Swanky new convention centre
Agrand foyer with spiral staircase and double-height windows. Wide swaths of well-lit space. Patios with expansive views of Okanagan Lake. And chandeliers, lots of them. The newly opened 15,000 square feet of additional convention space at Penticton Lakeside Resort is both showy and functional.
“This new space combined with the 20,000 square feet we had before gives us 35,000 square feet total and makes us the largest privately owned convention facility in B.C. outside Vancouver,” said Lakeside general manager David Prystay.
The city-owned 60,000-square-foot Penticton Trade and Convention Centre is the largest facility of its kind in B.C. outside of Vancouver.
When Lake City Casino (now Cascades) relocated from the resort to nearby Vees Drive, the resort took the opportunity to renovate the vacated space into much-needed convention facilities.
“When you add convention space, you need more rooms, which is why we added 70 rooms in the new (six-storey) tower last year,” said Prystay.
The first group to use the new convention space is the B.C. Association of School Business Officials.
The association is also utilizing the older convention space and members have booked most of 273 rooms in the hotel.
The resort will mark the official grand opening of the new convention centre with a party on July 12.
Mad Hatter’s 35
Despite an overall decline in reading and a rise in e-books, West Kelowna’s Mad Hatter used book store is busier than ever.
“We are one of the lucky ones,” said Paulette Breault, who owns and operates the store with her husband, Maurice.
“We’re not 35 years strong and an icon in Westbank.”
It’s a nice position to be in to celebrate the business’ three-and-a-half decade anniversary.
With 35 years under its belt, Mad Hatter has seen, in some cases, three generations of families as customers.
Mad Hatter’s location, tucked away in Plaza 97 off Main Street, is chock-a-block with books of all kinds, but it’s well organized by category.
While Mad Hatter first and foremost loves the written word and the tactile pleasure of a book with pages, it hasn’t shunned the internet.
It belongs to Abebooks.com, the international site linked to book stores around the world.
If you can’t find what you want at Mad Hatter you can check out Abebooks.com.
And through Abebooks.com, readers around the world have found what they’re looking for at Mad Hatter and have them shipped to wherever they are.
Generally, books at Mad Hatter are sold for half the original price or less.
You can bring in your own gently used books for a credit or purchase of new release pre-owned paperbacks.
Mad Hatter also touts this as literary recycling.
When you bring in books you receive up to half off the Mad Hatter selling prices as credit.
When you purchase, half can be credit and the half has to be cash.
As an anniversary special, you get the sixth book free when you buy five.
Women in forestry
Tanya Wick, the first female executive at Vernon-based Tolko Industries, just picked up a Women In Forestry Award of Excellence at the Forest Products Association of Canada convention in Ottawa.
Wick was human resources vice-president before becoming vice-president of people and services, an expanded role that takes into account her job ranges from human resources, payroll and procurement to administration, communications and operational functions.
“My sincere thanks to Tolko for the opportunities it has given me and for its openness and dedication to supporting women in leadership,” said Wick.
The association’s Women in Forestry Award recognizes the male-dominated forestry industry is becoming more diverse and is committed to encouraging women.
Aboriginal leadership
The Forest Products Association also recognized Splatsin Development Corporation of Enderby with an Aboriginal Business Leadership Award at its conference in Ottawa.
The Splatsin Indian Band-owned company is into construction, resource management and investment.
Its natural resource management business is called Yucwmenlucwu, which means caretakers of the land.
It provides environmental, archaeology and forestry services.
Local government
Corie Griffiths, director of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, has been elected to the B.C. board of the Local Government Management Association.
The association supports leaders working in municipal and regional government by offering training and resources.
The Okanagan is well represented on the board with Mark Koch, director of community services at the District of Lake Country, serving as president.
Highrise sale
The sale of condominiums in the 29-storey West Tower of One Water Street in Kelowna starts today at 1 p.m.
One Water garners a lot of attention because its two highrises, including the 36-storey East Tower, will be the tallest in the city.
East Tower is almost sold out and construction is underway.
West Tower was brought to market six months earlier than planned because of demand.
West Tower sales are expected to be brisk because highrise living in downtown Kelowna is desirable and prices start in the low-$300,000 range.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist.Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.