Biz Profiles


Fibre fit for a king
Trevor Nichols - Jul 25, 2017 - Biz Profiles

For Julene Koslowski, it all started with a tractor. Years ago she and her husband lived on a stretch farmland in Alberta. They weren’t farmers, but needed some equipment to work on the land. So the pair went to see a guy about a tractor. They didn’t end up buying it, but Koslowski points to […]

Kelowna business a HIIT
Trevor Nichols - Jul 19, 2017 - Biz Profiles

One of the most successful fitness companies to come out of Kelowna happened almost by accident. Sure, the pair behind it ooze enthusiasm, and made some shrewd decisions along the way, but if they hadn’t one day decided to get out their iPhones, HIITit.ca 12 Minute Workouts might not exist. Chelsea Harrison and Melanie Breitkreutz are […]

Making policy ‘sexy again’
Trevor Nichols - Jul 07, 2017 - Biz Profiles

The new executive director of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce wants to beef up the chamber’s role as an advocate, pushing for changes that will positively impact the Okanagan the way only a chamber of commerce can: through the exciting and fast-paced pursuit of policy development. “We’re trying to make policy analysis sexy again,” says Dan […]

Only as much as necessary
Trevor Nichols - Jul 05, 2017 - Biz Profiles

It was at a birthday party, in a frenzied kitchen, as the guest of honour cooked like mad, that QB Gelato was born. The co-owner of Kelowna’s new gelato shop was at that party mulling over what he and his partner would call their dream store, when the Italian birthday girl suddenly called out “quanto […]

Food can change your life
Trevor Nichols - Jun 29, 2017 - Biz Profiles

Some entrepreneurs set out to build a company that will make them millions, others just want to make the world a better place. Michael Buffett falls into the latter category, and through his not-for-profit Start Fresh Project, hopes to change people’s lives by connecting them to food. “We have this goal, which is to inspire […]

12 years of Bliss
Trevor Nichols - Jun 27, 2017 - Biz Profiles

Yesterday, one of the Okanagan’s favourite bakeries quietly celebrated its 12-year anniversary. Normally, Darci and Barry Yeo like to make a little bit bigger of a deal when Bliss Bakery and Bistro hits a milestone, but as Darci said in an interview today, they’ve just been too busy. Less than two weeks ago the couple […]

The kilt makers
Trevor Nichols - Jun 26, 2017 - Biz Profiles

Paul McPhail first came to Canada when he was 15. At the time, he was thinking a lot about hockey, and very little about kilts. The co-owner of McPhail Kilt Makers moved to Penticton from Ayr, Scotland when he was just 15 years old, to study at the Okanagan Hockey Academy. A talented player, he hoped […]

Designed to ‘transform’ system
Trevor Nichols - Jun 21, 2017 - Biz Profiles

In just a couple of months, an ambitious and “transformative” youth mental health centre will open its doors in Kelowna. Foundry Kelowna is a “world-class” centre that will host representatives from more than two dozen youth mental health and addiction services. The centre is part of the BC Integrated Youth Services Initiative, and represents a […]

Your learning, in a bag
Trevor Nichols - Jun 09, 2017 - Biz Profiles

It didn’t take Kristin Garn long to realize working in a classroom wasn’t for her. Garn has a degree in Education, Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Winnipeg, and for a brief time tried her hand at a traditional teaching job. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t last long. She quickly left the classroom to run an […]

The winding path to Unite
Trevor Nichols - Jun 01, 2017 - Biz Profiles

Jesse Brown, the co-founder of a the new Kelowna-based app Unite, always considered himself and adventurous guy. After moving to and exploring Kelowna for a few years, he’d basically hit all the landmarks you tend to hear about. Then, one day, he realized there had to be more. “I sort of just had a realization one […]