Fred Couples is coming to the Valley to officially open The Golf Club at The Rise. It is the Okanagan’s first Signature golf course. The opening is now confirmed for June 18. Fred will be here for the annual Telus World Skins Game on June 16 and 17 so this will be a very exciting golf week in the Okanagan. The Skins of course is sold out...

Tim Hortons is proposing more expansion in the U.S. and then down the street, Starbucks plans to open fewer stores in the U.S. for the next three years. The American chain is talking about 21,500 stores by the end of 2011...

After fourteen year in business, Beyond Wrapture have opened their eighth spa at the Summerland Waterfront Resort. Debra Pender is the owner and founder of this unique business...

Are there big changes coming to WestJet? They will scrap the one price fits all system and move into multi-fare structure giving upgrades to passengers who opt to pay for more in-flight amenities. They will begin charging for value added services. I like that idea. There is no time frame on this program but it will happen after the new reservation system is in place by the end of 2009. Here is how is could work. People who pay for a higher category ticket could receive a window seat, a sandwich, a movie on your seat screen and a greater flexibility for changing flights without paying a penalty. It’s hard to believe but it was twelve years ago that WestJet started their rise to the top as a no frills carrier. Times are changing...

You can’t take it away from them. Those friends south of the border are good marketers and they are going to use the winter games in Vancouver as if they were their own. Using the 2010 Winter Olympics, the U.S. plans to draw in visitors before and after the games and are counting on showing themselves off well to take advantage of the spotlight being shined on the Northwest. For years after the Olympics, just as with the Expo 86, promotion will continue and the world will be watching...

I have always been a catalogue person. Ever since I was a little boy I looked forward to seeing the Eaton’s and Simpson’s catalogues to pick out all my wishes for Christmas. I have realized since then that Santa wasn’t listening. The good news is that Sears is thinking of reviving the Eaton’s catalogue and adding a website. I like that idea...

Saskatchewan has some of the hottest neighborhoods in Canada when it comes to house price increases. So for all of you from Saskatchewan living here, you will likely understand where these neighborhoods are. The report says Regina’s Whitmore Park has seen home prices in the past year jump as much as sixty per cent...

PepsiCo is reducing the amount of plastic it uses in bottles of some non-soda drinks. This is in conjunction with the latest move by beverage companies to appeal to consumers concerned about environmental waste and global warming. The new half-liter (16.9-oz.) bottle contains at least 20% less plastic than the one it is replacing, and it will be used for some versions of Lipton iced tea, Tropicana juice drinks, a flavored water called Aquafina FlavorSplash and an enhanced water known as Aquafina Alive...

The old Siglet auto dealership buildings have finally been destroyed and removed from the highway entrance to the City of Vernon. It was an eyesore and it really needed to go. Westgate Holdings purchased the land and are building an 11,000 square foot, two-storey building for the Bank of Montreal. A great location for the bank. I was trying to remember how many developers had stepped in once or twice to develop that prime piece of real estate but nothing ever happened. The upper floor will be leased out...

Focused more than ever on building energy-efficient stores and reducing the impact to the environment, Canadian Tire Retail confirmed that its stores are now 30 - 35% per cent more energy-efficient than stores built six years ago. The energy-efficient practices are part of Canadian Tire's overall commitment to the environment, which includes energy conservation, waste diversion and recycling strategies, as well as an assortment of more environmentally friendly customer product choices. A wide variety of energy-efficient changes have been integrated into Canadian Tire's store building plans including changes to lighting, heating, cooling and waste management features. Good for them, what a progressive company. They make things happen.