Daily Archives: November 29, 2024

Business Notes: Duncan’s Laine Vintage Clothing & Home Décor moves to new location

Laine Vintage Clothing & Home Décor has moved to a larger location in downtown Duncan.

The family-owned business has relocated almost three weeks ago from 121 Station St. to nearby 79 Station. St., where the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Store was situated before recently moving to the old Monks Office Supply Ltd. site on Craig Street.

Laine Vintage offers a carefully hand-picked selection of unisex, men’s, women’s and children’s vintage clothing, as well as eclectic vintage home décor, and unique vintage finds.

The store also accepts consignment items of quality vintage clothing and household items.

Emily Armstrong runs Laine Vintage, which has been in operation in Duncan’s downtown core for a more than a year, along with her daughters Ivy and Emily.

She said the new location is much larger than the old one, which allows customers more room to move around and check out what Laine Vintage offers.

“The old store was always packed, and we had to make people wait outside until we had enough room to let them in,” Armstrong said. “The new location has lots of room and nobody has to wait outside anymore, and that makes a big difference.”

Armstrong said the fact that the new location is very close to the old one means that Laine Vintage has kept most of its previous customers, and is able to add new ones with a larger store.

“Business has been great since we moved,” she said. “We think it was a great decision to move here.”

••••

Ladysmith’s In the Beantime Café will be closing its doors at its present location on High Street in the community’s downtown core on Nov. 30.

Owners Campbell and Kristy McIntyre said the building that the café has been located in since 2006 has been sold.

“This past fall the location was put up for sale by its longtime owner and sold quickly,” Campbell said. “While we had hoped the purchaser would consider leasing the location to our business, this sadly was not the case.”

Campbell said that while the future is uncertain, the couple is looking for local solutions for a relocation plan to enable In the Beantime Café to continue being a part of the Ladysmith community.

“We want to continue to provide the same friendly, fresh and healthy fare to our tremendous customers in the future,” he said. “We will keep you updated as our plan moves forward.”

The McIntyres will be having a special event on Light Up day on Nov. 28, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., offering hot chocolate and goodies and are inviting all their faithful customers and previous staff to come and enjoy, chat, and share memories.

••••

The Malahat SkyWalk was the winner of a 2024 Ecostar Award in the “Experimental Tourism” category.

The Ecostar Awards recognize outstanding environmental achievements and since 2015, have been honouring Vancouver Island businesses, schools, governments, and individuals who have led exceptional environmental initiatives.

This year’s awards, presented by the non-profit Synergy Foundation, were handed out on Nov. 14 at a gala event at Victoria’s Laurel Point Inn.

The judges determined that the Malahat SkyWalk provides a unique, accessible, and educational experience that connects visitors with the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Vancouver Island, while partnering with the Malahat Nation.

“Cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge are central to the park,” Ecostar Awards said in a statement.

“The organization has reduced barriers to accessing nature by launching a free shuttle service from downtown Victoria, providing electric scooters for those with mobility challenges, and providing discounted tickets for school groups.”

••••

Duncan’s award-winning Keating Farm has been busy preparing for the winter season and harvesting lots of delicious farm products just in time for your holiday celebrations.

The 27-acre farm on Miller Road, which is owned by Rebecca and George Papadopoulos, focuses on sustainable agriculture and is home to a variety of animals, including honey bees, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs.

For the holiday celebrations this year, Keating Farm is offering locally, ethically and sustainably raised and pastured turkey, grass-fed lamb, and cold-pressed apple juice.

The farm’s turkeys are pasture-raised Orlopp bonze turkeys, a non-conventional breed known for their delicious caramel meat and robust flavour; the lamb, which is from the farm’s flock of Dorper, Icelandic, Katahdin, and Suffolk sheep, are raised on quality pasture and their meat is tender with delicious grass-fed flavour; and the apple cider is made with a blend of organic heritage apples, including Golden Russet, Tydeman’s Red, Spartan, King, and Mutsu.

To place an order, contact Keating Farm by email at [email protected], or call 250-797-6179.

“Our products sell out quickly, so please don’t delay in placing your order,” the Papadopoulos said. “We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your business and supporting local farms.”

••••

Nominations for the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Black Tie Awards open on Dec.1.

