In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
Bill Ferguson.
Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
I've lived in Kelowna for 16 years now.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
Linda, she is a wonderful person who brightens my life. We have identical personalities and we both have a very similar sense of humour. We laugh to no end and no one else gets our humour. It’s like always having an inside joke with your best friend. When we part company, I immediately start to miss her.
If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
Prague. I hear that it is the most beautiful city in Eastern Europe and I think you would get the sense that Jason Bourne might be running through the crowd nearby.
What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
We like the dollar stores and the chip truck in the Canadian Tire parking lot, for obvious reasons.
What is your favourite activity?
Hiking. It gives us strength and peace of mind.
If you had to choose: pizza, tacos, or burgers?
Houston Pizza from Regina, hands down!!!!! Voted Canada's Best Pizza by Globe and Mail and CBC.
What is a hidden gem you enjoy in the Okanagan?
That's a tough one. I would have to say the Gasthaus in Peachland, even though it’s not that hidden.
What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
My long-time friend, Alvin Law, was born a "thalidomide baby" and has no arms. Yet he plays classical piano with his toes. It brings tears to my eyes every time I see him play.
Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
Waskesiu Lake in Northern Saskatchewan. They had a sea shell store where you could buy small shells for pennies. I would save up or find enough pennies to buy some shells for myself. They also had a street vendor that sold candied apples and candy floss. You can’t find that these days. We lived in a summer shack tent which was a wooden floor with 4 walls and a canvas roof. We would cook our meals outside in an open camp kitchen with four big, wood fire cast stoves fired by birch bark and wood. You have never had bacon and pancakes until you have them cooked on a birch fired cast stove.
Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
Each December I would go to the thrift stores and buy toques, mitts, and scarfs then I would bag them into sets. After I did that, I would distribute them to the homeless in City Park.
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
The greed of the wealthy that starves the hopelessness of the have-nots
What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
I love to hike in the Okanagan.
Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
One of the benches on top of Knox Mountain.
Where would you like to see positive change in Kelowna and why?
I think there could be more done for affordable housing and housing for the homeless. It doesn’t take much to do something like Habitat for Humanity, but for apartment structures. Donated land with no property taxes, personal tax deductions for donated land, with donated products and materials. Donated labour along with Fortis donated utilities. The government and cities could look after upkeep and the cost of one family or couple that works as a manager/care worker to keep the place safe. One building done…NEXT!!!
If you were granted one wish for work or in life, what would it be?
I would like to be able to go walk on the moon and look back at Earth. I think that would be the most amazing thing a human being could ever experience.
Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
I arrange my spice rack from largest at the back to smallest in the front.
What is the name of your business/organization?
iGuardFire Ltd.
What does your business do?
We sell an automatic stove shut off device called the iGuardStove. This device allows people with distracted lifestyles to remain safe and independent in their own homes. It’s also great for families touched by Alzheimers, Dementia, or Acquired Brain Injuries. It has other Home Health features and can it be monitored by your smartphone, as well as sending alerts to your smartphone, like memory tracking and absence alerts to mention just a couple.
How do people connect with you through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest)
We have a Facebook page and a Twitter page.
Where can people find your business online?
iGuardFire.com
Why did you get into/start this business?
My mother was dying of cancer and had to turn over the cooking duties to my father who was never ingrained with the understanding that he had to stay close to the stove whenever it was turned on. Many fires, burned food, and fire alarms were set off anytime that mom needed help and got my father to do the cooking.
What is the goal of your business?
To give families peace of mind that their loved ones are safe and independent in their homes.
What has been your biggest struggle either in work or life?
Getting my ideas into the hands of the people who can use them.
If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
Of course, I would fix all the little mistakes that would make the journey easier to manage but I wouldn’t change the destination.
Why do you think it is important to shop local?
Because if I buy something from India or overseas, I'm not necessarily helping my neighbour put food on his family’s plates or clothe his children.
Give someone that you think deserves a shout out and explain why!
Bonnie Donovan who works very hard at everything she does but never seems to catch a break. That is until she turned a hobby that she is passionate about into a photography business called Bonne Belle Photography. She said the other day that her business is better than she could have imagined and it’s because her friends all believed she could do it…and kept telling her so.
My nomination for the In Focus spotlight is:
Darryl Anderson who is a new property manager in town with a fresh outlook on the way to service customers.
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna.
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