Concept Homes is a family run, home development company located in Brandon, Manitoba. They offer a variety of floor plans and design options which are sure to suit the needs of every individual. Recently bdnmb.ca reached out to owner Joel Cardinal-Schultz to discuss why you should consider Concept Homes for your next house purchase. How long have you been in  the house-building business? Concept Homes has entered its 4th year in Brandon, MB.   I came from Saskatoon where my brother and I operated Selkirk Homes which was established about 18 years ago.  I was part of Selkirk for 6 years before moving to Brandon. Why focus on higher end homes when the real estate market people feel homes over 400k are hard to sell?  It’s not so much that we focus on higher end homes exactly.  We have brought different styles of homes to Brandon, as well as a business model that really caters to our clients.  With that, we also pay very close attention to detail and do the extra things when building homes so that our clients have a home they’re very proud of and lowers the risk for issues coming up down the road.  The extra little things like spray foaming joist ends, using sump pumps/pits in every build, natural gas furnaces and hot water tanks and a 10 year warranty program go a long way with ensuring Concept Homes withstand the tests of our climate and the families living in our homes.   With the quality and the before, during and after construction service we offer to our clients, it just seems that we naturally attract the higher end of the market.  We are just as happy to offer the same quality and service to our lower priced houses/clients.  We just finished a beautiful house in the 300k range in a core Brandon neighborhood and have 2 houses priced in the mid 300’s going up on 9thstreet as well. Are you evolving with ideas and designs each year? Absolutely we are.  We (myself and brother  Jeremy, still in Saskatoon) spend a lot of time sharing new ideas and floorplans back and forth that we’ve learned about reading articles, or going to Home Builder conferences.  Driving through the new areas, it’s pretty easy to pick out the Concept Homes which usually have two storeys or  triple car garages and  larger trims and bold finishes, but it’s so much more than the exteriors.  Once inside the house, our homes evolve with how families are evolving. Our latest show home is a 2-storey home, and it’s set up perfectly for growing families.  The top floor has 4 bedrooms, a living room, and laundry, just to make for a convenient lifestyle.  As well, with the triple car garage, we’ve added a rear garage door, so you can easily pull a boat, or ski-doo or anything you need into the backyard for storage or landscaping.  We spend a lot of time updating our ideas, but we also can’t take all of the credit, we listen to our clients, make the changes they ask for, and that helps us evolve.   Another example would be our houses going up at 1103 and 1105 9th street.  It’s a growing trend for younger people to be wanting brand new homes, but not everyone can afford 400k+ homes, so we designed a 2-storey homes to fit on a 25’ lot.   These are big homes with lots of living space and all the same features that our more expensive homes have, just placed on a skinnier lot.  3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a large kitchen with an island, upper level laundry room... but on top of that, we’ve also added a side entrance direct to the basement for those people who need a mortgage helper.  The homes are set up to have a completely separate basement suite,  a great way to help pay the mortgage. What sets you apart from other builders? I thought to answer this, I’d just reach out to past clients. Here are some feedback comments I’ve received recently. “ Not only are Concept Homes’ products top of the line in terms of quality, craftsmanship and style, they also go above and beyond in customer service as well. Joel is personally by your side to answer questions and porvide guidance and expertise from the initial meeting, through the design and building phase, right up until move in day and well beyond!  With Concept Homes you become part of a family and not just another number or sale for the book.  Joel is very detail-orientated and always takes your needs and ideas into consideration.  What you get is a truly one of a kind custom home that is perfect for your family, no matter what stage of life you are in!” “The level of communication and the understanding of what clients are needing and wanting.  Concept Homes goes above and beyond at making us feel like it is our dream house that we are building!  We appreciate the time that Joel gives us and we can literally ask him questions at any time of day and he will respond to our inquiries in a very productive manner.” “Words cannot express our gratitude for everything you did for us this past year.  Thank you for making it a wonderful experience for us, for bringing our vision to life and letting us change our minds a million times without complaint. We love everything about our house and we “love coming home!” How many homes a year could you comfortably build? We would never want to sacrifice our quality or attention to detail by growing too big, but that being said, doing 6-10 homes a year is right in our wheel house, and I’d have no problem taking on as many as 12 houses a year. A link to their website can be found here.

