Jesse Takes Helm At Coastal Community Credit Union
MARK MACDONALD
RE/MAX of Nanaimo has officially morphed into RE/MAX Professionals. Partner Graeme Parker says the change was necessary as almost one-third of the office’s transactions were from outside Nanaimo. “The name change is intended to support today’s sales associates who tend to be needed in a broader area of Vancouver Island as well as within the City of Nanaimo,” says Graeme. “We see this ongoing development as the future for our associates. The reason that we chose the name professionals is that we believe it is the perfect descriptor of our community of agents.”
Kent Jesse is the new Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Community Credit Union, taking the torch from Adrian Legin. Jesse has been Chief Risk Officer at CCCU since 2022, and previously worked at Innovation Credit Union in Prince George. Also, a tip of the hat to Coastal Community Credit Union for being named to the 2025 list of Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance in Canada by Great Place To Work. Coastal Community Credit Union has already been named to Forbes’ 2025 Canada’s Top Employers list, as well as being a Best Workplace in British Columbia by Great Place to Work.
A 10-lot industrial subdivision in the Seacliff Properties project in Chase River south of Nanaimo is now in the application stage with the city of Nanaimo. The designation for the zoning is I-4 Industrial. Sandstone is 294 hectares in total, and this piece is in development area three, covering just over 20 hectares.
Graeme Parker
There’s a new restaurant in downtown Nanaimo, at 299 Wallace Street – Flamez Chicken. The establishment is owned by Pam Sharma, Maddy Asghar and Ricky Saini, and features fried and flame-grilled chicken.
Vancouver Island University has a new interim president and vice-chancellor: Dennis Johnson, who takes over on June 16 from Emily Huner, VIU’s vice president of administration and chief financial offer, who has been filling in as acting president after Deborah Saucier resigned in April. Johnson has formerly served as President of the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, as well as worked at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Mohawk College.
Kent Jesse is the new Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Community Credit Union, taking the torch from Adrian Legin. Jesse has been Chief Risk Officer at CCCU since 2022, and previously worked at Innovation Credit Union in Prince George. Also, a tip of the hat to Coastal Community Credit Union for being named to the 2025 list of Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance in Canada by Great Place To Work. Coastal Community Credit Union has already been named to Forbes’ 2025 Canada’s Top Employers list, as well as being a Best Workplace in British Columbia by Great Place to Work.
Wayne Procter notes that his Cedar General Store – the first of the chain of stores in Procter’s Island-wide company, has undergone a significant makeover and they’ll be receiving new gas pumps in August.
Rachel Robertson
Rachel Robertson of Return To Form kinesiology and pilates station off Giggleswick Place is opening a Pilates studio at 1970 Diesel Way this July. Rachel has been teaching pilates and looking after kinesiology patients for years, and is a former Nanaimo Female Athlete of the Year, as well as coaching Canskate figure skating for six years. She has been recognized by the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario and the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists. www.returntoform.ca
A tip of the hat to Nanaimo Christian School, upon being named the most inspirational school in the province with a B.C. School Sports Award. Breanne Quist is the athletic director for the school, which now has 35 sports teams, with almost half of the students playing on at least one team.
Jim and Linda Jesson have sold their Sunrise Beach Club Resort on Bantayan Island in the Philippines. The former owners of Maximum Yield also had some great news as their Parkside Hotel & Spa in Victoria has been honoured as one of Canada’s Top 25 Hotels in the Travellers’ Choice Awards.
Lee Orpen has opened Orpen Land Solutions, which will focus on regulatory approvals for subdivisions and other properties within B.C. and Alberta. www.orpenlandsolutions.ca
IWCD is off and running again with another project – this time KOT Hyundai Genesis in Langford. They just finished several Nanaimo vehicle dealerships, including Nanaimo Honda, Wheaton Hyundai, Nanaimo Mitsubishi and Galaxy Motors, which won an Award of Excellence in the recent Coastal Community Credit Union sponsored Vancouver Island Commercial Building Awards in the Automotive Category. IWCD is also honored to be named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies with Platinum Member status for 2025.
John Hirst of Ravenwood Financial Services Ltd. has been named the Top Financial Advisor in the Cowichan Valley for the fourth year in a row, and top Mutual Fund advisor for the second year straight. John managed the Sun Life Financial office in Nanaimo and was the Conservative candidate in two federal elections prior to leaving for Duncan.
Former Nanaimo Clippers owner Wes Mussio is now a licensed lawyer in Washington State.
Canadian Tire has purchased the assets of The Hudson’s Bay for $30 million, while Ruby Liu, the founder of Central Walk, which owns Woodgrove Centre, Mayfair Shopping Center in Victoria, Arbutus Ridge Golf Course in Cobble Hill and Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre on the lower mainland, will take on the leases for up to 28 Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada. The Bay has stores in Woodgrove, Tsawwassen Mills and Mayfair.
Alastair Caddic has stepped down as CEO of the Vancouver Island Ferry Company, which operates the Hullo fast foot passenger ferries to Vancouver. He’s replaced as interim CEO by Ryan Dermody, who has been a director on the company’s Board.
Lisa Garvie, owner of the tasty Masters Touch Catering business, is going B.C.-wide with her newest addition, Real Meals, a small business that started selling $7 dinners during Covid to help people eat healthily, affordably. They started selling 20 meals per day and now have customers coming from as far away as Victoria and Qualicum Beach to buy her wares.
Lee Hammond is the new Chief Operations Officer at the Port of Nanaimo. Lee has served in the Canadian Army for 30 years, and has worked at Western Canada Marine Response Corporation for nine years.
A six-storey, 98-unit residential building at 210 Caledonia Avenue is now before the city of Nanaimo, moving towards a development permit. Mill Brook Place Inc. is the owner of the project, which is being represented by Raymond De Beeld Architect Inc.
Greg Willmon is pleased to note that the MV Frances Barkley is back in the water, moving people and supplies to and from Bamfield, making stops in Kildonan and Rainy Bay from Port Alberni.
Ryder Architecture has presented plans to the city of Nanaimo’s advisory panel for a 22-unit project at 1850 Boxwood Road, near the Green Rock Industrial Park. If approved, it will include three storeys.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd. mark@communicationink.ca
