In Focus | Tony Stranges

Meet Tony! Tony was raised in Northwestern Ontario, but he has called Kelowna home now for over a decade!

Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
I was born and raised in Thunder Bay, ON, and I have been living in Kelowna for 11 years.

Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
My favourite person to spend time with is my wife, Emilia. We have been married for 39.5 years and for the past 11 years, we have been working as partners building our businesses. Not many people are capable of working and spending the majority of the day with their spouses, however, Emilia is truly my best friend and together we have raised two beautiful daughters that we love and cherish.

What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
Nature's Fare is my favourite store because they have the best protein shakes in town as well as the healthiest, deli foods in Kelowna.

Describe yourself in one word.
Workaholic.

If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
If I could go anywhere in the world at this moment, I would go to Falerna Marina, Italy. The reason is that Italy is where we own a 4 Star, 24 bedroom hotel called, Hotel Paradiso. We also have purchased a brand new home located on the Mediterranean Seaside about 5 years ago and we have not been able to enjoy the home as much as we would like to.

What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Touring the fabulous wineries and meeting the owners is definitely my favourite activity in Kelowna and in the entire Okanagan Valley.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
The most embarrassing thing that happened to me was when I asked a female associate how many months pregnant she was...It turned out she wasn't pregnant at all; as much as I was sure she was. I will surely never ask a lady if she is pregnant again!!!

What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
To see many friends as well as my eldest sister who I dearly loved battle Cancer right to the end of their lives. With superhuman courage, not only did they accept their fate, but they also gave of themselves at giving courage to others with the same fate. This truly inspires me to not let my trivial problems in life get the best me.

Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
My favourite childhood memory was flying a Cessna plane at the age of 9 and have the pilot tell me that I was a natural at flying planes.

Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
I have volunteered at the Italian Canadian Club making dinners for the members, however, volunteering to prepare dinner for the widowed member's annual dinner is definitely the most gratifying.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
There are always things one thinks he would like to change in life, however, having my wife, my daughters, my sons-in-law and my four Grand-boys in my life, makes me say to myself that I would never want to change a thing.

Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
I enjoy walking along the lakeside from City Park to Gyro Beach to spend time alone.

Where would you like to see a positive change in Kelowna and why?
Definitely the homeless situation is where I'm sure everyone would like to see a positive change and I know that there have been many homeless people who have raised above and have gotten themselves to lead better lives. I feel that Downtown Kelowna is not the ideal environment for the homeless or for the business owners that are located in the vicinity of the shelter. The homeless situation here in Kelowna is truly a delicate situation and a situation that I'm sure hasn't any easy solutions.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The thing that makes Kelowna great is the mild climate we enjoy here and all the outdoor activities that are available to us.

What are 3 things on your bucket list?
1. Three things on my bucket list are Mardi Gras in New Orleans
2. Spending New Years Eve in New York City
3. Shopping in the Markets of Marrakesh, Morocco.

Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
I'm not a natural socialite, I prefer to stay alone. Although, I have worked hard at becoming more social all my life, becoming become better at over time.

How do people connect with you, personally, through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
I mostly use Facebook Linkedin and Instagram to connect with people through social media.
My Linkedin link is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-david-stranges-002a4a29/
My Instagram Link is: Antonio Stranges (@stranges80)
My Facebook Link is: facebook.com/aromapizza

What is the name of your business/organization?
Lake Okanagan Bed and Breakfast, Aroma Pizza, Tours Kelowna, and Hotel Paradiso are the names of the businesses that I own.

Why did you get into this business?
I have always dreamed about being in business for myself and my mom would constantly motivate me to do so. My mom would say that working for oneself would be equivalent to three people working for others and that not only could I support my direct family but more importantly I could give others the opportunity of supporting their families as well.

What is the goal of your business?
My goal in business is to obviously maximize profits and to treat our employees like our greatest assets.

What has been your biggest struggle either at work or in life?
The biggest struggle for me was working my way out of poverty. My parents came to Canada from Italy in 1958 and I was born in Thunder Bay, ON, on September of 1959. My dad ended it up dying in November of 1959. So not having a dad around made life a big struggle for my mom and our entire family.

If you could start all over again, would you do things the same or would things be different?
I would leave everything the way it is because I am grateful for my life and family, so I wouldn't want to change things effecting my current status.

Tell us your best piece of life advice.
To whom much is given, much is required and that there is no such thing as good luck, except winning the lottery I suppose.

What do you always find yourself saying?
The best piece of advice in life that I can give, is to eat healthily, laugh often and most importantly, love a whole lot.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
I love listening to classic rock and roll, especially the music that comes from a lead guitar. So Jimmy Page would be the one person I would love to spend a day with.

Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
I think that shopping locally is key to a strong community. There are a lot of people going south of our border especially during this upcoming festive season and this hurts our local economy, in addition, not shopping local is one of the main factors contributing to a weak Canadian Dollar in world trade.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Besides being married for 39 years and raising my two daughters, I would have to say building my hotel in Italy is my proudest accomplishment.

Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
There are many people I would give a shout out to in my life, but my brother's eldest boy Greg is someone who I'm extremely proud of! My brother died at the age of 29 and Greg was just a young boy when he passed. Greg (Dr. Gregory Stranges) worked very hard at becoming an Orthopedic surgeon at the Pan Am Center in Winnipeg, MB and is one of the doctors who take care of the injured, Winnipeg Jets Hockey Players.

My choice for the KelownaNow In Focus spotlight is:
Joel Kutchera.

Some general comments I would like to share are:
Thank you to my local friends who have helped me make Kelowna my home, thanks to my family for giving me a purpose in life and thanks to KelownaNow for the feature.

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.

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition of the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. Thank you, Kelowna!