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Randy Paisley, Shawnigan Lake inventor, entrepreneur, and owner of ProQuo Services Canada Ltd., is scheduled to appear on the CBC television show The Dragons Den June 8.
The show for inventors and entrepreneurs, gives them an opportunity to pitch their ideas or inventions to five venture capitalists.
Paisley’s invention, the Pullerbear, pulls Scotch Broom and other invasive plants out of the ground. The objective is to get the television panel to invest their money in the product. For more information on the Pullerbear call 1-877-943-3607.
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Husband and wife team Jakob Zaiss and Jennifer de Valk are the new owners of the Moziro Cafe in Shawnigan Lake.
The homey café on Shawnigan Mill Bay Road features organic coffee and hand made chocolate. Coffee lovers will be able to view the bean roasting process in an impressive Diedrich roaster.
The cafe seats 10 people inside and eight on the front patio. Plans are underway to add another six tables in the garden.
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Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon will speak at The South Cowichan Chamber of Commerce meeting June 14. For more information call 743-3566.
The Duncan-Cowichan Chamber, meanwhile, is hosting a Breakfast and Learn Meeting on June 21. The topic is the importance of information technology to business. For more information call on this event phone 748-1111.
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Construction is about to begin on a new Wal-Mart store in the Cowichan Commons shopping centre on the Trans Canada Highway at Drinkwater Road, just north of Duncan.
Billed as not another box store, Wal-Mart has given considerable attention to the design of the building which includes natural-looking colours and materials such as wood and slate for the building facade. The complex will also incorporate steel and large timbers to reflect the area’s industrial heritage.
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Congratulations to Duncan’s PrintCraft, as the commercial printer recently won silver and gold awards from the International Association of Printing House Craftsmen and The Graphic Professionals Resource Network.
The awards are given for excellence in the printing and graphic arts.
“It’s a great honour for our work to be recognized among some of BC’s best,” says Steve Williams, who, with Shelley Fraser are the owners of PrintCraft.
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The Duncan Business Improvement Area Society recently announced its 2006 President’s Awards.
President Susan Faulkner, owner of the Red Balloon Toy Shop, presented awards to businesses “that have made exemplary contributions to the downtown business community.”
Gord Griffith of Griffiths Home Plumbing Center won Business of the Year, Laurie and Steve Frankson of Trendy Tots took home Best New Business while Laura Finch of Island Bagel captured Spirit of Excellence.
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Merridale Ciderworks is adding a distillery to their South Cowichan location.
This fall the popular cider house will start producing cider and blackberry brandies with their new distillery, currently being built in Germany.
For more information visit www.merridalecider.com
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The Bargain! Shop, a national retail store with head offices in Mississauga, Ontario, opened its most recent store on South Shore Blvd., in Lake Cowichan.
The store sells electronics, clothing, groceries, and health and beauty products. Approximately 10 full and part-time positions will be created.
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Culinary tourists can enjoy first-class West Coast salmon and Island wine this season. It’s all part of a culinary tour program organized by Cherry Point Vineyards, owned and operated by Cowichan Tribes.
Guests will visit the village of Cowichan Bay and Hilary’s Cheese Co., and then tour the vineyard and winery at Cherry Point. The tour includes a salmon cooking demonstration, called ‘butterflying’ in which fish are cooked over alder in an open pit. For more information visit www.travelwithtaste.com
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A Duncan manufacturer is hoping to revolutionize the house building industry with his new product.
Al Beckerman, president of Ecosip Industries Inc., has created structural insulated panels (SIPS) which he says provide four times the strength of traditional building materials, and give perfectly square and plumb walls, roofs and floors.
The entire envelope of a home can be erected in a single day, he says. Beckerman has displayed his panels at many home shows on the Island.
For more information visit www.ecosipsinc.com
- Geoff Millar is Economic Development Officer for the Cowichan Valley.