufacturing (see Okanagan Life Progress 2011) is someone who knows the bene� ts of the high tech industry using modern information technology. Anodyne (AEM) produces instrumentation for helicopters and � xed wing aircra� as well as public address systems to be used on the outside of aircra� . He’s been in business since 2009 when he and his wife Diana purchased the company (then Northern Airborne Technologies) from its parent com-pany, Cobham. � e larger parent was about to move Northern Airborne to the United States when the Veitches made a bold o� er. At � rst it was a struggle. � e major Canadian banks weren’t in a mood to play and Veitch

The Canadian dollar has gone in the

right direction for us, dropping like it did. We

still have some material we need to pay for in US dollars, but local costs, like labour are

all paid for in Canadian dollars because we

manufacture locally.”

Dave VeitchAEM owner

and CEO

Clockwise: CEO Dave

Veitch at the design phase

while AEM skilled workers

complete the manufacturing

process.

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8-25.indd 17 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


we need to pay for in US dollars, but local costs, like labour are all paid for in Canadian dollars because we manufacture locally.”

� e P.A. (public address) sys-tem is a burgeoning business. AEM refreshed the product, developing new speakers and ampli� ers. � e market for these is with police and � re� ghters as well as search and rescue. “A couple of years ago when they had all that � ooding in Calgary, the emergency workers � ew over the endangered suburbs warning people about the rising waters and the need to evacuate,” Veitch explains.

“We’re also making master cau-tion panels for helicopters. � ey’re basically check engine lights for pilots. � ey used to have incandes-cent lights behind them, but these old systems used to fail because of the aircra� ’s vibrations. Now we’re making them with LED lights and the manufacturers and service techs love using them because they are a retro� t that goes into the same slot the old panels used to use.”

Veitch does have some con-

cerns about doing business in BC. “WorkSafe BC is an absolute night-mare to work with, as is the rest of the provincial government. � eir regula-tions are convoluted and unclear.”

One of his biggest problems is getting sta� . Local techs trained by Okanagan College come with a bit of knowledge — particularly in the supply management area — but they don’t know how to improve processes. Veitch hires them in the summer and teaches them so they will become a valuable asset. Too many want Veitch to train them in this area and therein lies another problem. Many won’t be bothered to undertake the training on their own if they have to pay for it themselves.

“As far as training goes, BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) does have good programs and so does Accelerate Okanagan.”

Veitch continually works to learn more about business himself. He is part of a group of owners that meets once a month under Peter Je� rey, president of Okanagan Peer Mentoring Groups, for private courses.

ConstructionLocally, one of the best sectors to be in a� er high tech is residential construction. Rob Rickard who owns Hotwire Electric, along with his wife Salina Colpitts, has been installing and upgrading electrical systems throughout the Valley since 1994 and he’s seen both the good and bad sides of small business.

“We are as busy as we have been for the past two to three years and business is good, but challenging.”

� ere are a few concerns that would make it easier to do business in the Valley. “Fuel costs could be lowered,” whether by a reduction at the pumps or increased tax rebates. “A� ordable housing makes it hard to pay a living wage. Real estate prices have to come down and we need to have a cap on the amount of contractors in a region, like the taxicabs,” says Rickard.

“I love the business and I’ve been blessed to have a great manager (Wayne Warner) working with me along with my wife. Wayne’s dad acted as my mentor when I was starting out so I owe him a lot.

Rob Rickard has found success serving the residential construction sector with his company Hotwire Electric. Right: working on plans with his wife Salina Colpitts.

“Doing business in the Valley can be a pain in the *** at times when you are working with the trades. My big-gest problem is � nding good, reliable people. � ey want big money, the kind they were earning in the oil patch, and that just isn’t possible in the Valley. Out clients aren’t major corporations.

We are as busy as we have been for the past two to three years and business is good, but challenging.”

Rob RickardOwner of Hotwire Electric

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8-25.indd 19 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


we need to pay for in US dollars, but local costs, like labour are all paid for in Canadian dollars because we manufacture locally.”

� e P.A. (public address) sys-tem is a burgeoning business. AEM refreshed the product, developing new speakers and ampli� ers. � e market for these is with police and � re� ghters as well as search and rescue. “A couple of years ago when they had all that � ooding in Calgary, the emergency workers � ew over the endangered suburbs warning people about the rising waters and the need to evacuate,” Veitch explains.

“We’re also making master cau-tion panels for helicopters. � ey’re basically check engine lights for pilots. � ey used to have incandes-cent lights behind them, but these old systems used to fail because of the aircra� ’s vibrations. Now we’re making them with LED lights and the manufacturers and service techs love using them because they are a retro� t that goes into the same slot the old panels used to use.”

Veitch does have some con-

cerns about doing business in BC. “WorkSafe BC is an absolute night-mare to work with, as is the rest of the provincial government. � eir regula-tions are convoluted and unclear.”

One of his biggest problems is getting sta� . Local techs trained by Okanagan College come with a bit of knowledge — particularly in the supply management area — but they don’t know how to improve processes. Veitch hires them in the summer and teaches them so they will become a valuable asset. Too many want Veitch to train them in this area and therein lies another problem. Many won’t be bothered to undertake the training on their own if they have to pay for it themselves.

“As far as training goes, BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) does have good programs and so does Accelerate Okanagan.”

Veitch continually works to learn more about business himself. He is part of a group of owners that meets once a month under Peter Je� rey, president of Okanagan Peer Mentoring Groups, for private courses.

ConstructionLocally, one of the best sectors to be in a� er high tech is residential construction. Rob Rickard who owns Hotwire Electric, along with his wife Salina Colpitts, has been installing and upgrading electrical systems throughout the Valley since 1994 and he’s seen both the good and bad sides of small business.

“We are as busy as we have been for the past two to three years and business is good, but challenging.”

� ere are a few concerns that would make it easier to do business in the Valley. “Fuel costs could be lowered,” whether by a reduction at the pumps or increased tax rebates. “A� ordable housing makes it hard to pay a living wage. Real estate prices have to come down and we need to have a cap on the amount of contractors in a region, like the taxicabs,” says Rickard.

“I love the business and I’ve been blessed to have a great manager (Wayne Warner) working with me along with my wife. Wayne’s dad acted as my mentor when I was starting out so I owe him a lot.

Rob Rickard has found success serving the residential construction sector with his company Hotwire Electric. Right: working on plans with his wife Salina Colpitts.

“Doing business in the Valley can be a pain in the *** at times when you are working with the trades. My big-gest problem is � nding good, reliable people. � ey want big money, the kind they were earning in the oil patch, and that just isn’t possible in the Valley. Out clients aren’t major corporations.

We are as busy as we have been for the past two to three years and business is good, but challenging.”

Rob RickardOwner of Hotwire Electric

8-25.indd 18 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


“During the oil sands boom, I lost 21 guys to the oil sands. They would leave with no notice as soon as the hiring hall called them. That’s been one of the big-gest problems here — the unions poaching my guys. They left for better money and when you look at it that way, you couldn’t blame them, but they left me in the lurch.

“Now with Alberta in the tank, they’re f looding back into the Valley and coming to me for jobs. I can’t trust them to do it again if times improve so I really want to make sure I’ve got dedicated people.

“Many of the guys I don’t hire buy a van, get some supplies and go out on their own. They’re so many of them that there is not enough work so they start slash-ing their rates hoping to pick up jobs here and there. What they’re doing is killing the businesses who are here and who are operating on small enough margins as it is.

“The guys I’ve got now are all pretty good. I don’t need to micromanage them, but when they need expert input, they’re not afraid to come to me or Wayne.”

Rickard, who has experience in Alberta as well as British Columbia, has some concerns about provin-cial regulations. “BC is very lax when it comes to contractor licens-ing. In Alberta, for example, you need a master’s certification as well as business courses to get a contractor’s license, but not here… And the provincial government needs to change the [Builders] Lien Act to make it easier to col-lect debts owed to the company.”

But for all that, Rickard sees his company as a contribut-ing part of the community. He and his team clean windshields at a local McDonald’s drive-through to raise money for Ronald McDonald House on McHappy Day. This unintentionally paid off with new corporate business for his company — proving there is good karma, even in business.

FinanceOne of the stumbling blocks for a lot of bud-ding entrepreneurs is � nancing. Both Veitch and Rickard have been given a tough time by major banks even though they pro-duce sound, needed products. Jason Cox, the president of the Penticton Chamber of Commerce (who also sits of the board of the BC Chamber) has had plenty of experience with � nancing compa-nies, but from the other side of the desk. He was the merchant banking o� cer for a highly respected provincial credit union before striking out on his own.

“From the bank’s perspective a small business should be an investment. People thinking of going into business should start by developing a relationship with their banker. � is can show them

where that particular business sector is head-ed and a banker can also tell them whether their business is looked upon in a friendly light or if the bank has been burned by that particular industry.”

It’s always good to know if a bank has been forced to foreclose on other similar com-panies, resulting in a glut of machinery that isn’t making any mon-ey or servicing the bad debt incurred by the

business. � at relationship will depend on the individual banker. Like junk yard dogs, not all bankers are as friendly as they seem.

Business plans are a requisite for get-ting to the batter’s box let alone � rst base.

“New business people,” Cox says, “should consider at least two business plans to present to the banking institution. Plan A, should demonstrate how the business will

If your wife [or husband] doesn’t

support your business plan,

why should we [the bank]?”

Jason CoxPenticton Chamber of Commerce President

Jason Cox, president of the Penticton Chamber of Commerce, backed by posters for two of the Okanagan’s most important small business sectors, agriculture and tourism.

pay back the loan, provide a living and grow in the market. � at’s ideal. Plan B is: ‘I have equity to borrow against.’ Usually a house or other real estate.”

Anyone going into small busi-ness should have the support of their life partner. “If your wife [or hus-band] doesn’t support your business plan, why should we [the bank]?”

� ere are more ideas out there than good ideas. Some business plans simply show what the business owner thinks the bank will like. Instead, says Cox, “they should be preparing a plan that shows how the business will operate and which they’ll follow.”

Cox, who now operates as a business plan consultant, sees a lot of people who know their trade or service, but don’t know how to make it work. As a banker that’s one of the things he looked for. He also sees people who go into a business because it was a passion and they fantasized about doing this all day long. � e problem is they’re really not interested in actually being in business.

8-25.indd 20 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


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“During the oil sands boom, I lost 21 guys to the oil sands. They would leave with no notice as soon as the hiring hall called them. That’s been one of the big-gest problems here — the unions poaching my guys. They left for better money and when you look at it that way, you couldn’t blame them, but they left me in the lurch.

“Now with Alberta in the tank, they’re f looding back into the Valley and coming to me for jobs. I can’t trust them to do it again if times improve so I really want to make sure I’ve got dedicated people.

“Many of the guys I don’t hire buy a van, get some supplies and go out on their own. They’re so many of them that there is not enough work so they start slash-ing their rates hoping to pick up jobs here and there. What they’re doing is killing the businesses who are here and who are operating on small enough margins as it is.

