Kelowna the 16th busiest city in Canada for incoming U-Haul trailers
It was quite the assemblage of talent, experience, accomplishment, civic mindedness and personality at the wrap-up party for Kelowna’s Top Forty Over 40.
Weekly from September 2016 to June, this newspaper published profiles of 40 people over the age of 40 who’s made a big impact through their career, mentorship and community service.
Top 40 is presented by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and BDO Accountants and Consultants.
All the nominees recently gathered at the Delta Grand hotel to be recognized and vote for the one they felt represented the program the best.
The winner was Raghwa Gopal, a Kelowna high-tech pioneer who founded Vadim Software in 1977 and is now the CEO of Accelerate Okanagan.
Starting again in the fall, The Daily Courier will profile another crop of deserving businesspeople, this time with a Top Forty Under 40 format.
Iron Horse
Custom, but turnkey. Iron Horse, the luxury gated community off Chute Lake Road in the Upper Mission, prides itself on delivering custom, ready-tomove-in homes in eight month, when most custom homes require two years of construction.
“Construction has already started on all 12 homes in Iron Horse’s seventh and final phase,” said developer Marvin Dean.
“Each home is different and can be customized by the buyer and can be ready in eight months.”
All homes have big floor plans, are on large lots, feature four to six bedrooms and a swimming pool.
Prices range from $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
Other premium options include wine cellar, pool cabana, a deck off the upstairs master bedroom and mini-bars in masters.
Most homes also have semi-lake views.
When this phase is finished, Iron Horse will be complete with 70 homes.
“We started just as the crash hit in 2009, so it’s taken longer than we expected,” said Dean.
“But, it’s really picked up over the past four years and the last year in particular, with people in Vancouver selling their little house there for $2 million and coming up to Iron Horse to buy a 5,400-square-foot home for $1.5 million.
Dean is also developing Grizzly Ridge at Big White Ski Resort.
The project is currently 10 townhouses, but eight more will be added this summer.
Future phase include some duplexes and single-family homes.
Moving in
People are moving to Kelowna in droves.
Figures from U-Haul, the leader in do-it-yourself moving truck rentals, show Kelowna is the sixteenth busiest city in the country so far this year for incoming U-Haul trucks.
That’s up from No. 24 last year and is a 9.5 per cent increase in arrivals compared to last year.
Kelowna’s high-tech-and-construction boom is attracting new residents.
As well, the city continues to lure those who want to retire or semi-retire where the weather is nice and the lifestyle enviable.
No summer vacay?
Fifty-six per cent of Canadians won’t be going on summer vacation because they are financially strapped, worried about job loss and stressed by their debt.
A survey by accounting and consulting firm MNP shows 72 per cent of those asked who have trouble if interest rates increased just one per cent.
Thirty per cent are worried someone in their household could lose their job.