People in Business


Doesn’t belong here?
Trevor Nichols - Mar 14, 2017 - People in Business

The founder of a Kelowna tech startup has been whisked away to a special program in New York, after she was selected as one of the top 15 early-stage women tech entrepreneurs in Canada. Chosen by Canada’s Consulate General, Mazu founder and CEO Janice Taylor is currently taking part in the Canadian Tech in NYC […]

Chamber elects former MP
Trevor Nichols - Mar 13, 2017 - People in Business

Former Kelowna-Lake Country Member of Parliament Ron Cannan is one of two new directors recently elected the the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce board. Although many familiar faces are once again claiming a place at the table, Cannan and Domenic Rampone made the cut in the chamber’s most recent election. Cannan, who is now the director of Interior Savings Credit […]

From fans to creators
Trevor Nichols - Mar 10, 2017 - People in Business

The team at Kelowna’s High Roller Games practically oozes enthusiasm,  and why wouldn’t they? For a group of pals who grew up in Kelowna playing Risk and Dungeons and Dragons together, running their own board game company is pretty much a dream come true. “We played games all through high school and after high school,” […]

Building the Purppl nation
Trevor Nichols - Mar 09, 2017 - People in Business

Andrew Greer didn’t get into business to make money. In fact Purppl, his Kelowna-based startup, is structured so it legally has to give most of its profits to charity. But when you build a company that’s trying to fix society’s most pressing social issues, you don’t factor getting rich into the equation. “My first job […]

Kelowna’s ‘serendipity architech’
Trevor Nichols - Mar 08, 2017 - People in Business

It’s a little past 3 p.m. and Co+Lab’s “chief rabble rouser” is still on a call, trying to cram in some last-minute work before his interview. Shane Austin, who founded the co-working space along with fellow tech entrepreneur Daryl Chymko, is a busy man: Co+Lab is about to undertake a massive expansion and he has […]

New director at Associa BC
Okanagan Edge Staff - Mar 07, 2017 - People in Business

Associa British Columbia has named Carla Malmberg its director of operations. Malmberg has been with Associa BC (formerly KCS) for more than 23 years. She began her career as a receptionist and worked her way up the chain through the finance department before taking on the role of office manager. She also served as accounting director […]

Owning the pet industry
Trevor Nichols - Mar 02, 2017 - People in Business

We all know the saying: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. A young Penticton entrepreneur has taken that wisdom to the extreme, opening up her own pet supply business to right some of the wrongs she has seen in the industry. Chrystina Barnard is the 25-year-old owner and operator […]

Bucking the turnover trend
Trevor Nichols - Mar 01, 2017 - People in Business

A pair of Kelowna restauranteers have just been recognized as the best small business employers in British Columbia. Jared Lee and Devon Murray’s restaurant, Central Kitchen + Bar, won the coveted Small Business BC award last week. The awards are the largest of their kind in the province, and aim to “recognize the outstanding achievements […]

His own technology
Accelerate Okanagan - Feb 27, 2017 - People in Business

Imagine having dentures made for you in the amount of time it takes for you to watch a movie. Perfit Dental Solutions, a Kelowna based non-traditional tech company, is home to the world’s first digital temporary denture. Before Perfit’s innovative technology, dentures would often take days to make, and the moulds would often be imperfect […]

King of the cod
Trevor Nichols - Feb 24, 2017 - People in Business

For a young Jon Crofts the giant red grouper was one of the most exotic things he’d ever seen. At 19 years old Crofts had lived “a pretty sheltered life” in England, and the magnificent fish that were delivered every day to the supermarket where he worked were a connection to far-flung corners of the […]