Love Local

Sometimes our journey to finding our calling takes us through many highs and lows. Abigail knew from an early age that photography ignited her creative spark, but needed to go through the many stages that life had set out for her before she ventured out on her own as Abigail; ART last year.

As she puts it, "When I have a camera in my hands, I feel like I have a magical tool that I can use to capture the beauty in front of me and save it forever.  I believe photographs capture so much more than just the image of people; I believe they capture the energy of a time in space.  I believe that more than people want to remember what they looked like, they want to remember how they felt.  My goal in my photography is to help people connect in front of my camera so I can capture their feelings, in a beautiful way of course."

Abigail's motto for her life & business - "As I rise, I lift" is truly a great motto, not just for her, but indeed for all of us who LoveLocal.

If you're retired and completely in love with the game of golf, what do you do when you find that the golf accessories in the market are not of the standard you'd like them to be? Well, if you're Sandra & Henry, you look into how you could make them better yourself - using your existing skills and learning new ones along the way. And in doing so, you discover that there is a whole market out there of people who want the same thing as you - items that are unique, handcrafted with passion and skill, and mean something to you personally.

This is the story of how Maggie's Celtic Golf came to be - and how Sandra & Henry took on the challenge of designing, sourcing tartan & other materials, stitching/tailoring, photography and web design, as well as trying to find distributors for their product. What I loved most about its telling is the obvious respect & love the two of them have - for the game of golf, for lifelong learning, and for each other.

Thank you for listening in so far this year, and we hope you keep listening in 2021 as we find more reasons to #LoveLocal.

If you've ever had anything to do with community causes in Vernon, chances are you've likely come across Cindy Masters. The soul and face of Kindale for many years, Cindy took on the task of helming the Land Trust last year.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Cindy and talking about her journey to becoming the 'Good Citizen of the Year' award, and the work she sees ahead with the Land Trust. Along the way, we reminisced about our time together on the Vernon Golf Spectacular fundraiser, and she also talked about the need she sees for local businesses to be supported by the community.

As a person who clearly is passionate about all things local, Cindy is sure to rekindle your #lovelocal.

If you've had the pleasure of dining at Station BBQ, you've probably wondered how Vernon became the home to one of the best southern barbecue restaurants north of the 49th. Chef Eric learnt his trade in multiple restaurants in Texas the deep south, but not until after being trained in French haute cuisine and finding the experience didn't do anything for him as a human.

Listen as Eric tells the story of how he strayed away from education and into the kitchen, encouraged by his parents, and how in doing so he found a lifetime of education in cooking. As he talks about the science of BBQ, don't be alarmed if you find yourself drooling - I can assure you the interviewer did the same! And equally fascinating is Eric talking about COVID pivots, as well as taking a longer term view on the 'democratization' of cooking.

I have always been proud to call Eric, Tanya & Station BBQ one of my go-to's - after listening to his passion for his craft and community, you too will regain your #LoveLocal.

After a successful career as a high-powered marketing executive with multinational companies, Carole discovered her true calling in health and wellness. She pursued this in Europe, before making the huge decision to relocate to the Okanagan with her children, and invest in a floatation business in Kelowna.

Whilst Float Space had been in business for a few years, what Carole has done to this business is nothing short of transformational - from branding to the service scope to the space itself, whilst both keeping the core group of loyal clients and adding new ones. She has done all this with a great approach of leading from the heart whilst listening to her head, and at every step having a clear vision of what Float Space represents.

If you listen to Carole talk about her business and the community she has become a part of, you cannot help but #LoveLocal.

For Rossco (aka Ross Marrington), it all started with the ability to design webpages and databases, allied with an undying love for the great game of golf. Along the way, a hobby turned into a successful golf travel company with an unwavering focus on giving people great service at fair value, and showcasing the amazing product that is Canadian and BC golf.

In this episode, we sit down with the man to talk golf (of course!), along with the story of his journey to becoming the Best Inbound Tour Operator for Canada three years in a row. Hear Rossco's stories of clients who become friends, and friends who become clients.

Most importantly, hear Rossco talk passionately about his love for the game, and for all that the Okanagan offers in terms of both golf and life beyond it - and you will come away with a renewed sense of #LoveLocal.

Jeffery Holomis started with his passion and ability to design, fabricate and build things, and turned it into a successful and growing company called SC Carts that promises to put Vernon on the low speed EV map (and already has done so in the golf cart space). Along the way, he learnt new skills, ranging from capital allocation to people management to building a customer service ethos.

We are all given 24 hours every day - what we choose to do with it is up to us. Jeff manages to find the time to be a great father to his 5 year old, indulge his love of all things fast and furious, and still be the person who leads his growing company front and centre.

In the infinite game, stories of success and failure are never written until after the fact. So rather than call Jeff & SC Carts a winner, let's just celebrate the fact that they are a great reason to #LoveLocal.

The word 'legend' sits lightly on Brian James' shoulders. As one of the pioneers of the  ski industry in the Okanagan, his drive, perseverance and skills have stood him in good stead both on the ski slopes and in business. He is clearly possessed with that unwavering confidence in the face of the unknown that defines a successful business owner.

This episode is longer than normal, but simply because there are lessons in Brian's story that all entrepreneurs (and ski enthusiasts!) can relate to - whether it is leaving the straight and narrow for the unknown, navigating business ups and downs, and evolving with the times. Along the way, Brian also weighs in on the necessary COVID precautions which are mandated to ensure we have the privilege of being able to ski.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed taping it with Brian, and come away with the same amount of #LoveLocal as I did.

In our second episode to feature a restauranteur, we sit down with Brad Shaw, who went from a successful career in the international oil & gas space to owning a well-loved Kelowna restaurant. Hear how his dreams of taking MTL to the next level have only been delayed, but not cancelled, by the pandemic which coincided with his purchase.

With clear eyes and full hearts, Brad and his team are incredibly pragmatic, willing to adapt and yet completely focused on the end vision. Their resilience is a metaphor for how all of us should be looking at our currrent circumstances, and for me, it was incredibly energising.

I hope you enjoy listening to this chat as much as I did recording it, and I do hope it reinforces why we #LoveLocal. Not because it's a slogan, but because almost always, our local business owners deserve that love. And dare I say, respect.

Lox & Fox Baby Boutique may be a new business, but the values and ideas behind it are old and wise - in the best sense of those words. My guest Tanis Boegel left behind a successful career in marketing to care for her newborn Lox, and in doing so, discovered a big gap in the sourcing of products for Lox and for Lox's parents.

And so Lox & Fox Baby Boutique was born. Hear the story behind its genesis, the values that drove its creation and how it is intended to be a sustainable business. Once you hear about the 'happy dance' that your purchase can create in the Boegel household (Lox included!), you're going to always LoveLocal.

Tune in, drop some comments and share with others who may enjoy the series.