“The guys I’ve got now are all pretty good. I don’t need to micromanage them, but when they need expert input, they’re not afraid to come to me or Wayne.”

Rickard, who has experience in Alberta as well as British Columbia, has some concerns about provin-cial regulations. “BC is very lax when it comes to contractor licens-ing. In Alberta, for example, you need a master’s certification as well as business courses to get a contractor’s license, but not here… And the provincial government needs to change the [Builders] Lien Act to make it easier to col-lect debts owed to the company.”

But for all that, Rickard sees his company as a contribut-ing part of the community. He and his team clean windshields at a local McDonald’s drive-through to raise money for Ronald McDonald House on McHappy Day. This unintentionally paid off with new corporate business for his company — proving there is good karma, even in business.

FinanceOne of the stumbling blocks for a lot of bud-ding entrepreneurs is � nancing. Both Veitch and Rickard have been given a tough time by major banks even though they pro-duce sound, needed products. Jason Cox, the president of the Penticton Chamber of Commerce (who also sits of the board of the BC Chamber) has had plenty of experience with � nancing compa-nies, but from the other side of the desk. He was the merchant banking o� cer for a highly respected provincial credit union before striking out on his own.

“From the bank’s perspective a small business should be an investment. People thinking of going into business should start by developing a relationship with their banker. � is can show them

where that particular business sector is head-ed and a banker can also tell them whether their business is looked upon in a friendly light or if the bank has been burned by that particular industry.”

It’s always good to know if a bank has been forced to foreclose on other similar com-panies, resulting in a glut of machinery that isn’t making any mon-ey or servicing the bad debt incurred by the

business. � at relationship will depend on the individual banker. Like junk yard dogs, not all bankers are as friendly as they seem.

Business plans are a requisite for get-ting to the batter’s box let alone � rst base.

“New business people,” Cox says, “should consider at least two business plans to present to the banking institution. Plan A, should demonstrate how the business will

If your wife [or husband] doesn’t

support your business plan,

why should we [the bank]?”

Jason CoxPenticton Chamber of Commerce President

Jason Cox, president of the Penticton Chamber of Commerce, backed by posters for two of the Okanagan’s most important small business sectors, agriculture and tourism.

pay back the loan, provide a living and grow in the market. � at’s ideal. Plan B is: ‘I have equity to borrow against.’ Usually a house or other real estate.”

Anyone going into small busi-ness should have the support of their life partner. “If your wife [or hus-band] doesn’t support your business plan, why should we [the bank]?”

� ere are more ideas out there than good ideas. Some business plans simply show what the business owner thinks the bank will like. Instead, says Cox, “they should be preparing a plan that shows how the business will operate and which they’ll follow.”

Cox, who now operates as a business plan consultant, sees a lot of people who know their trade or service, but don’t know how to make it work. As a banker that’s one of the things he looked for. He also sees people who go into a business because it was a passion and they fantasized about doing this all day long. � e problem is they’re really not interested in actually being in business.

The BohemianAN ECLECTIC EATING EXPERIENCE

Visit our new website at www.bohemiancater.com

Picked fresh daily

3443 Benvoulin RD, Kelowna BC V1W 4M5P. 250 860 2557 C. 250 575 7806

[email protected] /DonORayFarms

We are proud to provide superb quality produce from our farm to your family; from our roots to your table. You’ll also fi nd a wide selection of home-made juices, jams, and natural snacks. Try our infamous hot sauce and ever-popular butter chicken sauce for more great fl avour!

[email protected] /DonORayFarms

Kelowna families have trusted Don-O-Ray Vegetables for top

quality produce since the 1960s.

okanaganlife.comokanaganlife.okanaganlife.com

8-25.indd 21 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


Our region’s role in the BC economy Share of provincial jobs by sector

Goods

23.2%Agriculture

Services

8%Public

administration

Goods

12.4%Manufacturing

Services

9.5%Educational

services

Goods

0%Fishing, hunting

and trapping

Services

11.2%Wholesale and

retail trade

Goods

12.8%Construction

Services

6.8%Transportation and

warehousing

Goods

16%Utilities

Goods

21.9%Forestry and logging with

support activities

Services

11.6%Health care and social assistance

Services

10.7%Information, culture and recreation

Top photos by Bruce Kemp; infographic photos contributed.

Janet Cody and Ray Morin followed their personal passion to create a small business, Olive Us Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room in Vernon and Lake Country.

Services

9.5%Educational

services

Services

8.1%Professional, scientifi c and

technical services

Goods

16%Utilities

Services

10.2%Finance, insurance,

real estate and leasing

Services

10.8%Accommodation and food services

Goods

15.6%Mining and oil

and gas extraction

Services

10.5%Business,

building and other support services

Services

9.5%Other services

From passion to profi tSome passions work out. But it takes hard work and total dedication. Ray Morin and Janet Cody, own and operate Olive Us Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room in Vernon and Lake Country. It’s an independent, family-owned business based on their passion for extra virgin olive oil and the sweeter tastes of balsamic vinegar.

Although the food industry and their product is a passion for them, they’ve taken the approach that it is a business. Ray, who is a carpenter by trade, did most of the work remodeling the interiors of their stores. � ey both split their time between Vernon and Lake Country and have brought their daughter, Bailey, into the business to help out and to cut overheads.

“I guess sta� ng is one of our biggest head-aches. We have two employees and could use more, but that’s what the business allows us to have. For Janet and I, our investment is our sweat equity and that’s what’s going to make it work.”

Sharleen McBain has been in business as a hair stylist and the owner of Secret Hair A� air on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna for nine years. She was teaching at Marvel Beauty College when she was laid o� . With a sound knowledge of the trade and the busi-ness, Sharleen took the big step, with the help of the Community Futures program, of opening her own shop.

She has two employees styling hair and a good clien-tele, but it hasn’t been easy. Sharleen faces sti� competi-tion from stylists who keep overheads low by operating out of their homes. “� e di� erence,” she says, “is made up for by the quality of our cuts, a broader range of beauty services and better environment for clients to enjoy.”

Job breakdown source: WorkBC; statistics for 2014.

The diff erence is made up for by the quality of our cuts, a broader range of beauty services and better environment for clients to enjoy.”

Sharleen McBainOwner of Secret Hair Aff air

Sharleen McBain was able to open her own

small business as a hair stylist with the help of

Community Futures.

8-25.indd 22 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


Our region’s role in the BC economy Share of provincial jobs by sector

Goods

23.2%Agriculture

Services

8%Public

administration

Goods

12.4%Manufacturing

Services

9.5%Educational

services

Goods

0%Fishing, hunting

and trapping

Services

11.2%Wholesale and

retail trade

Goods

12.8%Construction

Services

6.8%Transportation and

warehousing

Goods

16%Utilities

Goods

21.9%Forestry and logging with

support activities

Services

11.6%Health care and social assistance

Services

10.7%Information, culture and recreation

Top photos by Bruce Kemp; infographic photos contributed.

Janet Cody and Ray Morin followed their personal passion to create a small business, Olive Us Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room in Vernon and Lake Country.

Services

9.5%Educational

services

Services

8.1%Professional, scientifi c and

technical services

Goods

16%Utilities

Services

10.2%Finance, insurance,

real estate and leasing

Services

10.8%Accommodation and food services

Goods

15.6%Mining and oil

and gas extraction

Services

10.5%Business,

building and other support services

Services

9.5%Other services

From passion to profi tSome passions work out. But it takes hard work and total dedication. Ray Morin and Janet Cody, own and operate Olive Us Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room in Vernon and Lake Country. It’s an independent, family-owned business based on their passion for extra virgin olive oil and the sweeter tastes of balsamic vinegar.

Although the food industry and their product is a passion for them, they’ve taken the approach that it is a business. Ray, who is a carpenter by trade, did most of the work remodeling the interiors of their stores. � ey both split their time between Vernon and Lake Country and have brought their daughter, Bailey, into the business to help out and to cut overheads.

“I guess sta� ng is one of our biggest head-aches. We have two employees and could use more, but that’s what the business allows us to have. For Janet and I, our investment is our sweat equity and that’s what’s going to make it work.”

Sharleen McBain has been in business as a hair stylist and the owner of Secret Hair A� air on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna for nine years. She was teaching at Marvel Beauty College when she was laid o� . With a sound knowledge of the trade and the busi-ness, Sharleen took the big step, with the help of the Community Futures program, of opening her own shop.

She has two employees styling hair and a good clien-tele, but it hasn’t been easy. Sharleen faces sti� competi-tion from stylists who keep overheads low by operating out of their homes. “� e di� erence,” she says, “is made up for by the quality of our cuts, a broader range of beauty services and better environment for clients to enjoy.”

Job breakdown source: WorkBC; statistics for 2014.

The diff erence is made up for by the quality of our cuts, a broader range of beauty services and better environment for clients to enjoy.”

Sharleen McBainOwner of Secret Hair Aff air

Sharleen McBain was able to open her own

small business as a hair stylist with the help of

Community Futures.

8-25.indd 23 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


Creative servicesNot all businesses are based on their aesthetic appeal or making the client look good. Some, like Penticton’s Linda Andersson and Steve Jasper, o� er indispensable services.

Linda makes life simpler for people by helping them orga-nize their o� ces and homes. Originally based in Kelowna, she moved to Penticton for personal reasons. In Kelowna her clientele was more involved with business operations. Her company, Organizing Help, established ergonomic systems and more e� cient � ling architecture to streamline corporate output. However, that all changed when she moved to Penticton and discovered she was dealing in a substantially di� erent market. � ere the demand was to help private individuals make the move from their home to retirement resort communities or care facilities. � ey had to downsize their possessions, but found it di� cult because of emotional attachments. Organizing Help as a business was � exible enough to read the market cor-rectly and change its corporate personality to suit the needs.

Jasper came into the Valley just recently from the indus-trial world. His profession is environmental engineering and he has worked for some of the biggest names in the business advising on di� erent projects including pipelines from Alberta to the Coast. Steve and his wife visited the Okanagan on a week long trip and by the end of it had bought a house in Naramata. For him, this new company (so new his website was only two weeks old when we spoke) is a retirement job. Like a lot of people he views himself as too young to fully retire.

To get things up and running, he joined the chamber of commerce because he doesn’t have a lot of contacts locally. 10

Linda Andersson found varying demographics in diff erent parts of the region profoundly aff ected her service business.

Small business owner and business author Jack Borden encourages would-be entrepreneurs to write a good business plan and follow it.

He sees three advantages to joining the Chamber: “…it’s good for networking; for learning the local business culture; and get-ting the word out about my new business.”

Jasper’s knowledge is his product and it isn’t a� ected by his age. Right now he’s trying to � nd and connect with other small environmental businesses so he can learn from the successful local and regional guys, but there aren’t a lot of local businesses doing similar things. In the end, he views his role as a consultant on environmental issues to corporate entities and First Nations councils who need accurate information for the decisions they will have to undertake.

Steve Jasper is correct in thinking that knowledge has a great deal of value, and he is also correct in understanding that small business requires a concerted e� ort at networking and marketing to make it a success. No one knows that better that Jack Borden who owns and operates Coldstream Meadows, a retire-ment resort community in Vernon.

