Local couple’s big book deal
In a three-book deal that went to auction with several U.S. publishers, Deanna Kent and Neil Hooson will be working with Imprint, a division of Macmillan USA, on their middle-grade book series Snazzy Cat Capers. The heavily illustrated series features more than a few references to Kelowna, and focuses on Ophelia von Hairball, the world’s […]
From the ground up
When Kelowna’s Pick Thai restaurant opened in December it wasn’t just the culmination of months of painstaking work, it was the final step that allowed one chef to achieve her dream. Sita Bunchuwong, the owner of the Bernard Avenue Thai eatery, says her mom Pam had wanted to run her own restaurant for decades. “It […]
One heck of a pivot
Things had been humming along for Keith Hamer and Tony Perkins for close to a decade. The pair had built a solid business selling bulk food to local restaurants, but after finding unexpected success with an off-the-cuff Facebook promotion last summer, things got a lot more interesting. As Hamer recently explained, he and his business […]
Bringing ‘big technology’ to books
A newly launched Kelowna startup hopes to harness the power of the web to transform the way people in the community buy and sell used books. Local Reads is the brainchild of book-lover Camille Jensen, who says she started the online service to fix what she saw as “problems” with the book market. Often, she […]
Indigenous students build futures
Cameron Jack was just 17 when he first stepped into the carpentry shop at Okanagan College. Two years and two levels of apprenticeship training later, Jack is inspiring others around him to follow in his footsteps while he continues down the path of a family member who inspired him. A member of the Okanagan Indian […]
From scurvy to dress shirts
When the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama and his crew first discovered how to fend off scurvy in 1497, it took hundreds of years for the citrus cure to become common knowledge. So if a revolutionary and life-saving idea takes centuries to catch on, how does one man with a sweat-wicking dress shirt make an […]
The video game beer leagues
An up-and-coming Kelowna startup believes its new mobile gaming software has the potential to churn out a whole new generation of casual video game athletes. If you’re not a big gamer, the words “casual video game athlete” might fill you with confusion, or even disgust. But, if the team at RewardMob has its way, that […]
‘Not your grandma’s gift shop’
If you’ve been searching for a place to buy some bacon-and-cheese-flavoured crickets in Kelowna, a newly opened Bernard Avenue shop has you covered. So Sweet, the colourful candy store that recently expanded to Kelowna, also carries a selection of worm-filled lollipops, super-sour jawbreakers, and even sweets that taste like poison. Rachel Manning, the director of operations […]
From pharma to farmer
Not long ago, on a brisk afternoon, Russ Johnson stood on the edge of a construction site, gazing across a young orchard. Dressed in bright yellow overalls, heavy boots and thick gloves, his breath curled in in faintly visible puffs. The air smelled like frost and apple juice. Nearby, machinery hummed and scraped. As Johnson […]
Fire is just the beginning
A lot can be done with a single patent, and one Kelowna entrepreneur is a prime example. Bill Ferguson runs iGuardFire, the company that produces the iGuardStove kitchen fire safety unit. The unit uses a motion sensor and automatic shutoff to help prevent kitchen fires before they start, but Ferguson has taken that relatively simple […]
