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Sapphire Day Spa is pleased to announce that Shannon Davies is now responsible for staff training and professional development. Davies has been with Sapphire Day Spa for five years and is a highly trained, focused professional dedicated to providing excellence in customer service. As an aesthetician, spa therapist, and ayurvedic spa therapist, Davies has more than seven years' experience in her field. We are looking forward to her expertise in ensuring that our staff are always up to date on the latest information and are able to meet our clients' changing needs.

Vince Bird has joined Radar Hill Technology Inc. in the role of PHP Programmer. Bird has more than 12 years' experience in developing web-based customer management systems, inventory systems, content management systems, application servers, and more. The team at Radar Hill have known Bird for many years and are delighted to have him on-board.

In late August, April Iverson joined the staff at AURA, Inn at Laurel Point's on-site waterfront restaurant and patio, as pastry chef. Iverson, an experienced pastry artist and honours graduate from the SAIT baking and pastry program (one of Canada’s leading culinary schools), reports to executive chef Takashi Ito — a world-renowned chef and ice carver who joined the inn just last spring.
 
“We’re thrilled to welcome April to the AURA team,” says Ian Powell, managing director of the Inn at Laurel Point. “2011 has cooked up a lot of great things for us here at the Inn and the arrival of April is truly the icing on the cake. I think we are all excited to see some of the delicious creations she’s going to bring to the table.”
 
Previously, Iverson worked at Le Macaron, Crave Kitchen Wine + Bar, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan and KOKO Patisserie. Iverson was also one of a culinary team of eight who prepared desserts for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s post-wedding visit to Calgary earlier this summer (the royals requested that the reception food was prepared by SAIT students — and although Iverson had already graduated, her instructors, chef Victoria German and chef Ian Bergoli, asked that she return for this occasion).
 
True to the Inn at Laurel Point motto of “staying different,” having an in-house pastry chef is unusual in these days of trimmed down kitchens and hotel industry outsourcing. The culinary philosophy at AURA is to feature dishes using fresh, local ingredients, as opposed to food from afar. Examples of AURA’s homegrown philosophy include using Vancouver Island-raised beef; river and stream-caught wild salmon; locally-tended produce; and fresh herbs grown in the hotel’s gardens.
 
AURA also sources vintage wines from just around the block and aged ciders and stellar beers from local microbreweries. Adding Iverson’s expertise allows the diners to celebrate Vancouver Island’s local bounty, all the way from appetizers through dessert – completing the Inn at Laurel Point’s dining experience.
 
And when it comes to other sweet delights (and sweet beginnings), the Inn at Laurel Point hand-bakes all of its delicious, customized wedding cakes for the many unions that take place on the hotel grounds each year. And from extravagant, five-tied cakes to modest cupcakes, every wedding cake that comes out of the Inn at Laurel Point kitchen is hand decorated to perfection.
 
“Having spent much of my life out on the prairies, mostly in Regina, I’m excited to work with some of the West Coast’s fresh and delicious ingredients,” says Iverson. “It’s an honour to join the top-notch culinary team at AURA — I know we’re going to create some amazing dishes while, at the same time, having a whole lot of fun.”

Victoria-based Carmanah Technologies Corp. (TSX: CMH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bruce Cousins as CEO and board director, effective Oct. 12, 2011. Cousins takes over both roles from Ted Lattimore, the company's CEO and board director since 2007.

Cousins’ professional experience began in finance, having completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Chartered Accountant designation in 1987 and 1989, respectively. He has gained extensive experience in leadership and operations working for both multi-million dollar companies and in leading start-ups through to successful completion of their strategic growth plans. His 22 years of entrepreneurial and executive experience began with a 13-year tenure with Johnson and Johnson in finance and operations.

In 2004, Cousins left a successful career with Johnson and Johnson and joined three founders in the start-up phase of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals. Aspreva developed rapidly as a private company and in slightly more than one year Cousins played a leadership role in the IPO of the company, with a successful cross-border listing on both the NASDAQ and TSX.  Aspreva continued to develop with market capitalization reaching $700 million with operations in Switzerland, UK, US, and Canada.