Borden has been involved in small busi-ness for most of his life, coming to Vernon in 1997 where he opened Westwood Electric. He understands the di� culties in learning how to be an entrepreneur. Most everyone we talked to for this story agrees that there

are good technical and business manage-ment programs being o� ered through UBCO and Okanagan College, but there is little in the way of entrepreneurial training.

“People coming into small business need to know more than how to make a product or create a service,” says Borden. “� ey have to know how to avoid the pitfalls and traps that can o� en come out of nowhere to sink your business, but they also have to know the rewards that are possible.”

In light of this, Borden has written two books to help steer new business people away from dangerous shoals and to encourage them to write a good business plan they can follow: Avoid Small Business Hell and Faster, Cheaper, Better — How to Start and Operate a Business in the Trades, both from Self-Counsel Press.

Would any of these people start a small business again? The answer is yes, but with qualifi cations.

Know your profession or trade thoroughly.

Plan to hire good, dependable people.

Select a business that answers a market need, not one you feel like being in.

Make a good business plan that tells bankers what they want to know and that you can use as a guide for the successful running of your business.

Organize your funding so you have enough to operate with wiggle room.

Take advantage of fi nancing programs like the Business Development Corporation, SIDIT and your own bank, with whom you’ve developed a relationship.

Be fl exible to adapt to changing conditions.

Network to fi nd both clients and people whose experience you can fall back on for advice.

Join the local chamber of commerce and take advantage of their networking and training programs.

Work hard. Your labour is also your capital.

Advice from the trenches

123

4

56

78

9

10

Bruce Kemp is

an Okanagan-

based writer and

photographer

who contributes

to national and

international media.

Engineering consultant Steve Jasper is a big supporter of chambers of commerce as a tool for newcomers to network and get to know the local environment.

8-25.indd 24 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


Creative servicesNot all businesses are based on their aesthetic appeal or making the client look good. Some, like Penticton’s Linda Andersson and Steve Jasper, o� er indispensable services.

Linda makes life simpler for people by helping them orga-nize their o� ces and homes. Originally based in Kelowna, she moved to Penticton for personal reasons. In Kelowna her clientele was more involved with business operations. Her company, Organizing Help, established ergonomic systems and more e� cient � ling architecture to streamline corporate output. However, that all changed when she moved to Penticton and discovered she was dealing in a substantially di� erent market. � ere the demand was to help private individuals make the move from their home to retirement resort communities or care facilities. � ey had to downsize their possessions, but found it di� cult because of emotional attachments. Organizing Help as a business was � exible enough to read the market cor-rectly and change its corporate personality to suit the needs.

Jasper came into the Valley just recently from the indus-trial world. His profession is environmental engineering and he has worked for some of the biggest names in the business advising on di� erent projects including pipelines from Alberta to the Coast. Steve and his wife visited the Okanagan on a week long trip and by the end of it had bought a house in Naramata. For him, this new company (so new his website was only two weeks old when we spoke) is a retirement job. Like a lot of people he views himself as too young to fully retire.

To get things up and running, he joined the chamber of commerce because he doesn’t have a lot of contacts locally. 10

Linda Andersson found varying demographics in diff erent parts of the region profoundly aff ected her service business.

Small business owner and business author Jack Borden encourages would-be entrepreneurs to write a good business plan and follow it.

He sees three advantages to joining the Chamber: “…it’s good for networking; for learning the local business culture; and get-ting the word out about my new business.”

Jasper’s knowledge is his product and it isn’t a� ected by his age. Right now he’s trying to � nd and connect with other small environmental businesses so he can learn from the successful local and regional guys, but there aren’t a lot of local businesses doing similar things. In the end, he views his role as a consultant on environmental issues to corporate entities and First Nations councils who need accurate information for the decisions they will have to undertake.

Steve Jasper is correct in thinking that knowledge has a great deal of value, and he is also correct in understanding that small business requires a concerted e� ort at networking and marketing to make it a success. No one knows that better that Jack Borden who owns and operates Coldstream Meadows, a retire-ment resort community in Vernon.

Borden has been involved in small busi-ness for most of his life, coming to Vernon in 1997 where he opened Westwood Electric. He understands the di� culties in learning how to be an entrepreneur. Most everyone we talked to for this story agrees that there

are good technical and business manage-ment programs being o� ered through UBCO and Okanagan College, but there is little in the way of entrepreneurial training.

“People coming into small business need to know more than how to make a product or create a service,” says Borden. “� ey have to know how to avoid the pitfalls and traps that can o� en come out of nowhere to sink your business, but they also have to know the rewards that are possible.”

In light of this, Borden has written two books to help steer new business people away from dangerous shoals and to encourage them to write a good business plan they can follow: Avoid Small Business Hell and Faster, Cheaper, Better — How to Start and Operate a Business in the Trades, both from Self-Counsel Press.

Would any of these people start a small business again? The answer is yes, but with qualifi cations.

Know your profession or trade thoroughly.

Plan to hire good, dependable people.

Select a business that answers a market need, not one you feel like being in.

Make a good business plan that tells bankers what they want to know and that you can use as a guide for the successful running of your business.

Organize your funding so you have enough to operate with wiggle room.

Take advantage of fi nancing programs like the Business Development Corporation, SIDIT and your own bank, with whom you’ve developed a relationship.

Be fl exible to adapt to changing conditions.

Network to fi nd both clients and people whose experience you can fall back on for advice.

Join the local chamber of commerce and take advantage of their networking and training programs.

Work hard. Your labour is also your capital.

Advice from the trenches

123

4

56

78

9

10

Bruce Kemp is

an Okanagan-

based writer and

photographer

who contributes

to national and

international media.

Engineering consultant Steve Jasper is a big supporter of chambers of commerce as a tool for newcomers to network and get to know the local environment.

8-25.indd 25 2016-02-26 11:55 AM


A DV ERTI S EM ENT

“It’s our commitment to high quality patient care that keeps us motivated and constantly improving our services at DermMedica,” says Dr. Crippen. While some cosmetic fa-cilities may be focused on pushing through as many patients as possible, DermMedica seems content at the opposite end of the spectrum. �ey �rmly believe that quality care cannot, and should not, be rushed. “We really enjoy getting to know our patients, and how they are doing in their lives. It’s one of the joys of medicine that has been mostly lost in the modern era of increased e�ciency.”

Dr. Crippen sees patients who have been referred by their family physician for any number of skin issues. A common problem he sees in Kelowna is untreated skin cancers that have been le� to grow for many years with no interventions. “All too o�en I see a patient with a very prevent-able skin cancer that now requires some minor surgery. It’s a very exciting time in medicine today with a number of treatment options that can delay or even prevent the need for skin surgery,” says Dr. Crippen.

As a Dermatology teaching centre for UBC’s medical school here in Kelowna, Dr. Crippen’s clinic takes medical students to see �rsthand how modern medicine is practiced. �is is in addition to Dr. Crippen teach-ing at the medical school itself at Kelowna General Hospital. Dr. Crippen is a �rm believer in being actively engaged with the university and being a resource to both his patients and the local medical community.

On the national stage, Dr. Crippen is the BC & Alberta representative on the College of Family Physicians of Canada Dermatol-ogy Committee. �is is a brand new com-mittee that was formed in response to the ever increasing demand for higher quality dermatology education amongst family physicians. “�ere is a huge shortage of der-matologists in Canada, especially in British Columbia,” says Dr. Crippen. “As a family physician with a special interest in skin dis-orders, I am a resource to our BC Interior physicians who don’t want their patients

to wait six or more months for a specialist appointment. �ere are a large number of common skin conditions that can be appro-priately treated by a physician like myself.”

Dr. Crippen is also working with the brand new Canadian Acne & Rosacea Soci-ety committee whose purpose it is to work with representatives from medical and healthcare professional organizations on professional education and public aware-ness initiatives on acne and rosacea in order to improve the lives of su�erers. “Acne and rosacea are very common skin condi-tions that are very amenable to treatment, and it’s our job to educate both medical professionals and patients to help allevi-ate their symptoms,” says Dr. Crippen.

Some of the popular cosmetic treatments at DermMedica include laser skin treatments to remove moles/lesions and improve the co-lour and texture of the skin. CoolSculpting is also in high demand as he was the �rst physi-cian to perform this procedure in Kelowna back in 2011. Dr. Crippen has been quali�ed to use Botox and Fillers for over 10 years to improve lines and wrinkles on the face, and this is one of the most popular treatments he performs. “I can dramatically improve the signs of aging in as little as one appointment with the appropriate use of Botox and Fillers.” says Dr. Crippen. “�e key is using the right amount of these products in the right area to enhance someone’s appearance subtly. Our goal is completely natural looking results.”

Leading-edge treatment,personalized careDermMedica

Dr. Craig Crippen.

We really enjoy getting to know our patients, and how they are doing in their lives. It’s one of the joys of medicine that has been mostly lost in the modern era of increased efficiency.”

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

26-48.indd 26 2016-02-26 12:13 PM

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

Inspired by the great spas of Europe, enchanted by more than 3.5 million Swarovski crystals, and surrounded by the beauty of Okanagan Lake and the Monashee Mountains, Sparkling Hill is a North American trendsetter in healthy living and wellness hospitality. From luxurious suites and �ne dining to the amenities and treatments of state-of-the-art KurSpa, this resort provides a completely unforgettable experience.

Each sumptuous room opens a �oor-to-ceiling win-dow wall on warm sunlight, fresh mountain air and peer-less views enhanced by the unique Swarovski architecture within. Ameni-ties include custom soaking tubs, strategically placed to maximize the lake and mountain views, wireless internet and available in-room dining. Guests enjoy a full complimentary breakfast bu�et o�ering expansive choices from healthy to indulgent; exclusive access to KurSpa pools, steam rooms and saunas, the Keiser-equipped �tness studio, and the Seren-ity and Tea Room for rest and relaxation.

KurSpa o�ers all the amenities for pampering and health, with more than 100 innovative healing treatments for guests to sample a la carte or combined in fully-planned wellness vacations. For those seeking a more comprehensive wellness retreat, the naturopaths, kinesiologists and estheticians of the KurSpa Clinic have integrated the

Sparkling Hill Resort

very best in traditional European spa treatments, naturopathy and homeopathic medicine. And integrated wellness means caring for the mind as well as the body. SHaRP is the Sparkling Hill relationship program, a three-day package of group education and individual meetings with the resort psychiatrist designed to enhance relationships at work and at home.

Completing the incomparable destination spa experience is Sparkling Hill’s exception-al dining and catering. PeakFine restaurant

is renowned for its sparkling ambiance, stellar views and exquisite cuisine. Chef Marco Herbergs matches his menus to the seasons, celebrating the freshest Okanagan and prov-ince-wide ingredients with so-phisticated European service.

For lighter fare, Barrique & Java provides its own wonderful views in more casual style. �roughout the morning, freshly baked pastries complement co�ee selections while the menu expands to soups, salads, sandwiches and shared plates later in the day. Evenings, the co�ee shop transforms into a relaxed wine bar with

vintages by the glass from Sparkling Hill’s carefully curated wine list.