The annual Black Tie Awards celebrate local excellence by recognizing outstanding businesses and volunteers in our community.

All nominees for the Black Tie Awards must operate and/or work within the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and the businesses and organizations nominated must be Canadian owned and operated to be eligible for nomination.

Stay tuned for more details on how to nominate your favourites.

EDA approves business subsidy and loan policies

The Pipestone Economic Development Authority (EDA) during its Nov. 18 meeting approved new business subsidy and revolving loan fund policies and appointed EDA Chair Rodger Smidt and EDA member and Pipestone Mayor Dan Delaney to a subcommittee to review loan applications. The approval followed a public hearing held to take comments on the updated policies, which no one attended.
The business subsidies are intended to stabilize and grow the community by providing resources to increase the tax base, provide basic goods and services, retain or reuse historically significant properties, remediate pollution, revitalize neighborhoods, retain and increase quality jobs, and enhance the economic growth and opportunity in the city, according to the policy. Business subsidies could include loans, grants, tax abatement, tax increment financing, guarantee of payment, contribution of property or infrastructure, preferential use of government facilities, land contributions or others.
The revolving loan fund is intended to increase the city’s tax base, create and retain permanent private sector jobs and improve economic opportunity and living standards for the citizens of the city by promoting local business development and expansion, attracting out-of-state business expansion, leveraging private sector funds and assisting with the development of new technologies, according to that policy. The intent is to accomplish that by filling financing gaps between project costs and private debt financing and private equity by making direct, low-interest rate loans to businesses in the city for certain approved activities.
Smidt asked EDA Director Justin Schroyer about language in the policy that indicates there is a maximum loan amount of $100,000 or 10 percent of the total project cost, whichever is less. Schroyer said he increased that amount from the $20,000 that had been discussed previously in case the EDA received grants or other funding at some point that would allow it do provide larger loans, but that it was not obligated to do so.
“Some day if we did have that, we’d be able to go that high,” Schroyer said.

BUSINESS BEAT | Wyoming’s worst-rated restaurant; Scooter’s in Sheridan; new grocery store in Cheyenne

If you had to guess, what restaurant chain is the worst in Wyoming?After analyzing hundreds of customer reviews and ratings from more than 200 restaurants on TripAdvisor, the price-monitoring website PriceListo has the answer. Here’s a hint: There’s one in the Casper area, two in Cheyenne, and one in Gillette, Laramie and Rock Springs.Sorry, Sonic.The drive-in fast-food chain known for its Chili Cheese Coney and Cherry Limeade and famous for its carhop service on roller skates scored the Cowboy State’s lowest rating in PriceListo’s study of complaints about poor food quality, customer service, cleanliness and wait times.”A bad review can be disheartening for a restaurant to receive, but it can also give valuable feedback for improvements,” PriceListo told the Star-Tribune. “Wyoming complained of ‘slow service’ and ‘technical difficulties’ in their reviews, highlighting that delays from fast-food chains cause negative feelings from their customers.”

People are also reading…

Sonic, which also brought up the bottom of the rankings in neighboring Montana, tied for No. 9 nationally on PriceListo’s worst-of list with an average customer score of 3.28 out of 5. KFC (2.89), McDonald’s (2.99) and Burger King (3.00) scored the lowest rankings nationally, followed by Church’s Texas Chicken (3.08) and Long John Silver’s (3.16).

While Pizza Hut was the national loser for pizza chains, tied with Sonic, Little Caesars was worst in Wyoming, scoring better than only Sonic on the statewide list.Of the five best-rated chains, only Great Harvest Bread Co. has a Wyoming location, on Durbin Street in Casper. Great Harvest scored 4.53 out of 5, behind only Andy’s Frozen Custard (4.78), which has five restaurants in the Denver metropolitan area.The Melting Pot (4.51), Portillo’s Hot Dogs (4.50) and The Capital Grille (4.50) rounded out the top five. Even without a Wyoming location, The Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse with mostly metro-area locations in 25 states, including Colorado and Utah, was Wyomingites’ top choice, according to PriceListo.

Sonic Drive-In has six locations in Wyoming.

