Nanaimo Honda Re-opens In New Building On Bowen Road
MARK MACDONALD
NANAIMO – Serious Coffee has been sold by Steve Brown to Wayne Procter, owner of Gas n Go Petroleum and General Stores & Markets, Omni Food Distributors, Best Buy Liquor Stores and the Well Pub.
Congratulations to Port of Nanaimo Chief Executive Officer Ian Marr, who has been recognized in the Business in Vancouver BC 500, the 2023 list of the Top 500 Most Influential Leaders in the province.
Narmada Chhetri has purchased the Southgate Mall location of Sun Noodle Bar and is turning it into the Paradise Indian Cuisine, which will feature East Indian cuisine prepared by main cook, and partner Balbir Singh. Narmada says their focus will be on authenticity to position the restaurant “as a go-to place for those seeking an indulgent culinary advent.”
Hospital Commons will become a five-storey building at the site of the former TD Bank building at 1588 Boundary Crescent, as the city has issued a development permit for the mixed-use building that will include a restaurant and housing. Donna Hais of R.W. (Bob) Wall Ltd. is the project manager and owner of the development, which will include a dozen one-bedroom apartments for hospital workers on the top three floors.
Port of Nanaimo President and CEO Ian Marr
Michael Johnston, formerly with Johnston, Johnston & Associates, is working at FMI Installations Ltd. on School House Road in south Nanaimo.
Alair Homes has hit a major milestone, as it has added its 100th franchise location. The event was celebrated in Alexandra, Virginia on November 9, when Matt Bieschke, owner of Carbon Design Build became the latest member of the team, and is now known as Alair Alexandria. Rob Cecil, President of Adair, was at the ceremony.
As of January 1, the Coast Salish Development Corporation (CSDC) will take ownership of the Ladysmith Community Marina and will rename it the Oyster Bay Marina. CSDC is the economic development section of the Stz’uminus First Nation, which gains the marina as part of a reconciliation agreement between the province, the current and the nation lessor of the water lot to the Town of Ladysmith, and the Nation.
The new mixed-use development at the corner of Albert and Prideaux Street is getting close to completion. A barber shop will be one of the street level commercial tenants.
A tip of the hat to Nanaimo’s Chris Faber, who is now the senior hockey writer for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. Chris, a former player with the Nanaimo Pirates baseball club, used to operate the popular Canucks Army blog and Canucks Conversation podcast.
A job well done to Rene Uvanile who is celebrating 10 years working with Elite Image. Rene runs the print division of the operation, and does an excellent job for clients.
Congratulations to Woodgrove Chrysler sales and finance manager Stu Dancey for being the winner of Jeep Canada’s Pick Your Power competition. Jeep salesman across the country were given an opportunity to create a four-minute video reviewing their top pick in plug-in hybrid vehicles, and his video on the Jeep Wrangler 4xe won the regional and national competitions.
Former owner Graham Williamson is pleased to note that the new owners of the company he founded 17 years ago with his wife Jenn, LifeSupport Air Medical Services, are making investments in new modern aircraft with new bases in Toronto and Montreal. Their head office is on Dublin Way in Nanaimo.
Our Mortgage Family is the name of the new team where relatives Lexi Muench and Gillian Wuerch Falk provide licensed mortgage broker services to clients. They can be reached at (250) 716-1930.
Hats off to the 460 Group of Companies, which will celebrate 10 years in the real estate industry in December.
Nanaimo Honda is back home, following the completion of their brand new 24,540 square foot location on Bowen Road by IWCD. The new building replaces the former structure, and includes a new service drive-through and wash bays. Nanaimo Honda deftly manoeuvred the construction period by temporarily relocating to Cienar Drive, and is looking forward to serving customers at 2535 Bowen Road.
That’s not all the good news for IWCD, as Greg and Troy-Anne Constable’s company has achieved Platinum Status in the General Contractors category for Nanaimo 2023 Community Votes. IWCD team members are also looking forward to playing against Knappett Industries Ltd. in the second annual Dirt Cup hockey game March 22 at Parksville’s Oceanside Place arena. The charity fundraiser is open to the public.
Tim Down, AACI, P. App, CAE, CCIM, RI, has joined boutique Vancouver-based commercial brokerage CASM Global. Tim, formerly with RE/MAX, will continue to serve clients throughout Central Vancouver Island.
Pita Land, which will offer Shawarma amongst other delights, is opening at 1150 Terminal Avenue North.
The Hullo fast foot ferry service provider has added a bus to shuttle passengers to and from the waterfront terminal.
Dr. Deborah Saucier
Dr. Deborah Saucier has been reappointed for a second five-year appointment as President and Vice Chancellor of Vancouver Island University by the Board of Governors, which also appointed Dr. Judith Sayers for a second three-year term as chancellor.
Sad to see Nanaimo Bakery and Café on Bowen Road closing its doors as of November 24. Long a favourite of Nanaimo residents, the company was purchased in 2021 by Rising Hope Services Inc., which tried to run it as a non-profit to assist people who had been experiencing homelessness transitioning into the community.
HeliJet CEO Danny Sitnam has announced it plans to add eVTOL (electrical vertical takeoff and landing) helicopters to its fleet in the next few years.
The Nanaimo Clippers have a new interim head coach in Bob Beatty after Curtis Toneff resigned his position. Gaelan Patterson has joined the club as an assistant coach, after spending the past two years as General Manager and Head Coach of the Port Alberni Bombers of the Junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd. mark@communicationink.ca