With such spectacular amenities and a lo-cation like no other, Sparkling Hill has also developed into a highly sought-a�er event destination. Private gatherings from corpo-rate meetings and executive lunches to fam-ily celebrations and unforgettable weddings, �t perfectly in Gernots. Accommodating up to 50 guests, the room provides a feeling of rustic luxury created by reclaimed barn board, stone hearth, Swarovski crystal chan-delier, local antiques and built-in wine bar. A private outdoor patio extends the space to take even greater advantage of the natural woodlands and those peerless lake views.

No wonder readers and reviewers in publications from Condé Nast to Trip Ad-visor, Fodors to Okanagan Life repeatedly rate Sparkling Hill among the top spa des-tinations and experiences available today. Learn more at www.sparklinghill.com.

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

Rejuvenate, revitalize, renew


26-48.indd 27 2016-02-26 12:14 PM


A DV ERTI S EM ENT

With Dilworth Homes, the focus on building Your Home, Your Way is the se-cret. Home buyers know they can expect unbeatable value, personal service and award-winning quality, while Dilworth’s amazing range of locations and styles en-sures a perfect �t for every lifestyle need.

�is established leader in custom home construction applies the same level of engineering knowledge, build-ing experience and style consciousness to its townhome projects and ready-to-move-in express homes. Dilworth is committed to building sought a�er communities — one home at a time.

Tower Ranch encompasses Kelowna’s #1 Golf Course as voted by the PGA of BC. �e neighbourhood presents a selection of building lots, custom designs and ex-press homes ideal for golfers or anyone drawn to broad expanses of green space and sweeping scenic vistas — yet still conveniently located just minutes from airport, downtown and university. Ameni-ties include a clubhouse with restaurant, lounge and patio plus full service �tness facility along with hiking and biking trails. Floor plans incorporate such sought

a�er features as entertainment and wine rooms, main-�oor master suites, and ex-pansive patios, while natural wood and stone treatments raise the bar on décor.

�is same outstanding venue hosts the North Pointe on Eighteen neighbourhood. Here Dilworth places the emphasis on duplex style townhomes and express town-homes. Starting with a choice of four dis-tinctive �oor plans, buyers have the option to customize as much or as little as they like. With high-impact design elements like vaulted ceilings and frameless glass balcony railings, large kitchen pantries and master walk-in closet, these homes set a new standard for value and luxury.

In the prestigious Upper Mission, Dilworth is responding to the tremendous demand for properties in the area with its new Stonebridge Pointe community. Here di�erent elements of the Okanagan lifestyle predominate with just a short downhill walk to Summerhill Winery, apple orchards, and the Sunshine Market. Nature surrounds and Dilworth makes the most of it, building homes with Okanagan Lake views, creating a neighbourhood park and providing

access to mountain walking trails. Here buyers looking for a building lot, for their dream custom home or a Dilworth express home will all �nd an ideal �t.

Dilworth hasn’t forgotten those look-ing for an executive townhome in the area. Coming in April, the Summit at South Ridge is a boutique o�ering of just 16 ex-clusive townhomes at the pinnacle of the Upper Mission with stunning views from Peachland to the bridge. Amenities usually found only in single-family dwellings in-clude main �oor master bedroom and pre-mium �nishes like hardwood �oors, quartz counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

If you are looking to escape the hustle of the big city but still live in the Okanagan Valley, look no further than Armstrong where Dilworth o�ers buyers at Southgate exceptional pricing of lots starting from $89,900, and the opportunity to work with the specialists at Dilworth, or other builder of their choice, to create the home they’ve been waiting for.

Visit www.dilworthhomes.com for more exciting details and the location and hours of showhomes in the community that best suits your lifestyle and dreams.

Your home, your wayDilworth Homes

Dilworth Homes has built success upon success for

more than a quarter of a century. It’s obvious they’ve found the secret to overwhelming customer satisfaction.”

OKANAGAN LIVING AT ITS BEST

This is not to be construed as an offering for sale which can only be made by way of disclosure statement. E&OE.

EXECUTIVE TOWNHOMES

VIEW LOTS & SINGLE FAMILY

HOMES

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

DUPLEX STYLE TOWNHOMES

Southgate

Armstrong BC

LOTS AND SINGLE FAMILY

HOMES

26-48.indd 28 2016-02-26 12:14 PM

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

OKANAGAN LIVING AT ITS BEST

This is not to be construed as an offering for sale which can only be made by way of disclosure statement. E&OE.

EXECUTIVE TOWNHOMES

VIEW LOTS & SINGLE FAMILY

HOMES

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

DUPLEX STYLE TOWNHOMES

Southgate

Armstrong BC

LOTS AND SINGLE FAMILY

HOMES

26-48.indd 29 2016-02-26 12:14 PM

A DV ERTI S EM ENTA DV ERTI S EM ENT

give the bed more integrity. Sadly, a�er a few short years, the larger mattress stores put pressure on the manufacturers to reduce their wholesale costs so they could amp up their pro�t margins even more. �e only way this could be achieved is by using inferior components and/or sourcing lower priced �llers from China … even springs systems come from there now. Some of the largest mattress makers are using 1.2 lb. density foam in their high end sleep sets. �at’s only one step above “camping foam” folks!

Sleepy’s owner, Geo� McLeary does not like this! He says, “At Sleepy’s, we do not like our clients to have issues with their sleep. We want happy and well rested customers! Sleep is important and your new mattress should enhance your health, not take away from it.” He has teamed up with the Restonic and Spring Air Mattress factories in Vancouver to resurrect the two sided �ippable mattress. �ese two mattress makers build their beds with integrity, they use all North American components, and they are not in any of the bigger mattress stores. Restonic has won the Women’s Choice Award for the most recommended mattress brand for four years in a row. As well as the Consumer’s Digest Best Buy Award for the eighth year in a row.

So, for about a 15% to 25% increase in the cost … you will receive over 100% additional lifespan on your new double sided �ippable mattress. �e mattress will perform better, will feel better over a much longer period of time, and will retain it’s shape for the long term. “We o�er a range of two sided

Are you tired of body impressions in your mattress?

Ahhh … the dreaded body impression! Only Sleepy’s have the cure!

So, you just invested in a new sleep set and already in six months to a year you are noticing a large hump up the middle of the mattress with two deep sinkholes on either side of the top where your bodies lay. You call the salesperson that sold it to you and you are told that body impressions are normal, that the mattress is conforming to your body. You are told to rotate your mattress more o�en or if you have a king size, to make quarter turns and this should minimize the issue. �en you �nd out that these sags have to be visibly more than 1.5” to 2” deep before you can have anything done about it. You explain that you have to roll uphill to meet your partner and are told again that this is normal?

“Well, I assure you that this issue is very common, but it is not normal!” says Geo� McLeary, Owner of Sleepy’s — Bedroom Furniture & Sleep Shop in Kelowna.

Going back 12 years ago and beyond, mattresses did not get body impressions. Most good mattresses performed very well for years and stood the test of time. �e mattress of today will last (if you’re lucky) an average of 5 to 6 years and most get these dreaded body impressions in a very short period of time. Mattress sets of the past lasted more than 10 to 12 years or longer.

Back when the mattress makers decided to brainwash the North American public into believing that half a mattress was better than a whole one, it wasn’t so bad. Most of the factories upgraded the quality of the components in the top of the mattress to

Sleepy’s mattresses starting at a $388 queen size.”Sleepy’s also specialize in a lesser known

superior material used in their mattresses, toppers, and pillows … pure latex. Latex is the longest lasting material used in the mattress industry and is derived from the rubber tree. You never have to �ip or rotate a quality latex mattress, because these comfortable sleep systems will perform for the long term. Our most popular latex bed o�ers a 20 year full non prorated warranty and an unheard of ¾” body impression tolerance over that 20 year period of time.

McLeary says “We have had clients come into our store that were dealing with a big mattress store in town and have gone through as many as �ve mattresses in two years due to premature body impressions/warranty issues and are looking for solutions. �ey found Sleepy’s o�ered them a solution, a better built and refreshing alternative to the defective designs being o�ered from other stores.”

Sleepy’s are also striving to be your destination “green” sleep shop in the Okanagan. “We o�er a nice range of green, natural, and organic mattresses and bedding for your better sleep and better health.” Sleepy’s promise to o�er you only the best materials in their mattresses. Nothing made in China! No smoke and mirrors. No toxic memory foam. No gimmicks! Just the straight goods from the owner himself.

You will �nd Sleepy’s — �e Mattress Store just behind Costco on Baron Road in Kelowna — or — visit our virtual showroom at www.sleepys.ca to get a feel of who we are.

Sleepy’s - �e Mattress Store - #3-1725 Baron Rd. - Kelowna. T. 250-868-2337 E. [email protected] W. www.sleepys.ca


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�e Cottages is the best-selling waterfront community in the South Okanagan, with 126 homes sold to date. It is a spectacular gated community of detached homes ranging in price from the high $300s to over $1 million, with most homes in the $450,000 to $500,000 range. �e 70-acre property is located on the northeast corner of Osoyoos Lake near some of the region’s best known wineries such as Black Hills and Burrowing Owl. �e project has 1,800’ of waterfront, over 500’ of sandy beach, two swimming pools, a 7,000 sq. �. community centre, 20 acres of green-space for all to enjoy, boat slips, walking trails, and many other amenities. Twelve di�erent standard �oor plans are available and all homes can be fully customized. If you are retired, about to retire or need a spectacular vacation property, �e Cottages is the place to be.

For more information visit www.OsoyoosCottages.com or call 1.855.742.5555.

Lifestyle on the lake The Cottages

Unparalleled location, amenities and homes make The Cottages an obvious choice.

B E A C H C O M B E R . . . ideas F O R B E T T E R L I V I N G

SERIOUS INDOOR OUTDOOR QUALITY FURNITUREFOR THE DISCERNING HOME DECORATOR.

Hours: 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat

KELOWNA2457 Hwy 97 N250.763.88471.866.763.8847

VERNON5309 26th St.250.542.33991.800.307.4835

Visit our spacious showrooms. We offer a comprehensive range of quality furniture from leading designers and manufacturers. Whether you need furniture for the home living room, dining room, outdoor room, poolside, or if furnishing your café, restaurant, hotel or resort, then Beachcomber Home and Leisure offer solutions encompassing style, comfort and budget.

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Does today’s hectic lifestyle leave you long-ing for a simpler time, when things weren’t quite so rushed? Have you been thinking the days of children riding bikes, climbing trees and playing outside are gone for good? It sometimes feels that way, doesn’t it? �at those simple pleasures are all but forgot-ten in our plugged-in, instant-on world of smartphones, tablets and video games. Where we dash madly from one activity to another without really taking the time to savour what’s real, what’s important?

