Steve Marshall Ford Buys Auto Dealerships In Hawaii
MARK MACDONALD
NANAIMO – Atlas Engineered Products President and CEO Hadi Abassi has announced that the company has partnered with Westhaven Builders on a $800,000 senior living project in Kimball, Michigan, with construction set to begin in the company’s third quarter. Westhaven’s specialty is building facilities throughout the hospitality, entertainment, health care and retail sectors. Atlas also announced it has acquired another acre of industrial zoned land adjacent to its Clinton Building Components facility in Clinton, Ontario which will allow for an expansion.
The Wayne Procter Group is announcing that it will be opening Jingle Pot Serious Coffee soon. The growing firm includes Gas N Go and General Stores convenience outlets, as well as Omni Foods and Best Buy Liquor, the Lake Cowichan Marina in Lake Cowichan and Thetis Island Marine, and a number of pubs including Jingle Pot Pub, Cranberry Arms, The Wheatsheaf Pub and The Wellington Pub in Nanaimo and district, the Riverside Inn in Lake Cowichan, along with Westwind Pub in Port Alberni coming soon.
Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League Executive Director Shawn Vincent announced that the Junior B league is now independent like the BCHL, and is no longer affiliated with Hockey Canada. The strategic decision is expected to give players more opportunity for development and is designed to make the VIJHL an even more attractive opportunity for young hockey players wanting to play junior hockey and move on to higher levels, including college.
Hadi Abassi
The Steve Marshall Group is expanding again – this time to the United States. The auto group that includes 11 dealerships started in Campbell River in 1966 by Steve Marshall and includes Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln on Shenton Road in Nanaimo run by Ann Marie Clark has acquired Orchid Isle Ford in Hilo and Kono on the Big Island of Hawaii.
A clink of the glass to Longwood Brewery for capturing a bronze for their IPA and Pale Ale at the Canadian Brew Awards in Hamilton in May.
Dan Sawatzky, painter of several murals in Chemainus and designer of the Chemainus Theatre, and his son Peter Sawatzky and their Imagination Corporation officially opened their new fantasy-themed Hazelnut Inn on Yarrow Central Road in Yarrow, near Chilliwack. Building the Cultus Lake Adventure Park mini golf attraction was one of the first things the Sawatzky’s built after leaving Chemainus a number of years ago.
City of Nanaimo councillor Tyler Brown has joined Kevin Brooks and the team at McElhanney, where he will be a planner for the company. Tyler was with Islands Trust and is the former chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo.
A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. has a new partnership with Pret A Manger (Europe) Ltd., a European-based sandwich chain. The development agreement is on the heels of a trial period as Pret sandwiches were available in a number of A&W locations. A&W is the holder of an exclusive master franchisor rights for Pret in Canada.
A series of six, three-storey townhouses that will include 22 units is being planned for Metral Drive. All of the units will have rooftop patios, with 10 of them being two bedrooms and 12 being three bedrooms.
Trish Turnbull
Trish Turnbull of RE/MAX of Nanaimo has been invited to be one of 16 authors to have their own chapter in a book titled “The Me I Didn’t See”, which is now available on Amazon.
Kelly O’Dwyer is back where she started her real estate career, at Re/MAX of Nanaimo.
A tip of the hat to Mid Island Co-op, which announced it will match up to $1 million in donations to the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
William Litchfield notes that fundraising has started for new equipment at the cancer centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital that is slated to open in 2028.
Fast foot passenger ferry Hullo announced it has now welcomed over 250,000 guests since starting the downtown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver service last fall. They now have 100 employees. Two new services are available through the Hullo terminal at the Port of Nanaimo: Evo Car Share’s Evo Return round-trip car share service, and Evolve E-Bike Share, both created by BCAA.
Vancouver Island Crisis Society Executive Director Elizabeth Newcombe has been named the recipient of the American Association of Suicidology’s 2024 Crisis Services Award.
Nanaimo Airport brought record-breaking pilot Zara Rutherford to Nanaimo on May 28 for a presentation on her solo circumnavigation around the world at the B.C. Aviation Council’s annual conference.
Mr. Lube has been recognized with the prestigious designation of Platinum Club member by Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2024, for the 12th consecutive year, and sixth as a Platinum Club member.
Kimberley Cook, chair of Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island, has been elected to Habitat’s national board of directors. Kimberley is a partner at boutique tax law firm Thorsteinssons LLP.
A tip of the hat to Nanaimo’s Jacksun Fryer and Duncan’s Carlow Rush of dance duo Funkanometry, which recently placed second in the national television Canada’s Got Talent competition.
VMAC has earned a Gold Standard designation for the sixth straight year in Canada’s Best Managed Companies.
Harbour Air has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 electric airplane engines.
There will be a new light industrial development that will include four buildings and 17,000 square metres of space on a 2.4 hectare parcel at 924 Old Victoria Road.
John Palmer is back in the Nanaimo area, as he is licensed with CI Assante Wealth Management and is employed with the Ladysmith Credit Union.
Joe Godard tells us that the copier and technology company he works for, NextGen Automation, has acquired Corporate Business Solutions of Edmonton. That means NextGen will now offer Konica Minolta products to their customers.
Ray Brittain has put the long-time family operation Brechin Lanes on East Wellington Road up for sale. It is Nanaimo’s only five-pin bowling location.
A tip of the microphone to Dan Marshall, the play-by-play voice of the Nanaimo Clippers, upon winning the 2023-24 Jim Hughson Award for Broadcaster of the Year in the Junior A B.C. Hockey League.
Downtown Nanaimo had some new visitors recently as the crew of The Last Of Us set up shop to film new episodes of the hit HBO television show. Filming largely took place on and around Commercial Street during May.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd. mark@communicationink.ca