DAUPHIN (February 7, 2020) — Fusion Credit Union will contribute $150,000 to the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club in a sponsorship and naming rights agreement announced today. The funds will be dedicated to the new Fusion Credit Union Competition Course, an elite-level competition cycle trail that will be showcased at the 2020 Manitoba Games in Dauphin this August. The 5 km competition course is part of the larger Northgate Multi-Use Trail System, developed and operated by the Derailleurs club. “This is fantastic news,” said Derailleurs president Brenda Gregory. “We’ve put in an amazing amount of time and energy, and fundraising, too, to make the whole Northgate trail system something we can all be proud of. “The competition trail is the real jewel, though,” she continued. “We brought in one of western Canada’s leading landscape design firms (Scatliff Miller Murray) to ensure we have a first-class facility for the Manitoba Games, and for years to come. This gift from Fusion Credit Union has made a huge contribution to making our dream a reality.” “As a financial cooperative, supporting the communities we serve is a key part of our mission,” said Fusion board chair Guy Huberdeau, “and we try to be generous with all kinds of projects and events, big and small. I think the competition cycle trail is an excellent fit for us, for a number of reasons. “Not only will it make for a particularly memorable cycle competition at this summer’s Manitoba Games,” he said, “but we’ll be left with a multi-use trail that the whole community can take advantage of, after the Games are done. “We say our purpose as a credit union is to help our members live their best lives,” he continued. “What better way to express that, than with a significant contribution to a network of safe, sustainably built, accessible trails, where everyone can enjoy an active outdoor experience that’s unique to the Parkland.” The Fusion competition trail is located near the Selo Ukraina site and is linked the larger 20 km Northgate trail system. In recent years, existing trails have been upgraded and enhanced to take advantage of natural valleys and ridges, and competition features have been incorporated — including a challenging wall ride and jump line. “The Dauphin Derailleurs are so excited about our partnership with Fusion Credit Union,” said Gregory. “This trail system is the product of countless hours of intense effort from the cycling community… it’s gratifying that the credit union recognizes its value to the community and shares our enthusiasm.” The 2020 Manitoba Games will be held August 9 through 15 in Dauphin. Cycling events will take place over the first four days, with male and female competitions in U13 and U15 categories

When bdnmb.ca was launched in March of 2016, we wanted to be more than just another online echo chamber talking about the weather 2-3 times a week. We wanted to introduce our readers to those unique and interesting businesses, attractions, and individuals that we felt were not being recognized, or featured, in local media coverage. As a result, articles like Crows’ General Store, D-Vos Sports Lounge, Eternal Springs, Nature’s Hideaway, and the Kelwood Antique Store remain the most viewed on our web site today. This restaurant we visited earlier today is another hidden gem that we wanted to introduce our readers to as it is definitely worth the trip. Amazing food awaits... If you are a fan of really good comfort food, sometimes with a twist, then you owe it to yourself to check out The Burning Bale in Elgin. Situated on Main Street inside the renovated Elgin Mall, the restaurant first opened at the end of May 2019. They use the best local ingredients they can source including ham and bacon from the Souris River Colony. The portions are extremely generous and the innovative menu offers a little bit of something for everyone. The Steak & Cheese poutine is comprised of your classic poutine with a AAA flat iron steak and topped with a slab of breaded and fried Gouda cheese. In the mood for a pizza? The El Vato Taco topped with beef, peppers, onions, salsa, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, hot yellow peppers, and crushed Doritos just might be right for you. Please note that pizza is only available Saturdays starting at 3pm. Breakfast lovers will enjoy their Red Eyed Hillbilly--a cast iron burger topped with a fried egg, hillbilly sauce, and a splash of Tabasco, served with a side of cast iron hash browns. In addition to their regular menu, they also feature different daily specials like a perogy routine, steak sandwich, brisket kaiser, chicken schnitzel, or a classic hot chicken sandwich. To see their hours of operation, full menu, or to see the daily specials, pleases follow their Facebook page.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be operating a pop-up store inside the Brandon Shoppers Mall from Feb 21-23, 2020. The pop-up store will be located near the Food Court and the Grey Cup will be available to view and to take a photo with on two of the the three days. Sat Feb 22 9:30-11am, 3:30pm-5pm Sun Feb 23 12pm-2pm Earlier in the week, we shared information that the Grey Cup would also be making an appearance at Princess Auto on the 21st of February.

On February 1, 2020, Westman Communications Group will be increasing the Internet speeds in all their packages for customers across the region. This upgrade comes on the heels of a significant infrastructure upgrade made by Westman to move to DOCSIS 3.1 technology, which is designed to enable faster speeds and increased network reliability Westman’s XSTREAM Internet packages, notably titled to reflect the download speed available in each package, are available in all the communities they serve. Their base package, XSTREAM 12, will become XSTREAM15, with download speeds increasing to 15MBps. Comparable increases will also be applied to all of their other packages, including XSTREAM 40, which will become XSTREAM 50, up to their XSTREAM 150 package, which will become XSTREAM 160 with 160 MBps download speeds. Upload speeds will also see an improvement. “Westman is always looking for new ways to improve our customer experience,” said Courtney Baxter, Manager of Marketing at Westman Communications Group. “We understand that the need for more speed and increased reliability is growing across the Westman region, and our goal is to be proactively ahead of that growth. This means providing the best Internet experience for our members on the packages they already subscribe to, while also adding new packages that offer even higher speeds”. Coming soon, Westman will also be adding a new Internet package to their lineup, XSTREAM 300, with 300 MBps download and 25 MBps upload speeds, making Westman’s speed packages the fastest available to all residents in Brandon and the other communities their services are available in. “Our customers will automatically receive the speed boost during an overnight upgrade on January 31, adds Baxter. “By Saturday morning, they will be able to enjoy their new speeds. (submitted)