But if you’re ready for a change — if you’re ready to slow down and truly appreciate all that life and nature have to o�er — then you’re ready for Fawn Run at �e Ponds. �is new development in the highly sought-a�er community of �e Ponds in Upper Mission is where families are embraced, challenged and inspired to reconnect with nature. It’s where they can — once again — recapture that sometimes elusive but wonderful rhythm that can only be found in the great outdoors.

Let’s imagine for a moment what having nature at your doorstep really looks like. It’s a neighbourhood where families can explore, discover and wonder at all that nature has to o�er. Where they can make the most of every square inch of backyard playing space. Fawn Run is a modern, new community with a vision that’s pure and simple. It’s based on the premise that we’re healthier when we feel connected, we’re more productive when

Introducing Fawn RunGive your kids a free-range childhood

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we feel inspired and we’re happiest when we’re living an active, balanced lifestyle.

Within 90 acres of greenspace, surrounded by over 22 kilometres of walking trails and �ve lush ponds, home has never felt this good. Fawn Run’s thoughtfully planned amenities are abundant and the community takes its

cues from the beauty that surrounds it. An intricate trail system connects private en-claves of homes to the nearby lakes, waterfalls, woodland areas and grasslands that sur-round it. Perched atop a spectacular moun-tain plateau, Fawn Run is ideally situated alongside the untouched wooded southern slopes of Kelowna’s most desirable Upper Mission neighbourhood. �e development will bring neighbours together with parks, playing �elds and walkable urban amenities designed to integrate modern living with outdoor recreation in the best possible way.

�e �rst o�ering of unique home sites will be released this spring with prices starting at $242,500. �is community encourages diversity and has set up a homebuilding program that allows buyers to select their own architect and builder to cra� a home that is unique to them. �at means streets lined with homes that are distinctive and re�ective of the personal styles of the fami-lies that live in them. It makes sense, when you think about it. We were all designed as individuals so shouldn’t our homes be one of the greatest re�ections of our personal style? It’s refreshing to see a development that rec-ognizes and respects freedom of expression and can envision master planned communi-ties as something more than cookie-cutter suburbia. To learn more about this special opportunity visit the Fawn Run show home

at 5730 Mountainside Drive, past Chute Lake Road in the Upper Mission. Or

visit them online at www.fawnrun.ca.

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Businesses working togetherDowntown Vernon AssociationSince 1967 the DVA has worked to promote Downtown Vernon as a unique and dynamic destination for entertainment, goods and ser-vices. We encourage people to shop local, support local businesses and participate in community events.

�rough a variety of programs and services the DVA works to strengthen the economic vitality of Downtown Vernon. �e DVA is not a stand-alone organization, nor a function of the City of Vernon. We are a Business Improvement Area (BIA) created by the businesses within our boundaries and funded by a

commercial tax levy on properties within the BIA. �is levy ensures a secure and equitable �nancial operating base, similar to the promotion and maintenance fees assessed by shopping malls. However, the mandate of the DVA is considerably greater and with a comparably smaller investment, the results are signi�cant.

We seek to build strategic relationships and speak with a uni�ed voice on behalf of our membership. Our goal is to help create economic prosperity and sustainability and make downtown Vernon a desirable destination.

Civic Soundsby Peter Solymosi Photography.

Boyd donation helps college launch automotive careersBoyd Autobody & Glass

As a potential skills short age looms that could a�ect the au-tomotive sector in the Okana-gan in the next �ve years, a local autobody shop owner is helping Okanagan College rev up excite-ment for careers in collision repair.

Boyd Autobody & Glass re-cently presented the college with a unique demonstration piece: a mobile collision repair dem-onstration vehicle, which can be transported to local high schools.

Boyd owner, Methal Abougoush has been touring the vehicle around Kelowna and presenting to stu dents for the past year. In addition to the demonstration unit, valued at over $15,000, Boyd Autobody & Glass has also made a donation to support a locker space in the new trades building.

“We hope this demonstration vehicle and our support of students at the college inspires more people to think about collision repair as a career path,” says Abougoush.

“It’s an exciting time for colli-sion repair and all our programs,” says dean of trades and apprentice-ship, Steve Moores. “�e donations of equipment, tools, and support

for the new trades facilities and for our students are helping us continue to enhance our pro-grams, so we’re very grateful.”

L-R: John

Haller and

owner Methal

Abougoush.

Building Envelope SpecialistsROOFING | CLADDING | WALL SYSTEMS

TOMTAR IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW ACM DIVISION

Tel: 250-765-8122 | Fax: 250-765-7063www.tomtar.ca | #101-199 Pinto Road, Kelowna

Introducing Fawn Run

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Synergy brings successArgus Properties

Innovation, quality, service and outstanding people set Argus Properties apart as a busi-ness leader in the Okanagan Valley. �is full service real estate development company is dedicated to providing personal attention to client needs, whether that be built-to-suit, leasing space, property management, reno-vations or maintenance. Clients like FedEx, Starbucks, Coca Cola, Alpine Aerotech and SW Audio demand the best and they’ve found it in Argus. Among the reasons for this trust is the determination within the Argus team to create synergy with their clients and it extends beyond the pure business basics to a true sense

of commitment to community. �is company doesn’t just construct buildings, it be-lieves in active cor-porate citizenship.

As a Kelowna-based company, Argus is proud of local successes like its award-winning Four Points by Sheraton at the airport and its recently acquired Hotel Eldorado.

New on the horizon is the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Fort St. John, gateway to the Site C dam, which will bring 4,000 workers and their families to the region. �e Hilton Home2 is a 90-room property o�ering studio and one-bedroom suites designed for extended stay with an amazing array of amenities.

To learn more about how Argus Properties can meet your needs, visit www.argusproperties.ca.

Home2 Suites at 50% completion.

Argus Properties photo contributed; rendering by Cities Edge Architects.

This company doesn’t just construct buildings, it believes in active corporate citizenship.”

Built on serviceCountry RVShopping for your �rst RV or looking for a change, you want a dealership with outstand-ing selection, professional sta�, full parts and service, and uncompromising dedication to customer care. Since 1999, we’ve built our business on these key features. We carry top of the line North American RV brands like Cougar, Montana, Hideout, Bullet, Leisure Travel Vans, Pleasure-Way and many more. Our knowledgeable sta� will help you chose

the perfect vehicle to �ll your needs and suit your budget — with no pressure and no stress. And we’ll help you keep your investment in top condition with expert winterizing and repairs by our journey-men technicians. Service beyond compare with locations in Win�eld and Kelowna.

Henry Epp, general manager.

Creating beautySticks + StonesIn 1995, Sticks and Stones founder Carla Bond-Fisher entered the market to leave North America a little more beautiful than she’d found it. Twenty years, multiple moves and countless clients later, Carla’s at the top of her game, both professionally and personally. When asked about what success takes, Carla says it comes down to creating relationships, hard work and perseverance. �e fact that some team members are going on their tenth

year is a testament to their collaborative vi-sion. Sticks and Stones was founded on the simple principle of doing something and doing it well. �e entire team has worked hard to create a beautiful Western Canada and show no signs of slowing down.

Sticks + Stones team.

Eclectic eating experienceBohemian Café & Catering

An icon in downtown Kelowna, ‘the Boh,’ as it’s a�ectionately known, is a favourite among locals and tourists for in-credible downtown dining. In 2015, it won Best Breakfast, Best Vege-tarian and Best Caterer in Okanagan Life’s Readers’ Choice Awards. O�ering breakfast and lunch in a funky downtown setting, their menu features some of the best, fresh local ingredients the area has to o�er.

What started as a family-run business

inspired by home-cooking has become a Kelowna institution in

eclectic and delicious comfort food. Soak in the sun on their patio or have them cater your event anywhere in the Valley.

�e Bohemian Café is open Wednesday to Sunday at 524 Bernard Avenue. Check out www.bohemiancater.com for details.

it’s a�ectionately known, is a favourite

Okanagan eclectic and delicious comfort food.

Debate series draws community togetherThird Annual Roger Watts Advocacy DebatesUBCO debaters will pit their wit and wis-dom against each other at the upcoming Roger Watts Advocacy Debates. Last year’s attendees called the event, “the most compel-ling two hours in local show business.” Top student debate teams will face o� in honour of the late Roger Watts, a respected mem-ber of the Okanagan legal community.

Student debaters will be judged by a panel of community leaders, including Mayor Colin

Basran, and will be marked on the strength of their arguments and rebuttals, with a strong emphasis on humour.

�e event takes place on Tuesday, March 22 at the Ro-tary Centre for the Arts. �e public is welcome and free tickets are available on www.eventbrite.ca

Roger Watts 1945-2011


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Eclectic eating experience

Debate series draws community together

Roger Watts 1945-2011

A sense of community West Harbour

West Harbour is a master planned community featuring detached and semi-detached homes nestled on the shores of Okanagan Lake di-rectly across the water from downtown. With peerless design and amenities, this project has developed into a neighbourhood of distinc-tion. Yet West Harbour is so much more than a mere collection of dwellings and amenities designed to promote an enviable lakeside lifestyle. West Harbour has produced an amazing sense of community. Residents are friends. �ey love to get together for a glass of wine, share dinner, cruise together on the lake, or relax on the beach or pool deck. People love living here — and it’s easy to see why.

�e homes at West Harbour feature stunning Tuscan architecture incorporating timeless elements of stone, brick and wood with prominent arch, bridge and fountain features abounding throughout the community. Complementing the spectacular Mediterranean style are spacious

contemporary layouts and �nishes inspired by the waterfront villages of Southern Europe. Each home has been mindfully designed to maximize livability by opening the space, illuminating the interior with fresh, natural Okanagan light. West Harbour homes are the perfect backdrop for everyday living, entertaining friends and family, or simple peaceful re�ection.

At West Harbour, expansive lake and mountain views set the mood for reward-ing outdoor living. Residents share 500 feet of sandy beachfront, swimming pool, hot tub and barbecue lounge area, and they look forward to the addition of an amenity centre, coming soon. �is community even boasts its own on-site marina, providing moorage on a lake where �nding a space for your boat can be a serious challenge. One slip is included with every Estate home while Villa and Villetta owners have the option of purchasing their own docking space.

Villas with boat slip at West harbour start from $559,000. To learn more about how you can become a part of this remarkable com-munity, visit www.westharbourkelowna.com and drop by our presentation centre, open Wednesday to Sunday a�ernoons from 12 to 4, at 1486 Old Ferry Wharf Road.

West Harbouris a multiple Tommy Award winner.

West Harbouris a multiple Tommy Award

BACKYARD PARKING

ENJOY LAKESIDE LIVING IN WEST KELOWNA.An intimate community of Tuscan-inspired homes perched on the Okanagan’s west shore. With incredible views of downtown Kelowna, 500 feet of sandy beachfront, pool and boat moorage. Looking for more? Come west.

westharbourkelowna.com

Sale Centre open WED – SUN, Noon – 4:00 PMTake Hwy 97 to Westside Rd., turn onto Old Ferry Wharf Rd

NEW HOMES FROM $499,000*

*Boat slips may be purchased at an additional cost

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co�ee and foodevents and workshops

community

professional developmentlife guidance

spiritual exploration

dietitiansnatural tattoo removal naturopathic medicine

physiotherapy & kinesiologyregistered massage therapy

traditional chinese medicine acupuncture

m ind . b od y . s o u l .

