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A Salute to Women in Business 2013
Adjusting to the ins and outs of politics
CAPITAL NEWSC
Holly Sumner I started with Shoppers Drug Mart 14 years ago as Pharmacy Manager and owned the downtown location on Bernard for 5 years. I have been with Shoppers Drug Mart for 14 years and was a Pharmacy Manager before taking on the ownership role. I love being a business owner in Kelowna because of the people! I’ve had great experiences dealing with such a diverse group whether it be patients, staff or fellow business owners. As a pharmacist first, it’s always a good feeling to know you are making a difference in the health of individuals in your community. We offer injection services and also cater to new mothers and families by offering hospital grade breast pump rentals and our V.I.B. (Very Important Baby) program which provides special discounts to new families. I am a first time mother to 19 month old twins so I know first hand how difficult it can be to deal with the challenges of early childhood while maintaining balance in life and business! We also offer specialty prescription compounding services which could be for anyone... babies and pets included! I recently took ownership of a secondary store next to the Mission Medical Clinic on Richter Street - Shoppers Simply Pharmacy.
100-525 Hwy 97 South, West Kelowna, BC 250-769-7012
Dawn Laurienzo I am Dawn Laurienzo and I am Pharmacist / Owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart located at 597 Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna. I graduated from Pharmacy at UofA in 1989 which is when I began my career with Shoppers Drug Mart. I started my first business in 2008 as an owner of a store in Calgary where I learned a great deal about retail business and leadership. In 2012 we moved to the Okanagan where there were great business opportunities once again. In March 2012 I took on ownership of the Shoppers Drug Mart store here in Kelowna where it is vibrant during the summer with tourists walking the now revitalized Bernard Avenue. We provide convenient shopping (open 8am - 9pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am - 6pm Sundays and holidays) as well as pharmacy services to many visitors, seniors and downtown patrons. My business delivers health and pharmacy services to numerous facilities in the downtown area and we are very focused on providing treatment for addiction. I consider myself fortunate as a pharmacy retail owner as I am able to continue my practice as a Pharmacist. My pharmacy team provides a range of complimentary services including medication reviews, injections, prescription delivery, counselling, advice and compliance packaging of medications. My goal and focus it to provide the best service for our customers.
597 Bernard Ave Kelowna, BC 250-763-1232
Barbara Hohner As a mother, wife, and retired nurse of 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand how important having financial protection is. A plan gives you confidence that you’re doing the right things to create lifetime financial security for you and your family. Money for LifeTM is a long-term approach from Sun Life Financial that helps you build your savings and protect your family. Let’s talk about how I can help you with your financial plan.
Barbara Hohner
Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
Juggling life as a working mother has its share of challenges. Throw in the added role of being an elected official, and life gets even more complicated. Just ask Mohini Singh and Michele Rule. The two Kelowna women have had to make adjustments — in Singh’s case because she was joining city council and in Rule’s case because she was leaving city council. A former CHBC television reporter and wellknown local activist with several charities, Singh was elected to Kelowna city council for the first time in the 2011 civic election. Prior to her election, Singh was working full-time for the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture in Kelowna. She has since had to reduce her work schedule to 3.5 days per week to accommodate her political office duties. “My employer has been very accommodating,” she said, adding that has helped her transition to political life tremendously. Singh says she decided to run for council because she found herself getting even more engaged in the community than she already had been through her daughter’s activities. “I felt I had skills I could bring to the table that I learned during my years as a reporter,” says Singh, who describes herself as someone who likes to think outside of the box. She describes the transition a challenge from working full-time at one job to part-
ALISTAIR WATERS/CAPITAL NEWS
KELOWNA city councillor Mohini Singh outside the entrance to City Hall. time plus filling more than the hours she gave up with her duties as a councillor, but one she was happy to take on. “It is a real challenge but I think I’m making it work,” says Singh. Like many who have preceded her onto the municipal stage, Singh said there was a steep learning curve during her first year in office and with so much to learn and stay on top of, the support of
2139 Springfield Road Kelowna, BC V1Y 7X1 barbara.hohner@sunlife.com www.sunlife.ca/barbara.hohner Mutual funds offered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc. © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2013.
…just part of The Caring Team Here to affirm, inform, empower and support women facing challenging pregnancies. Because “we can all get by with a little help from our friends.” 201-2622 Pandosy Street
250.763.2112
Life’s brighter under the sun
See Politics Page 45
Theresa, Dale, Joan & Jeannie
Advisor
250-860-6403 ext. 2259
her family was crucial. And she has even managed to combine family time and her political work on the weekends. Singh says as a councillor she likes to not only read the reports she gets from city staff, she also likes to see for herself what is being planned and where.
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