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HarbourCats Team Up With Island-Based Brewers
CAMPBELL RIVER Canada’s Largest Commercial Diving School Finds Home in North Island
Red Arrow Brewing Company Creates Unique HarbourCats Brew BY ROBERT MACDONALD
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U N C A N - T h e Victoria HarbourCats and D u n c a n ’s R e d A r r ow Brewing Company are teaming up this season, creating the HarbourCats Ballpark Blonde. A s p a r t o f a t h r e e -y e a r arrangement with Red Arrow, this beer will be the featured brew at the HarbourCats’ home field, Wilson’s Group Stadium, along with some other great beers from Red Arrow. The HarbourCats beer is set to hit liquor stores at the end of May, and will be on tap around Victoria in pubs & restaurants. “The HarbourCats Ballpark Blonde presents a great opportunity for both companies to create a more enjoyable experience in the ballpark,” says Jim Swanson, co-owner and General Manager of t he H a rb ou r Cat s. “ T h i s community is not as interested in run-of-the-mill, domestictype beer. Craft breweries - and the better flavor that comes with craft beer - works well in our park,
HARBOURCATS | PAGE 33
Flooring Depot Expansion Earns Chamber Excellence Award Expansion to 18,000 Square Feet Planned by End of Year
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OUR 15 YEAR BY VALORIE LENNOX
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(Left to Right) Chris Gress, Brewmaster at Red Arrow Brewing Company, and Jim Swanson, co-owner and General Manager of the HarbourCats
and Red Arrow provides a perfect match for what we do. “Having the co-branded product in liquor stores and on-tap will be a great opportunity for us and Red Arrow to spread our wings and become even more well known in Island communities.” Red Arrow brewmaster Chris Gress created the beer earlier this year, in collaboration with the Ha rbou rCats ma rketi ng department. “We had a lot of discussions about what people were looking for,” says Gress. “The Island is a really ‘crafty culture,’ so we wanted to create something that appeals to that market while identifying with the culture surrounding the ballpark. We wanted consumers to taste the ballpark and be able to bring the ballpark home. The result is a very approachable, easy to drink product with lower alcohol content, aimed to create an enjoyable outdoor baseball experience.”
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ORT ALBERNI - After two decades of providing Port Alberni floors, Flooring Depot co-owners Todd Rumney, Ron Rumney, and Derrick Coates celebrated 20 years with a gift to their community. That gift – only part of which h a s b een u nw rapp ed – wa s
further development of their store into a comprehensive, one stop home renovation and finishing centre. First, they doubled the size of the store from 6,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet, including renovating and updating the interior and exterior. That upgrade earned them the Business Investment Excellence Award, presented at the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce
April 18 gala. Finalists for the award were the Steampunk Café and the Kingsway Hotel. Still to be revealed is a further expansion that will bring the store to 18,000 square feet and add new product lines. While the three owners are excited about what this expansion means for their business, they are equally aware what it means for Port Alberni residents.
Port Alberni is fast developing into a booming community that is still sometimes hampered by distance from the island core. The scenic road that links the community to the Island Highway can be a barrier, especially in winter. By bringing a greater selection of services and products into SEE FLOORING DEPOT | PAGE 13