Learn more at thirdspaceculture.ca or drop in at 1708 Dolphin Ave.in Landmark 2, Kelowna BC

Third Space believes in creating a space that celebrates who you are and who you are

becoming. We provide life services that integrate mind, body and soul celebrating the

power of community. We are convinced that tomorrow can be better than today, that we

all have the need to love and to be loved, and that we all have a longing to make sense of

life.

We challenge you to discover the tribe that is Third Space.

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REMEMBER KGH IN YOUR WILLEvery gift to the KGH Foundation in support of

our hospital impacts the lives of your family and community now and for generations to come.

To discuss ways to create your legacy, please contact Diane.

DIANE PATERSON Manager of Gift Planning

250.862.4300 local 7011 | [email protected]

kghfoundation.com

Darrell and Margaret Porubanec Legacy Donors

We specialize in a fast, high quality lunch service with reasonable prices and large portions.

WOOD FIRE BAKERY

Central Okanagan

BEST MEAL FOR THE MONEY

WOOD FIRE BAKERY

Central Okanagan

BEST SANDWICH

� ank you Kelowna for a great 25 years!

2041 Harvey Ave, Kelowna, BC (250) 762-2626

Voted Best Lunch, Best Soup, Best Casual Dinning/Bistro, Best European and Best Sand-wich of the Central Okanagan by Okanagan Life readers 2003-2015


Homes at Central Green, Kelowna’s new-est master-planned community, will o�er residents all the bene�ts of parkside living. Sales for the �rst homes are set to begin this spring. �ese heritage-inspired modern lo�s will transform the corner of Richter Street and Harvey Avenue into the most sustain-able community the city has ever seen.

“Green, open space spawns recre-ation – and recreation encourages people to live healthier lifestyles,” says Randy Shier, President of Mission Group Homes, the developer behind three residential green buildings to be constructed beside the com-munity park. “We are planning Central Green to be active, greener, and more walk-able, o�ering places where children can play and you can meet your neighbour,”

�e City of Kelowna’s plan for the commu-nity park includes a perimeter walking/biking circuit and a �eld area for informal games of soccer or football. �e Buckland Plaza

entrance will feature a children’s playground, and on the east side will be a small stage for per-forming arts, adjacent to the �rst Central Green building o� Richter Street.

Starting in the low $200,000s, Central Green condominiums will have one and two bedroom homes with several two-storey lo� options. All three Mission Group build-ings at Central Green will feature accents of “school-house” red brick and detailed cornice ledges around the roo�ine. �e architecture pays homage to both the original brick Kelowna Secondary School and the century-old Central School.

“It was important for us to have the homes at Central Green �t with the char-acter of the neighbourhood and honour the rich heritage of the site,” says Shier.

All homes at Central Green will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards, designed to use less energy and water and have better indoor air quality and temperature regulation.

O�ering urban living at its �nest, the pedestrian-friendly community is located within easy walking and cycling distance of downtown, the cultural district, and the beach.

Visit the Discovery Centre and Display Home at 1800 Richter Street, Kelowna for the Advanced Preview March 12 and Grand Opening March 19. Sign up to stay informed at www.centralgreen.ca

Park-side livingCentral Green


community












life.


26-48.indd 37 2016-02-26 12:14 PM


A DV ERTI S EM ENTA DV ERTI S EM ENT A DV ERTI S EM ENT

REMEMBER KGH IN YOUR WILLEvery gift to the KGH Foundation in support of

our hospital impacts the lives of your family and community now and for generations to come.

To discuss ways to create your legacy, please contact Diane.

DIANE PATERSON Manager of Gift Planning

250.862.4300 local 7011 | [email protected]

kghfoundation.com

Darrell and Margaret Porubanec Legacy Donors

We specialize in a fast, high quality lunch service with reasonable prices and large portions.

WOOD FIRE BAKERY

Central Okanagan

BEST MEAL FOR THE MONEY

WOOD FIRE BAKERY

Central Okanagan

BEST SANDWICH


2041 Harvey Ave, Kelowna, BC (250) 762-2626

Voted Best Lunch, Best Soup, Best Casual Dinning/Bistro, Best European and Best Sand-wich of the Central Okanagan by Okanagan Life readers 2003-2015


Homes at Central Green, Kelowna’s new-est master-planned community, will o�er residents all the bene�ts of parkside living. Sales for the �rst homes are set to begin this spring. �ese heritage-inspired modern lo�s will transform the corner of Richter Street and Harvey Avenue into the most sustain-able community the city has ever seen.

“Green, open space spawns recre-ation – and recreation encourages people to live healthier lifestyles,” says Randy Shier, President of Mission Group Homes, the developer behind three residential green buildings to be constructed beside the com-munity park. “We are planning Central Green to be active, greener, and more walk-able, o�ering places where children can play and you can meet your neighbour,”

�e City of Kelowna’s plan for the commu-nity park includes a perimeter walking/biking circuit and a �eld area for informal games of soccer or football. �e Buckland Plaza

entrance will feature a children’s playground, and on the east side will be a small stage for per-forming arts, adjacent to the �rst Central Green building o� Richter Street.

Starting in the low $200,000s, Central Green condominiums will have one and two bedroom homes with several two-storey lo� options. All three Mission Group build-ings at Central Green will feature accents of “school-house” red brick and detailed cornice ledges around the roo�ine. �e architecture pays homage to both the original brick Kelowna Secondary School and the century-old Central School.

“It was important for us to have the homes at Central Green �t with the char-acter of the neighbourhood and honour the rich heritage of the site,” says Shier.

All homes at Central Green will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards, designed to use less energy and water and have better indoor air quality and temperature regulation.

O�ering urban living at its �nest, the pedestrian-friendly community is located within easy walking and cycling distance of downtown, the cultural district, and the beach.

Visit the Discovery Centre and Display Home at 1800 Richter Street, Kelowna for the Advanced Preview March 12 and Grand Opening March 19. Sign up to stay informed at www.centralgreen.ca

Park-side livingCentral Green


community












life.


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0426 RPGP RN Individualized Program Ad - Desne Hall - Size 7.25in Wide x 4.875in High - CMYK - 03 Press Ready PDF

Edited and Formatted only by Gary Leung 2014 604 267 2113

Service meets quality and selectionWhat sets this business apart is commitment to customer service. �eir goal is to exceed the expectations of their customers. And with over 40 years in retail, they know how to make that happen! With their three sons, Dennis and Barbie Melvin have owned and oper-ated Beachcomber Home and Leisure since its inception in 1989. Together they’ve cre-ated the complete home furnishing resource

with conveniently located showrooms in Kelowna and Vernon.

You’ll �nd

everything from living, dining and bed-room to home o�ce and outdoor space with all the accessories and �nishing touches to complete your dream dé-cor—at an equally attractive price. Constantly shopping for quality, detail and unique design, the Melvin family maintains a massive inventory with two warehouses fully stocked so you don’t have to wait to enjoy your new furniture. And if you don’t see exactly the right item to express your personal style

and spirit, they’ll help you �nd the perfect

piece from their extensive manufacturer in-ventory catalogues, then get it delivered fast.Now’s the time to start planning for Okanagan summer living and Beachcomber is ready with a huge line up of amazing outdoor furniture ranging from woven resin, cast aluminium and wrought iron classics to contemporary styling. Complete your open-air lifestyle with a hot tub from one of their three di�erent se-ries. Come in for a look and you’ll see why the Melvin family has been awarded Beachcomber Hot Tub Dealer of the year—worldwide!In addition to their two main showrooms, Beachcomber o�ers great deals and incred-ible �nds—from comfortable living and bedroom furniture to stylish and functional

outdoor patio sets—in their Ver-non Clearance Centre. Shop now for the best selection.Beachcomber Home and Leisure truly is your best choice for qual-ity, selection and price. But most of all, it’s about the service. Learn more at www.bhleisure.com.

Beachcomber Home & Leisure

ated the complete home furnishing resource with conveniently located showrooms in

Kelowna and Vernon. You’ll �nd

stocked so you don’t have to wait to enjoy your new furniture. And if you don’t see exactly the right item to express your personal style

and spirit, they’ll help you �nd the perfect

a hot tub from one of their three di�erent series. Come in for a look and you’ll see why the Melvin family has been awarded Beachcomber Hot Tub Dealer of the year—worldwide!In addition to their two main showrooms, Beachcomber o�ers great deals and incredible �nds—from comfortable living and bedroom furniture to stylish and functional

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Legacy gifts ensure the futureKGH Foundation

�e work of the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation reaches far beyond the hospital. �is indepen-dent, volunteer-driven organiza-tion also enhances the delivery of health care through four extended care facilities, the Central Okana-gan Hospice House and com-munity mental health programs.

�e KGH Foundation receives tremendous support from our community. Local resident, Dorothy �omson supports the Foundation with annual donations and recently supported the Foun-dation’s Giving Giggles Campaign. She has also included a legacy gi� through her will. As Dorothy says, “My children and grandchildren

were born at the Kelowna General Hospital. I have welcomed people into this world and said goodbye to them at this hospital. It has been a big part of my life and my family’s life for many years.”

Legacy gi�s of every size are greatly appreciated and help the Kelowna General Hospital con-tinue its excellent standards of care. By creating a gi� today, you can ensure the �nancial future of KGH in a substantial way without a�ecting your own security and peace of mind. To learn more about how you can help, visit www.kghfoundation.comor contact Diane Paterson, 250.862.4300, local 7011.

Dorothy Thomson, KGH Foundation generous supporter.

Rising from the ashesScorched Earth Winery

Just above the shores of Okanagan Lake, nestled in Okanagan Moun-tain Park, is a small vineyard called Scorched Earth Vineyard and

Winery. �e name for our family Estate run farm and winery comes from the surrounding landscape of scorched earth, which still shows the remains of burnt out trees a�er the 2003 wild�res. �e original

vineyard was planted in 1989, but the high volume of �re retardant dumped on the vineyard to keep the aggressive 2003 wild�re from spreading, caused the vines too much dam-age to salvage. �e entire vineyard was pulled out and the land resculpted to take it back to the

basics. Using 40 dump truck loads of organic compost,

the vineyard has been converted

to organic and replanted with 3 blocks of single lot Pinot Noir.

Our Estate Vineyard produces only 500 cases of wine annually from hand-picked and hand-sorted premium French Pinot Noir clones. Scorched Earth Winery released its �rst licensed batch from the replant-ed grapes in 2012. Only 3 barrels of wine were made that year from the young vines, yet this wine went on to win the silver medal for Pinot Noir in Okanagan Life’s Best of BC Wine Awards. Our wine label car-ries the initials of our family under the name of PASK, a play on our ini-tials to suggest: “pass the Pinot Noir for another glass.” As the winery continues to grow and the vines ma-ture, Scorched Earth Reserve Pinot Noir will be released. Presently this wine is still in barrel from the 2014 harvest awaiting release in 2017.

