Nanaimo Business News
LTG Technologies Ltd. and Ripe Holdings Inc. (dba Ripe Rides) have been granted approvals for their applications to provide ride hailing services on Vancouver Island. LTG was also approved for the Lower Mainland, Capital Regional District, Okanagan-Kootenays-Cariboo, and North Central BC. Ripe Rides was approved for Vancouver Island excluding the Capital Regional District (Greater Victoria).
Dr. Michelle Corfield has been appointed as director of Fortis BC. Michelle, former Chair of the Port of Nanaimo, was the Liberal candidate in the most recent federal election.
John Hirst, who was the Conservative candidate in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding in 2019, is still with Sun Life, but he’s opened his own practice to offer insurance and investment services at 161 Jubilee Street in Duncan. John was the manager of the Nanaimo Sun Life office at Nanaimo North Town Centre.
Naturopathic physician Dr. Riley Anderson has joined the team at Reed Family Wellness. Dr. Glen Reed and Dr. Jessica Reed own the practice, at 101-3150 Island Highway North.
The new Wajax building is nearing completion on Schoolhouse Road in south Nanaimo. Dave McNaught of Burbank Developments is the developer of the project, which will see Wajax move across the Island Highway from its current location in the near future.
Janet Dyck is now the Customer Care Manager at Communication Connection. Janet, who returned to Vancouver Island from a stint in Prince George a few years ago, was working with Telus and prior to leaving for the interior, worked at the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
Alvin Tan of RE/MAX of Nanaimo
Congratulations to Alvin Tan of RE/MAX of Nanaimo for placing number 42 in the list of Top 100 individual residential realtors for Re/MAX of Western Canada in March.
Former Nanaimo Clippers partner Bill Gallacher has put the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks up for sale.
The parent company of the Winterhawks, one of the league’s premier franchises, is Portland Winterhawks Inc., which has filed for bankruptcy, along with several of the companies owned by Gallacher, a Calgary-based oil man, that are now under a court-appointed receiver, according to the Vancouver Province and Oregonian newspaper.
Gallacher was partners with former Clippers owner Ken Wagner with the BC Hockey League club, and attempted to buy the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars in 2010.
Former Clippers head coach Mike Vandekamp, most recently with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, has left the BC Hockey League to join the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League as their new head coach and General Manager. Vandekamp had been coach of the Storm from 2007-2011.
Brad Knight, the original coach for the first two Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s Nanaimo Buccaneers, is back with the Junior B club as its Director of Hockey Operations, General Manager and Head Coach.
Brad, who is well-known in Nanaimo hockey circles, has been selling commercial real estate with NAI Commercial. Clayton Robinson remains as owner of the Bucs, and is also starting a new Pacific Junior Hockey League franchise in Chilliwack for next year. Carl Ollech, owner of Duncan Iron Works, was to be the new owner of the Bucs, but he remains owner of the Kerry Park Islanders after the sale of that team to Clippers ownership failed to gain approval from the VIJHL.
Kudos to Optometrists Vikramjit Panesar and Gurinder Jassal of Eye Plus Optometry and Optical at 1650 Terminal Avenue North, for offering free repairs for people with broken spectacles for those who can’t function without them during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Former Nanaimo Daily News reporter Darrell Bellaart, owner of Misguided Spirits Distillery at 1343 Alberni Highway in Parksville, has the company making hand sanitizer to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also make Brother XII small-batch vodka.
Nanaimo-based Ay Lelum – The Good House of Design, held its first online fashion show recently, says designer Aunalee Boyd-Good.
Hats off to Slava Govorov, who owns Panago locations in Ladysmith and South Nanaimo, for offering free small pizzas to first responders during April.
Donna Hais, Chair of the Nanaimo Port Authority and head of R.W. (Bob) Wall Contracting Ltd., and James Byrne, Regional Managing Partner of MNP LLP, have been appointed to The Mayor’s Task Force on Recovery and Resilience for Nanaimo in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kudos to Milner Trucking for giving two yards of free soil to locals on April 11 to help during the COVID crisis. General Manager Craig Cookman said the response was terrific, far beyond expectations.
Canadian Western Bank and VMAC have been recognized as two of the Best Workplaces in Canada, joining the top 50 organizations in the country.
VMAC is also crafting parts that are being tested in a prototype ventilator created by the University of Minnesota.
Herold Engineering Ltd. has four new principals for its firm, with offices in Nanaimo, Victoria, Ucluelet and Fort Nelson.
They are: Kate Ulmer, P. Eng., Principal Structural Engineer, Buildings; Jarrod Koster, P. Eng., Principal Structural/Building Enclosure Engineer; Craig Work, P. Eng., Principal Industrial, Bridge & Marine Engineer; and Patrick Ryan, P. Eng., Principal Civil Engineer.
Former Nanaimo television personality Bruce Williams has been named CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, effective June 15. He has been serving as interim CEO of the South Island Prosperity Partnership, and is co-owner of Spark Strategic Group.
Dave Devana is President and CEO of Nanaimo Airport
Dave Devana is now in place as the new President and CEO of Nanaimo Airport, taking the helm from the retiring Mike Hooper.
He was previously CAO for the District of North Cowichan., and is a Certified Professional Accountant.
Beth Hendry-Yim is the host and producer for her husband, Dr. John Yim’s new podcast called “Vital Moments in Naturopathic Medicine”. They’ve been accepted on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.
Congratulations to Grieg Seafood BC’s first ever Best Aquaculture Practices certification from the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
Grieg’s Director of Indigenous & Community Relations is former Nanaimo Economic Development Officer Marilyn Hutchinson.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd. and can be reached at mark@communicationInk.ca