A Tribute to Henry Penner

henry penner

On August 22, just three days prior to his 73rd birthday, Henry Arnold Penner slipped away peacefully to be with the Lord. He is survived by his loving wife Elsie of 50 years, daughter Cynthia and husband Jay Brooks, son Michael and wife Carrie Elrick, and his much loved granddaughters, Vivian and Lily Elrick Penner. Also mourning his loss are his siblings Catherine (Rita) Whiteley, Anita and husband Lyle Wahl, Alice and husband Michael Gro, Elaine and husband Edward Klassen, Louis and wife Ruth Ann Penner, Kim and husband Abe Dueck, and Dennis and wife Wendy Lee Penner, as well as many nieces and nephews. He will also be sorely missed by his brothers and sisters in law: Margaret and Patrick Burns, Peter and Sue Kehler, Katie Kehler, Helen and Bill Klassen, Neil and Eileen Kehler, and Marie and Henry Dueck and more nieces and nephews. A host of friends, from early school days to far away Asian work assignments, also mourn a friend who was a wonderful blend of warmth, fun, "smarts" and strength of character. He is predeceased by his parents Cornelius and Luise Wiens Penner.

Born in Regina, SK, Henry spent his formative years on a three acre farm in Yarrow, BC. There he developed his interest in hunting, fishing, and sports of all kinds. In the summers he worked for his father at Clearbrook Frozen Foods. After graduating from high school, he continued in a similar vein and attended Oregon State University; graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor's Degree in Food Science. During the summers of his university years, he continued to work at Clearbrook Frozen Foods with the fortunate, life-changing bonus of meeting his future bride in the company's quality control lab. They were married on December 27th 1964 following his graduation. After four years of working for Salada Foods (the new owners of his father's business), Henry and his little family moved to Kelowna to work with Sun-Rype Food Products, where he took great pride in developing and manufacturing renowned fruit and juice products.

His time with Sun-Rype also included extensive traveling to investigate and institute innovations to create new levels of product excellence. Following an exploratory trip to China to assess the feasibility of setting up a plant there, Henry retired after twenty-eight rewarding years. Building on the rich skills and experiences he had gained in the Okanagan, Henry took his expertise abroad to about thirty countries as a food manufacturing and business management consultant. In some of the most desperate places in the world, his role was to provide help to small manufacturers to successfully create and sell products that would, in turn, improve their own lives. Some of his favourite locales were the Philippines, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan. His stories of these trips invariably involved graphic details of the obscure foods that were served to him; nothing was too daunting for him to try. Elsie was able to accompany him on some of these trips and as a result they developed many dear friends who remain part of their lives. During these years of foreign consulting, Henry continued to be involved back home, providing guidance to the Community Futures Development Corporation of Central Okanagan.

Although Henry will be remembered through his leadership positions at work and in the churches he attended, he will be best remembered for his personal qualities: his quiet expression of faith and values, his integrity and strength, his sense of humour and fun. He loved his wife and family deeply, he treasured his life-long friends and enjoying a good meal came a close third.

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Accelerate Okanagan Launches stepUP Program

 
 


stepUP Program Accelerates Early Stage Entrepreneurs

Accelerate Okanagan has expanded its program offering to further support the BC Southern Interior tech community. Developed for early stage entrepreneurs and career-changers, the stepUP Program supplies participants with the tools and resources to accelerate their idea to the next stage in their entrepreneurial journey.

stepUP is comprised of weekly sessions and seminars occurring from September to December 2015. Sessions are presented by community organizations as well as Accelerate Okanagan Executive in Residence mentors, partners, clients, and alumni. Each session is designed to educate the entrepreneur on the fundamentals essential to developing their startup.


Sessions Include:

For only $25.00/session, get inspired and learn how to take the next step with your business idea. Please click here for session schedule and registration information. Space is limited, so please register early!

Can't make it to Kelowna? Don't worry, we've got it covered. Register to watch a live webinar of each scheduled session. 

#stepUPyourStartup


*Students, Accelerate Okanagan Members and Clients receive 20% registration discount. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a special discount code to use when registering. 

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Curvey Lines Arts School Continues in Ontario

"I took your program in 2002 or so. I am still teaching Curvey Lines art school but now I live in Ontario. I am a self employed art teacher who's main clientele is developmentally delayed artist. I also started the not for profit group of special artist who promoted developmentally delayed artistes by entering them into art shows and sales. Thanks for your program. Take care." Lesley Bankes 

Lesley Bankes ( Owen Sound, Ontario ) is an art teacher for many different types of groups, including children, adults, seniors, and individuals with developmental delays.  The curriculums vary from drawing; painting; cartooning; realism; abstracted; stop-motion animation making greeting cards, comic books,  t-shirt painting, or anything else you want to do creatively.  Lesley will travel or you can book a time to come to the studio. curveylines.com

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Accurate-Timesaving-Mobile Bookkeeping Service

ATM Bkpg plaque

“Managing the financial transactions for a business involves having an experienced, professional, confidential and dedicated person. One who cares about your business while saving you time and money.”

This was Sharon Whiting’s mission statement when, with the assistance of the Community Futures Self-Employment program, Accurate~Timesaving~Mobile Bookkeeping Service started up in 1999.

“Dave Scott was my CFDC mentor at start-up and throughout the years until his retirement” Sharon states with appreciation. “Dave was just awesome with his encouragement but he strictly ensured business professional ethics were followed.” Sharon continues to refer those interested in assistance with a business start-up and/or business loan to Community Futures. “The CFDC staff are available to assist you with every step of the way and sincerely care about you and your business success. This is so evident when you learn that there are so many successful businesses who received the assistance of CFDC."

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