To �nd out more, �nd us online at www.scorchedearthwinery.ca.

Estate run farm and winery comes from the surrounding landscape of scorched earth, which still shows the remains of burnt out trees a�er the 2003 wild�res. �e original

vineyard was planted in

Spectacular Waterfront Homes

Here’s what our residents are saying about the Cottages.

Visit our Display Homes » 2450 Radio Tower Road, Oliver, BC See website for open hours.

1.855.742.5555 osoyooscottages.com

“� e setting is simply stunning, the cycling is gorgeous and safe, there

are wonderful hikes to explore, and there are � sh just waiting to be

hooked.

But what we have discovered while building at � e Cottages, is the

wonderful community – a caring“family” of homeowners, reminiscent

of the small towns in the Maritimes where I grew up. It was the

location and setting that brought us to � e Cottages, but it is the

vibrant and welcoming community that will keep us here.”

Visit our website for more details including photo galleries, home

plans, video tours and more homeowner testimonials about our

gorgeous location and homes.

Service meets quality and selection

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In 1988, Amir Khajavi purchased his �rst lot in Crawford Estates. Shortly a�er, he estab-lished Pars Construction here in Kelowna.Since then, he has been continuously aim-ing towards the highest standards of qual-ity and workmanship paired with unique and breathtaking designs and features. With a dedicated team of sub-contractors that he’s been working with for decades, a Pars home is famed for it’s superior, rock-like structure and �awless �nishing.Built on a reputation of quality, trust and award winning homes, Pars Construc-tion has evolved into one of the most renowned single-family homebuilders in the Okanagan. �is year Pars has been honored with three gold Tommie Awards including the 2016 Home Of �e Year, and four provincial Georgie Award nomina-tions that will take place on March 11, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, BC.

Passion

qualityfor

PARS Homes

Built on a reputation of quality, trust and award winning homes, Pars Construction has evolved into one of the most renowned single family home builders in the Okanagan.

Amir Khajavi, owner

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A DV ERTI S EM ENT A DV ERTI S EM ENT

Change Your View on Life.Visiting Here is Breathtaking. Owning Here is Life Changing.

Beach Access Boat Moorage Golf Hiking & Biking Trails Spectacular Views Fitness Facility

Pool Outdoor Sports Courts Estate Winery & Restaurant Nation’s Top-rated Energy Effi cient Homes Choice of Townhomes or Single Family

Fine food, atmosphere and entertainmentThe Minstrel Café & Bar

�e Minstrel Café & Bar is open daily for lunch, dinner, a�ernoon wine and charcuterie, or late night cappuccino and dessert. We proudly serve Chef Erik Yeverino’s unique and funky menu, featuring the best quality local and international ingredients accompanied by a wide variety of local and international wines.

Check our website event page frequently for the latest news on our Wednesday and Saturday live entertainment, featuring talented local and national artists. You’ll also �nd details on special events like our customer appreciation cocktail parties, Robbie Burns night, Wine and Dine promotions and fundraisers.

Our team prides itself on poviding knowledgeable and

friendly service. We enjoy welcoming our neighbours and guests to the dining room and lounge, and in summer, extend the invitation to our beautiful patio under the grand old London plane tree.

Italian Chef Erik Yeverino at The Minstrel Café & Bar.

And the winner is...

okanaganlife.com

And the winner is...

You’ll find out in the April

2016 issue of Okanagan Life

Who will win this year’s

exciting competition?

okanaganlife.okanaganlife.comcom

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4638 Lakeshore Rd. • 250 764 2301 • www.minstrelcafe.com

Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch & Dinner

Delicious Mediterranean Menu

New Wine ListGreat Service

Welcome HOMEto #DowntownVernon

250-542-5851downtownvernon.com

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

Where you belong Skaha Hills

Many happy homeowners have already dis-covered why Skaha Hills is the place where they belong. With Phase I completely sold out, buyers are eagerly anticipating the release of the �nal 17 single family Phase II homes in March and the exciting addition of a brand new concept for Phase III, ter-raced villa buildings featuring open 1600 sq �, single level living �oor plans with amazing views.

�e homes of Skaha Hills are built by Greyback, a fourth gen-eration local company with an outstanding reputation for qual-ity. Greyback is proud of their role in this master-planned, legacy project on some of the most desir-able land in the Penticton area. All Skaha Hills homes boast the same award-winning energy e�cient construction and spectacular lake, city and vineyard views. �e sleek

desert-modern architecture inspires a sense of sophistication and warmth, professionally designed for carefree main �oor living. Every dwelling incorporates excellent storage and a garage, while careful attention is devoted to individual privacy, generous outdoor living

space, and low yard mainte-nance, leaving residents free to enjoy the Okanagan outdoors.

�is remarkable Penticton community provides lifestyle amenities beyond compare. Set in 550 acres above the sun-soaked shores of Skaha Lake, with more than 250 acres of natural space, recreational activities are never more than steps away. Tee o� for a round of golf, enjoy water sports at your easy beach access, hike or bike on groomed trails, and make the most of the many onsite fea-tures including swimming pools,

sports courts, and community green spaces. With so much to o�er, it’s amazing that

Skaha Hills provides the most incredible value for your dollar, and as an added bonus there is no GST on the purchase. Buyers at Skaha Hills appreciate the peace of mind of knowing they’ve made the right decision.

To learn more about the homes and lifestyle of Skaha Hills and for details on the latest release of incomparable dwellings, browse www.skahahills.com and visit the Discov-ery Centre at 120 Sandhills Road, Penticton: open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.

Carefree main floor living with incomparable views.

Many happy homeowners have already discovered why Skaha Hills is the place where they belong.”

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Plants and fl owers • Shrubs • Fertilizers • Garden tools • Deli • BakeryFlorist • Ice cream • Ladies fashions • Cement fountains & statuary

Fresh local produce in season • Open 7 days a week

Shrubs • Fertilizers • Garden tools

LIKE US ON

LOCALS KNOW BESTSERVING NORTH OKANAGAN

FOR OVER 50 YEARSOpen All Year-Round

250-542-7614 7920 Highway 97, Vernon BC www.myswanlake.com

DELTA GRAND OKANAGAN RESORT UNVEILS RESTAURANT RENDERINGS

1310 Water St., Kelowna, BCPhone: 250-763-4500 • Reservations: 1-888-236-2427

Located on the lakefront in the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and Conference Centre, the new destination restaurant and wine bar has begun to take shape.

The new restaurant and wine bar draws its inspiration from the bounty of the Okanagan Valley which includes over 300 wineries and many local purveyors and artisans. Guests will enjoy the energy and passion of a well-trained team and venture on a culinary journey with a panoramic view of Lake Okanagan.

“We intend to be the sought after gathering spot. With the talents of our food and beverage team and the energy driving from the

hub of our newly designed lobby, our goal is on track.” says General Manager, Daniel Bibby.

Executive Chef Iain Rennie and team are currently located in Hanna’s Lounge and Grill on the waterfront while the new restaurant is being designed. Locals and guests can enjoy the talents of our culinary team in our temporary location

7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The new restaurant and wine bar is expected to open June 1st.

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NEW HUB OF KELOWNA

Discovery Centre & Display Home1800 Richter Street, Kelowna, BC [email protected]

centralgreen.ca

No Better Place to Live, Work & PlayCentral Green is a master-planned community located in the heart of Kelowna just a few blocks from the city’s downtown, signature waterfront, and Pandosy Village. A large portion of the site will be transformed into an expansive park, putting 5 acres of lush greenery and recreation amenities at your doorstep.

Advance Preview March 12 | Grand Opening March 19

Heritage-inspired Modern Lofts from the low $200,000s

Find smart advertisers Argus Properties 15

Ballet Kelowna 15

Beachcomber Home + Leisure 31

Bohemian Café & Catering 21

Boyd Autobody & Glass 17

Canadian Hearing Care 19

Central Green 44

Central Okanagan Counselling Services 38

Country RV 19

Delta Grand Okanagan 43

DermMedica 3

Dilworth Homes 29

Don-O-Ray Vegetables 21

Downtown Vernon Association 42

Fawn Run at The Ponds 48

Keith Construction 4

KGH Foundation 37

Minstrel Café & Bar 42

PARS Homes 2

Pinnacle Roofing 44

Skaha Hills 41

Sticks & Stones Design Group 21

Summerland Golf & Country Club 45

Swan Lake Nurseryland 43

The Cottages 39

The Pinnacles Suite Hotel 21

Third Space Coffee 36

TomTar Roofing & Sheet Metal 33

West Harbour 35

Wine Kitz 45

Wood Fire Bakery 37

Our sincerest thanks to Okanagan Life readers for voting us

#1 Best Roofing Companyin the Central Okanagan

105-2293 Leckie Rd. Kelowna, BC V1X 6Y5250.861.5907 | pinnacleroofing.ca

CONCRETE TILES|METAL ROOFSNEW ROOFS|RE-ROOFSTORCH-ON ROOFING

ASPHALT SHINGLES

WINNER2 0 1 5

and producing high quality record-ings and mixes to deliver a tight, yet “live” edge, and BIG, present sound. For him there’s just one focus, pri-ority and passion—high �delity!Bob employs the same tools as the world’s best studios to record and mix award-winning songs and movie soundtracks. He also runs �e Music & Audio Technical Training Institute

(MATTI) and is a certi�ed instruc-tor of audio engineering and

music production with train-ing classes held yearly at BIG Audio studio (more info at www.mattinstitute.ca). To view a selection of clients and albums and for full details on facilities and ser-vices, visitwww.bigaudioproductions.com.

Satis�ed customers refer most of BIG Audio’s new clients. �ey appreciate the experience and dedication Bob Gabelhouse lavishes on every project to transform their music and songs into broadcast quality productions. Bob is a multi-award nominated, cer-ti�ed audio engineer, musician and music producer whose state-of-the-art music and post-production audio fa-cility sets the standard for the Valley. Located in Kelowna overlooking Okanagan Lake, this studio with a view boasts a BIG control room, large ambient live/drum room and three isolation booths separated by sound-proof windows. In this premium professional environment, Bob puts his extensive expe-rience in music, recording, and live concert mixing to good use— engineering

BIG Sound!BIG Audio Productions

Bob Gabelhouse owner/operator/producer

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Find smart advertisers Argus Properties 15

Ballet Kelowna 15

Beachcomber Home + Leisure 31

Bohemian Café & Catering 21

Boyd Autobody & Glass 17

Canadian Hearing Care 19

Central Green 44

Central Okanagan Counselling Services 38

Country RV 19

Delta Grand Okanagan 43

DermMedica 3

Dilworth Homes 29

Don-O-Ray Vegetables 21

Downtown Vernon Association 42

Fawn Run at The Ponds 48

Keith Construction 4

KGH Foundation 37

Minstrel Café & Bar 42

PARS Homes 2

Pinnacle Roofing 44

Skaha Hills 41

Sticks & Stones Design Group 21

Summerland Golf & Country Club 45

Swan Lake Nurseryland 43

The Cottages 39

The Pinnacles Suite Hotel 21

Third Space Coffee 36

TomTar Roofing & Sheet Metal 33

West Harbour 35

Wine Kitz 45

Wood Fire Bakery 37

Wine for Spring!

