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Regional Business Round-Up

By Keith Powell
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Clockwise from top left: Wynndel’s Mountain Barn Bakery; Larry Halverson; the Pacific Insight Building; Nic Milligan.

By Keith Powell

Creston Valley [Business Milestone]

Mountain Barn Bakery - Wynndel

As Wynndel’s new 1,600 sq ft Mountain Barn Bakery approaches its first anniversary, the bakery/restaurant is quickly becoming a must stop for anyone traveling Highway 3A north of Creston.

Mountain Barn Bakery is a family-owned enterprise operated by the mother and daughter team of Tricia Dueck and Linda Thiessen.

“Step back in time and experience the old fashioned charm of Mountain Barn. Taste our exquisite specialty coffees and donuts. Check out our tasty home baked goods and local products made by local artisans,” said Tricia and Linda.

They add, “Our fresh donuts are made fresh multiple times a day. When we say “always fresh” - we mean it.”

Mountain Barn Bakery employs 10-12 people and is open Monday to Saturday 8 am to 4:30 pm. It is located at 2706 Highway 3A, Wynndel.

Cranbrook

COTR Board of Governors elects new Chair Nic Milligan

The Board of Governors of the College of the Rockies has announced the election of Nic Milligan as Board Chair.

“Nic is in his third year of serving on the College Board, including as Vice-Chair over the past year. His commitment to our communities, along with his understanding of the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for us at the College, make him a natural fit for the Chair role,” said College President and CEO, Paul Vogt. “I look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”

Milligan, who retired from his position of Manager of Social Responsibility at Teck Resources, was appointed by the Province to the College Board in July 2020. Active in his community, he was previously a Board member with Community Futures East Kootenay, the Fernie & District Historical Society, and the Sparwood Chamber of Commerce.

Nic Milligan is also the newly elected mayor of Fernie.

Invermere

[Personal Achievement]

Editor’s Note: We primarily focus on business news, but from time to time we also recognize outstanding personal achievements.

Canadian Museum of Nature recently stated, “Through our Nature Inspiration Awards, we recognize each year an outstanding leader of the Canadian nature community with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year’s deserving recipient is Larry Halverson for his life-long dedication to engaging people and creating initiatives that help save and protect nature. Be it through his 38 years as a naturalist with Parks Canada, or as co-founder of the Wings Over the Rockies Festival, Larry has been committed to nature conservation and public engagement. Congratulations, Larry!”

Read more about Larry here

Nelson

Pacific Insight Building Sold

When commercial real estate firm Colliers International listed the 67,000 square foot former Pacific Insight building for $5.5 million last fall, it was the final piece of the puzzle in the untimely demise of the Nelson tech startup. Over the years the company grew to become one of the Kootenays largest employers with a workforce of more than 400 people. Pacific Insight was sold to Chicago-based Methode in 2017 for over $140 million. The Nelson facility was soon shuttered when production was moved to Mexico. Now word indicates the property — one of the largest commercial properties in the Kootenays — has been sold to an investment/development company which intends to stratify the massive property and offer out smaller spaces to potential business tenants.