Mark A. Steele, Sonic

Scoot to SheridanScooter’s Coffee is building its fifth Wyoming location, this one on Coffeen Avenue in Sheridan, one of the city’s busiest roadways.Known for its signature Caramelicious, an espresso drink with caramel sauce and whipped cream, Scooter’s was founded in 1998 in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is now one of the country’s largest coffee chains with more than 800 locations in 29 states.In addition to its Casper location on CY Avenue, Scooter’s has drive-through coffeehouses in Cheyenne, Douglas and Gillette.Solar project gets OK in Converse Co.BrightNight, a U.S.-based renewable power company that seeks a decarbonized energy future, has received construction and operational permit approval from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Industrial Siting Council for a solar project in Converse County.The Dutchman Renewable Power Project is planned to cover nearly 7.5 square miles, or 4,800 acres, north of Glenrock. The facility, once complete, would have a capacity of 499 megawatts of solar energy with a battery energy storage system, according to BrightNight.“The Dutchman Renewable Power Project will provide invaluable economic support to the local communities and businesses, including the creation of hundreds of local jobs during the construction phase,” BrightNight said in a news release this month. “We are deeply grateful to the residents of Converse County for their support and collaboration, which has been instrumental in thoughtfully integrating this project into the community.”BrightNight estimates that the Dutchman project will inject more than $200 million into the local economy over its lifespan.

Sprouting in CheyenneA new grocery store chain has taken root in Wyoming: Sprouts Farmers Market opened on Nov. 22 at 5214 Rue Terre in Cheyenne, the specialty retailer’s first location in the Cowboy State.Sprouts offers “lifestyle-friendly ingredients such as organic, plant-based and gluten-free,” according to its website, and markets itself as “one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food in the United States.” Sprouts has more than 400 stores in 24 states — fronted by California (149), Arizona (47) and Colorado (34).Cheyenne attorney heads AAALGregory C. Dyekman of Long Reimer Winegar, LLP in Cheyenne, capped his term as president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers at the group’s recent fall meeting in Boston.Dyekman is the sole Wyoming fellow in the AAAL, a highly selective professional organization that seeks to honor and induct preeminent appeals lawyers across the United States.  “It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers as its president this year,” he said in a news release. 

0 Comments

#lee-rev-content { margin:0 -5px; }
#lee-rev-content h3 {
font-family: inherit!important;
font-weight: 700!important;
border-left: 8px solid var(–lee-blox-link-color);
text-indent: 7px;
font-size: 24px!important;
line-height: 24px;
}
#lee-rev-content .rc-provider {
font-family: inherit!important;
}
#lee-rev-content h4 {
line-height: 24px!important;
font-family: “serif-ds”,Times,”Times New Roman”,serif!important;
margin-top: 10px!important;
}
@media (max-width: 991px) {
#lee-rev-content h3 {
font-size: 18px!important;
line-height: 18px;
}
}

#pu-email-form-business-email-article {
clear: both;

background-color: #fff;

color: #222;

background-position: bottom;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
padding: 15px 0 20px;
margin-bottom: 40px;
border-top: 4px solid rgba(0,0,0,.8);
border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.2);

display: none;

}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article,
#pu-email-form-business-email-article p {
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article h2 {
font-size: 24px;
margin: 15px 0 5px 0;
font-family: “serif-ds”, Times, “Times New Roman”, serif;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article .lead {
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article .email-desc {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 20px;
margin-bottom: 5px;
opacity: 0.7;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article form {
padding: 10px 30px 5px 30px;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article .disclaimer {
opacity: 0.5;
margin-bottom: 0;
line-height: 100%;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article .disclaimer a {
color: #222;
text-decoration: underline;
}
#pu-email-form-business-email-article .email-hammer {

border-bottom: 3px solid #222;

opacity: .5;
display: inline-block;
padding: 0 10px 5px 10px;
margin-bottom: -5px;
font-size: 16px;
}
@media (max-width: 991px) {
#pu-email-form-business-email-article form {
padding: 10px 0 5px 0;
}
}
.grecaptcha-badge { visibility: hidden; }

The business news you need
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Business News | Stanford Seed Network’s South Asia Conclave 2024 to Witness 200+ CEO’s and Founders

PNNMumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 29: The Stanford Seed Transformation Network will be organising the 3-day South Asia Annual Conclave 2024 in Goa from 28th to 30th November. This year’s conclave promises to be an inspiring gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from across South Asia aimed at fostering collaboration and driving business growth in the region. The conclave will be joined by eminent speakers like Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Swiggy – Food marketplace; Aparna Popat, Double Olympian and 16-time National Badminton Champion; Darius Teter, Executive Director, Stanford Seed; Dr. Rohini Rau, Gold medalist at the Asian Sailing Championship; Satyarup Siddhanta, Guinness World Record-holding Mountaineer amongst many others.Also Read | 2024’s Best Forex and Futures Funded Accounts: Where Traders Are Finding the Edge.The South Asia Conclave is a powerful gathering of ambitious minds and innovative ideas,” said Abhishek Modi, President of the Stanford Seed Transformation Network (South Asia) and Managing Partner of Shiva Engineering. “This event is more than just an opportunity to connect–it’s a catalyst for deep learning from experts, peer-to-peer insights, and the chance to rethink and reset. This year, the conclave’s theme is ACT, and our sessions are curated to enable entrepreneurs to Adapt, Connect, and Thrive (ACT).”Mr. Modi continued, “Through the Stanford Seed Transformation Program, a strategic initiative of Stanford Graduate School of Business, we’re committed to helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses through hands-on training, lifelong mentorship, and a global network of peers. The conclave, along with other initiatives of the network, aims to support graduates of this program by providing continuous opportunities for learning, business enablement, and mentorship.”Also Read | What Is ‘Right To Die’ Bill Proposed for England and Wales? Here’s All You Need To Know About the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Up for Vote in UK House of Commons.The 10-month Stanford Seed program is a high-touch program for CEOs & Founders of SMEs in South Asia and is taught & delivered by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty. Initiated in India in 2017 following its initial presence in Africa, the program has now expanded across South Asia with over 370+ Entrepreneurs in the network in the South Asia Chapter and 1100+ globally.Harish Arnezath, Regional Director of Stanford Seed (South Asia), “The Stanford Seed program aims to end the cycle of global poverty by helping entrepreneurs build thriving businesses that create jobs and drive economic growth.”Focused on emerging markets, the program provides participants access to world-class resources, including learning materials from Stanford faculty, a global network of business leaders, and a tailored curriculum that addresses specific business challenges. The South Asia chapter has now expanded to four countries and over 370 entrepreneurs who boast collective revenue of $950 million and employ more than 60,000 people.Harish Arnezath, Regional Director of Stanford Seed (South Asia), further added, “We are committed to empowering small and medium businesses in South Asia to scale up and reach their full potential. This Conclave provides an excellent platform for our entrepreneurs to engage in peer learning, exchange ideas, and gain actionable insights to drive their growth and resilience in an ever-changing business environment.”Participants in the Stanford Seed program benefit from a unique curriculum that combines academic rigour with practical application. The program emphasises real-world learning and encourages participants to develop actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately within their businesses.The Stanford Seed program has been a transformative experience for me as an entrepreneur. The enriching course material, paired with in-company workshops, ensures that the insights are not just personal but drive meaningful growth across the entire leadership team, fostering alignment and collective progress. The business transformation advisors challenge you to think deeply and strategically at every step, while the incredible network has given me lifelong friends and collaborators. I cannot recommend this program enough to anyone serious about scaling their business with impact and purpose”, says Rashi Narang, Founder of Heads Up for Tails, Stanford Seed Program Alumni. The Stanford Seed Transformation Network, South Asia, invites aspiring entrepreneurs to apply for the Stanford Seed Transformation Program (STP). This is an opportunity to join a vibrant community dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across South Asia. Interested individuals can learn more about the program and apply at the Stanford Seed Program. For more information on eligibility criteria and about the program, log on to: https://www.gsbseed.stanford.edu/stp-south-asiaAbout Stanford Seed Program: The Seed Transformation Program is designed specifically for business owners and your senior management team. This in-person and online program is led by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty and local experts and supported by Stanford-trained advisors. You’ll participate in both face-to-face and remote class sessions and workshops to gain the strategic skills, methods, and mindsets to transform yourself, your team, your business, and your community.The ultimate goal is to create and activate a detailed action plan to help you grow your company. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)