Cooper Road location only!101-1980 Cooper Road (Orchard Plaza II)

250-717-0044

10% OFFTraditional Wine Kitz

15% OFFUltimate Wine Kitz

AWARD WINNING WINE KITS

F R O M A R O U N D T H E W OR L D

Make your own wine and showcase your personality with

custom labels designed by you

Wine for

Cooper Road location only!101-1980 Cooper Road (Orchard Plaza II)

Everyone Welcome!Everyone Welcome!Experience one of the Okanagan’s most enjoyable yet challenging golf courses.Experience one of the Okanagan’s most enjoyable yet challenging golf courses.

Visit our website for daily fee rates, internet specials, membership o�ers and directionswww.summerlandgolf.com

SUMMERLAND GOLF CLUB • 2405 Mountain Avenue • 250.494.9554

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Self-employedSee how one perennial Okanagan Life contributor assesses life as her own boss. It’s not all java and jammies

I promised Laurie, my editor, I wouldn’t joke about working in pyjamas when she suggested I write about

being self-employed for this particular edition of Rearview. Yet, here I sit at a very odd hour of the night eating Italian wedding soup and contemplating whether I should don the plaid � annel onesies (right tartan) or the cream silk and lace lounging out� t to write this.

Well, in truth, I went to bed a� er the soup. I woke up still in the T-shirt and leggings I slept in last night because I wanted to get up early and � nish editing the last leg of a client’s autobiography. I sent it o� , and was able to corral a quickie appointment with my accommodat-ing dentist to take care of a sore tooth without having to formally book a time based on a “real job” schedule.

Yes, I’ve been one of those self-employed folks for most of my adult working life, with perhaps 10 years total work-ing at a full-time position in a conventional o� ce. � ey were “good” jobs, with decent position titles, salaries and coworkers. I le� them all, despite the medical and dental bene� ts and paid vacation, for various reasons: (a) work-ing � ve days a week, same hours, for 50 weeks a year (two weeks vacation); (b) working in the same physical location daily (cubicles, “bull pens,” once even a con-verted broom closet); and (c) a mutually agreed opinion by both parties that I was just too “colourful” to � t in.

Fortunately, I have many of the characteristics recom-mended for self-employed people. I’m dedicated to my profession of writing, editing and teaching. I’m self-dis-ciplined and hardworking. With the help of an intelligent accountant, I’m pretty good with the � nancial side of things. And not too shabby when it comes to looking for new work.

Percs? I’ve travelled — much of it on assignment. I’ve

written articles and books on topics I probably never would have if I’d been in one job. And the fascinating people I’ve had the good fortune to meet — writing subjects, students who have turned into friends, and peers — many bon vivants, buccaneers and just darn interesting people who create their livings independently, just like I do. I’ve even made some pretty good money in my time.

Downsides? As the cliché goes, it truly is feast or famine. Sometimes there’s been so much work, I felt like I was going to explode, working memorable overnight, weekend and holiday shi� s to meet deadlines. And during the down times, I felt occasionally it was time to go and get a regular job.

One strong piece of advice for prospective self-employed types: make sure you have a solid self-paid insur-ance plan for extra medical and dental require-ments, as well as some type of disability program in case you are not able to work for a period of time because of injury or illness.

Perhaps what I’ve come to appreciate most about being self-employed is being able to move my “o� ce” (the laptop) to work in any part of the house that takes my fancy. I’ve worked amongst the plants in my little glassed-in balcony, at the dining room table, standing at the kitchen counter, on the cozy couch, o� en in bed (between Net� ix, of course), and any co� ee shop or waiting room.

Do I recommend being self-employed over work-ing at a real job for someone else? I would say de� nitely, if you’re committed and organized, like variety in a work environment, and certainly if you are, ahem, too colourful to � t in with a conventional company.

So now that I’ve � nished this piece in the middle of a Friday a� ernoon, I can book o� , change into those silk pyjamas, grab a glass of rosé and pay some serious attention to that spinach/ham frit-tata I’ve been meaning to cook all week. Tomorrow is Saturday, the start of a weekend when I have to edit 30,000 words for a client by Sunday night. Eek!

Do I recommend being self-employed over working at a real job for someone else? I would say defi nitely, if …

REARVIEWBy Dona Sturmanis

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A DV ERTI S EM ENT


Where cannabis is concerned, there has certainly been progress, at least in the form of campaign promises. Trudeau and the Liberals won a majority government and the new administration package comes complete with a mandate to legalize can-nabis. Medical cannabis has been legal in Canada for over a decade and serving medical patients is the mandate at �e Herbal-Health Centre (THHC) — where they continue to set industry standards for professionalism and compassionate care.

More than 2,500 patients have joined �e Herbal-Health Centre for access to medical cannabis. Word continues to spread quickly and results keep people com-ing back. Over the past two years, THHC has been an advocate for the shi� to non-psychoactive cannabis therapies. Patients report that these options o�er relief from a host of symptoms, but without the “high” normally associated with cannabis use. �ese therapies e�ectively remove barriers for anyone who does not want to expose themselves to a mind-altering substance.

Non-psychoactive, CBD-speci�c for-mulations are gaining signi�cant traction for addressing pain from in�ammation

and seizure disorders. Topical applications in the form of salves, balms and lotions provide relief from joint and muscle pain. Patients applying these topically have also experienced signi�cant, easy-to-see im-provement with symptoms of skin cancers, psoriasis, eczema, chemical burns and other skin injuries. Suppositories infused with cannabis oils are gaining acceptance and recognition for their ability to deliver the bene�ts of full-spectrum cannabinoid therapy without making patients high.

�e barriers for considering cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic option continue to fall and the number of patients exploring this option continues to grow. �e profes-sional, knowledgeable and compassionate sta� at THHC are prepared to answer your questions about which forms of cannabis can help improve your quality of life.

Medical cannabis patients have driven the movement for access to cannabis. Legislated change is coming. THHC is part of the conversation to develop intel-ligent, workable policy and regulation for cannabis that considers patients �rst. For more information visit www.thhc.ca or facebook.com/theherbalhealthcentre.

Reclaim quality of lifeThe Herbal-Health Centre

A DV ERTI S EM ENT

I was an elite level pole vaulter, with hopes of making the 2016 Olympic Games. In 2012, Crohn’s disease changed my life. I tried every pharmaceutical.

Nothing worked; the side effects were horrendous.

Surgery allowed me to merely survive with Crohn’s, cannabis products from THHC allow me to thrive with it.”

— Lane, Saskatoon, SK / Fitness instructor

A decade of struggling with health issues led to 34 operations. Doctors prescribed a host of traditional narcotics with diminishing results and insufferable side effects. I couldn’t work and had to go on social assistance to get by. I felt powerless…

Medical cannabis was something that I had never tried and the results were nothing short of a miracle. I was able to return to work and gain back a ‘quality of life’ for my family.”

— Eric, Enderby, BC / Plumber

Self-employedSee how one perennial Okanagan Life contributor assesses life as her own boss. It’s not all java and jammies

I promised Laurie, my editor, I wouldn’t joke about working in pyjamas when she suggested I write about

being self-employed for this particular edition of Rearview. Yet, here I sit at a very odd hour of the night eating Italian wedding soup and contemplating whether I should don the plaid � annel onesies (right tartan) or the cream silk and lace lounging out� t to write this.

Well, in truth, I went to bed a� er the soup. I woke up still in the T-shirt and leggings I slept in last night because I wanted to get up early and � nish editing the last leg of a client’s autobiography. I sent it o� , and was able to corral a quickie appointment with my accommodat-ing dentist to take care of a sore tooth without having to formally book a time based on a “real job” schedule.

Yes, I’ve been one of those self-employed folks for most of my adult working life, with perhaps 10 years total work-ing at a full-time position in a conventional o� ce. � ey were “good” jobs, with decent position titles, salaries and coworkers. I le� them all, despite the medical and dental bene� ts and paid vacation, for various reasons: (a) work-ing � ve days a week, same hours, for 50 weeks a year (two weeks vacation); (b) working in the same physical location daily (cubicles, “bull pens,” once even a con-verted broom closet); and (c) a mutually agreed opinion by both parties that I was just too “colourful” to � t in.

Fortunately, I have many of the characteristics recom-mended for self-employed people. I’m dedicated to my profession of writing, editing and teaching. I’m self-dis-ciplined and hardworking. With the help of an intelligent accountant, I’m pretty good with the � nancial side of things. And not too shabby when it comes to looking for new work.

Percs? I’ve travelled — much of it on assignment. I’ve

written articles and books on topics I probably never would have if I’d been in one job. And the fascinating people I’ve had the good fortune to meet — writing subjects, students who have turned into friends, and peers — many bon vivants, buccaneers and just darn interesting people who create their livings independently, just like I do. I’ve even made some pretty good money in my time.

Downsides? As the cliché goes, it truly is feast or famine. Sometimes there’s been so much work, I felt like I was going to explode, working memorable overnight, weekend and holiday shi� s to meet deadlines. And during the down times, I felt occasionally it was time to go and get a regular job.

One strong piece of advice for prospective self-employed types: make sure you have a solid self-paid insur-ance plan for extra medical and dental require-ments, as well as some type of disability program in case you are not able to work for a period of time because of injury or illness.

Perhaps what I’ve come to appreciate most about being self-employed is being able to move my “o� ce” (the laptop) to work in any part of the house that takes my fancy. I’ve worked amongst the plants in my little glassed-in balcony, at the dining room table, standing at the kitchen counter, on the cozy couch, o� en in bed (between Net� ix, of course), and any co� ee shop or waiting room.

Do I recommend being self-employed over work-ing at a real job for someone else? I would say de� nitely, if you’re committed and organized, like variety in a work environment, and certainly if you are, ahem, too colourful to � t in with a conventional company.

So now that I’ve � nished this piece in the middle of a Friday a� ernoon, I can book o� , change into those silk pyjamas, grab a glass of rosé and pay some serious attention to that spinach/ham frit-tata I’ve been meaning to cook all week. Tomorrow is Saturday, the start of a weekend when I have to edit 30,000 words for a client by Sunday night. Eek!

Do I recommend being self-employed over working at a real job for someone else? I would say defi nitely, if …

REARVIEWBy Dona Sturmanis

26-48.indd 47 2016-02-26 12:15 PM

SEE KELOWNA’S BEST SHOWHOME

EXCELLENCE IN SHOWHOME $500,000 AND OVER

Representing four of Upper Mission’s finest communities. Learn about them at our award-winning showhome.

See our award winning showhome

5730 Mountainside Drive,

Upper Mission

Open weekdays

9:00 – 4:00

NOW OPEN weekends

11:00 – 4:00

Visit our websites to register to learn more or for driving directionsfawnrun.ca trestleridge.ca theedgekelowna.ca thecreekskelowna.ca

26-48.indd 48 2016-02-26 12:15 PM

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