In 2007, Cousins led a strategic assessment, resulting in the sale of the company in January 2008, delivering a 24 per cent premium to shareholders in a $915 million all-cash transaction. More recently, Cousins has spent the past few years in the renewable energy industry. At Xantrex, he completed the sale in a four-month period resulting in a 55 per cent premium to shareholders; at Ballard Power, he led finance and operations through a balance sheet fortification initiative.
 
"We are very pleased to have Bruce joining Carmanah as CEO at this point in the company's development," says board chairman Rob Cruickshank. "Bruce has an outstanding track record of delivering financial, operational and organizational performance, and company profitability, in the global technology industry. His wealth of knowledge, commitment to success, and experience in taking new technologies and solutions to new markets, will take Carmanah into the next phase of its strategic growth plan."
 
The board thanks Ted Lattimore for his contributions to Carmanah as CEO and as a director over the past four years and wish him well in his future endeavours.

Page One Publishing Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Kerry Slavens to editor of You and Me :: Living Smart (YAM) magazine.

Slavens joined Page One as associate editor of YAM in May 2011 and succeeds Carolyn Camilleri, who remains with the company as editor of Thrifty Foods’ Fresh magazine and the Page One’s stable of tourism publications. 

Slavens is former editor-in-chief of the online magazine www.lifeasahuman.com, which is listed in Quantcast’s top 5.5 per cent of websites in North America and winner of several Canadian Weblog Awards. She is also former co-owner and creative director of the award-winning agency Artemis PR + Design.

A graduate of UVic’s writing department, she began her career as a reporter in B.C.’s Kootenay region before moving to Victoria and becoming editor of Focus on Women (now Focus) magazine and teaching journalism at Western Academy of Photography.

“I’m very driven by creativity,” says Slavens, “so the fact that YAM is blessed with such a creative team, who have a real passion for producing outstanding magazines, was very attractive to me.”

Published by award-winning Page One Publishing, YAM is Victoria's essential lifestyle magazine, covering a range of topics from food and fashion to home and travel. Page One also publishes Douglas magazine, and 11 custom titles for the tourism, grocery, and b2b sectors. Since 1998, Page One has grown to become one of B.C.’s largest independent magazine publishers

Harbourside Rotary Club (Canada’s first breakfast club) has installed new officers for the upcoming year. 

Harbourside Rotary is currently in its 31st year. President Richard "Rick" Lemon, a tourism marketing professional, brings a wealth of ideas on how to raise the club’s profile and involve more people in the good work of Rotary. Listed below are the rest of the new team.

• President-Elect — Paul Doherty
• Secretary — Pat Morris
• Treasurer — Don Greenberg
• Past President — Ralph Libby
• Vice President — Hugh Robertson
• Director Membership — Tina Terrell
• Director Communications — Jane Sterk
• Director Community Service — Mike Kalinka
• Director International Service — Pieta VanDyke
• Director Club Administration — Jane Sterk
• Director Fundraising — Hugh Robertson
• The Rotary Foundation — Doug Lunam

Habourside was chartered on September 17, 1980, with 38 charter members. Six of those members are still very active in the club. All have served as club president over the years. Its first president was Fred Barlett, who went on to become district governor in 1987-88 — the only Harbourside Rotarian to date to have become a district governor.

Some of the club's early projects included building a jungle gym at a women's abuse shelter and providing funds and sweat equity in the Boys and Girls Club in Esquimalt. This contribution was later honoured when they changed their name to Harbourside Boys and Girls Club. Harbourside started to participate in youth exchange within a year or two of being chartered and hosted incoming and supported outgoing exchanges for many years.

Harbourside Rotary Club meets weekly on Wednesdays from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Union Club of Victoria, 805 Gordon Street, Victoria. Guests of members are welcome to attend breakfasts, and membership inquiries are encouraged. Individuals may contact Harbourside Rotary Club membership director Tina Terrell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit the group's website.