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Category: Business

An American in Kelowna – Sucked into a Hoover Vacuum

An American in Kelowna – Sucked into a Hoover Vacuum

Hoover – damn, you had our money but lost our confidence.   On a balmy February Saturday afternoon, Elaine and I were on the hunt for an easy-to-use house vacuum. We needed a super-sucker that would work on carpeting, laminate flooring, and hopefully in couch crevices. Our in-house central-vac contraption was outdated and clunkier than Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. It was time for a primary update.     We zipped over to our Kelowna Canadian Tire to see what Hoover,…

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An American in Kelowna – Owl Be Back

An American in Kelowna – Owl Be Back

On the eve of Super Bowl 50, I took lovely wife Elaine out for a romantic evening that was filled with energy, passion, and a lot of heavy sweating. Did we go dancing – no?! Did we go ice skating at Stuart Park – no?! Did we go to the Kelowna Community Theatre for a Vegas-style live show – no?!           Mr. Romance took his bride to a secondary school basketball game. Whoa – slow down,…

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An American in Kelowna – Holy Mackerel, Driving Upstream to Salmon Arm

An American in Kelowna – Holy Mackerel, Driving Upstream to Salmon Arm

Allow me to explain that fishy headline.   A few weeks ago a select crew of Kelowna-based senior basketball officials were offered a two-day weekend (Friday + Saturday) assignment in Salmon Arm, BC. It was first come-first served at the 2016 Salmon Arm Nugget Invitational at Salmon Arm Secondary School high above Shuswap Lake.           Never in my officiating career did I imagine working games in an outpost called Salmon Arm?! Cool name. Cool chance to…

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An American in Kelowna – Behr in Mind our Open House was Color-Coordinated

An American in Kelowna – Behr in Mind our Open House was Color-Coordinated

Here’s a question Alex Trebek will NEVER ask on Jeopardy – “whose townhouse in Kelowna combines the wall colors of Caicos Turquoise, Lime Tree, Wild Watermelon, Morning Sun, Azure Lake, Spring Fauna, and Gingersnap on two stories under one roof?!”   Easy answer – “What is the bright and shiny retreat of yours truly and his much, much better half?“ On Sunday, September 20th – we opened our lake-friendly abode to 36 fantastic friends, neighbors, and co-workers for an end-of-summer…

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An American in Kelowna – Shoe Bank Canada Goes Batty and Barefoot on the Boardwalk

An American in Kelowna – Shoe Bank Canada Goes Batty and Barefoot on the Boardwalk

Holy caped crusader – Batman wears a size 10!       That’s what I learned on Saturday, September 12th at the 2nd Annual Barefoot on the Boardwalk fundraising effort put on by Shoe Bank Canada and its slew of volunteers and board members. The festivities took place on a gloriously warm late morning and early afternoon adjacent to Kelowna Water Park and Hot Sands Beach. The “Canadians Helping Canadians” two kilometres family-and-friends march strolled the City Park boardwalk –…

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An American in Kelowna – Csek this Out, My First Job Interview was First Class

An American in Kelowna – Csek this Out, My First Job Interview was First Class

Almost everybody remembers their first.   Mine was on Wednesday, August 5, 2015. I parked on Doyle, walked to Ellis, and climbed the stairs to the second floor of a downtown Kelowna office building. It was 2:00 PM on the dot. I was about to embark on my first official job interview in the Okanagan, a fact-finding face-to-face where a full-time position was on the line, with Jim Csek (pronounced check) at Csek Creative. Geraldine greeted me at front reception…

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An American in Kelowna – Surrounded by Champions-in-the-Making

An American in Kelowna – Surrounded by Champions-in-the-Making

Champions are Made. According to Gini Basketball, that was the T-shirt mantra of the week at the Ganon Baker Elite Camp that took place from August 17-20 at Okanagan Mission Secondary School in Kelowna.     About 120 kids starting at grades 6-7 and all the way up to the first year of university attended the four-day basketball bonanza. These wannabe champions had the chance to receive first-hand instruction from father-and-son camp directors Dino and Andrew Gini, as well as…

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An American in Kelowna – Finding a Marketing Pulse in Kamloops and Kelowna

An American in Kelowna – Finding a Marketing Pulse in Kamloops and Kelowna

For the past nine months, I’ve been taking the pulse of the local business community.   Kelowna is a resort town – not a corporate melting pot. Kelowna is headlined by healthcare, construction, and tourism – not exactly my wheelhouse. Kelowna wants to become a tech mecca – not a marketing metropolis.       All of the above makes my job-seeking mission a little tougher. Like a two-dollar steak. Like building a second bridge spanning Okanagan Lake. Like the…

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An American in Kelowna – Doing a Thorough Inspection of Home Inspector Murray from AmeriSpec® Inspection Services

An American in Kelowna – Doing a Thorough Inspection of Home Inspector Murray from AmeriSpec® Inspection Services

“Every girl crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man” – ZZ Top, 1983. For Elaine and me – Murray Klingbeil was truly that sharp dressed man. He came highly recommended from Coldwell Banker/Horizon Realty. We were bubbling with anticipation. On March 10, he arrived on time at our newly contracted lakeside love nest ready to give it a thorough once-over. That’s his job – professional home inspector from AmeriSpec® Inspection Services.         Murray looked every bit the part…

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An American in Kelowna – Samsung + Sears and our Space Age Washer + Dryer

An American in Kelowna – Samsung + Sears and our Space Age Washer + Dryer

Doing laundry is about to enter an eco-friendly frontier.     Holy Spacely Sprockets – where do I start?! In mid-March, Elaine and I strolled into the Sears Home department at the Orchard Park Mall. It was Saturday afternoon and we were on the hunt (big gulp!) for a new washer and dryer. Appliance Consultant Don showed us around. Having not been even slightly hip to the latest in laundry luxuries – I was blown away at what turned out…

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