Jason Roblin is the Chief Executive Officer for Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP). He has his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Brandon University. An avid hockey fan, Jason spent time in the Finance Department of the Calgary Flames.  For his full bio, please click here. 1.  You are at the grocery store, what is the one item you will never buy generic but always purchase name brand? Mustard, it has to be French’s doesn’t it?   2. What was your favourite TV show growing up? Other than Hockey Night in Canada, it was likely Law and Order, I grew up in Pierson we had 3 Channels. (CBC, CTV and NBC from Minot)   3. If you could go back in time and attend one NHL game live, which game would you choose? 1988 Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Vs Boston the last cup with the 80’s oilers together, I liked Bourque and Neely on the B’s would have loved to been there (in the Garden). 4. A meal that you think tastes better the next day? Pizza   5. A business from the past that you would like to see make a return to Brandon? I am not sure about this one, maybe Joe’s Sports Cards   6. First time on a plane, where did you go? Bismark ND to Dallas Tx, I was fortunate enough to visit my grandparents on spring break in kindergarten, accompanied by my aunt   7. You're been handed $10,000 and a ticket to anywhere but you have to leave tonight, where would you go? Right now Vegas to watch some playoff hockey, but normally Phoenix or Palm Springs.   8. What is your greatest strength as an entrepreneur? Asking questions, listening and finding solutions.   9. First job? Cutting grass for seniors in Pierson.  I also sold corn cobs out of a wagon 3 for a dollar, that sticks with me when the inflation discussion comes up.   10. You can choose one item to be calorie free, what will it be? Beer or pizza   11. The car you passed your drivers test in was a? Ford Explorer (my moms vehicle)   12. An object you still own from your childhood? Wayne Gretzky lunch box from kindergarten with thermos.   13. Three movies everyone should have in their movie library? 1. Big Short 2. Any Given Sunday 3. Wolf on Wall Street   14. A piece of advice you would give to this year's graduating class? A. Anything you start, start with the end in mind. (If you are taking business, focus on the job you want and take the classes you need to get that job.) B. Nothing worthwhile comes easy.   15. You have been challenged to a fight--the object closest to you is your weapon. What are you fighting with? My fists, they got me this far.   16. Optimal golf foursome? Jared Jacobson, Jack Jacobson and Trent Roblin, I have golfed with each of them separately and had an amazing time each occasion. 17. Would you ever consider running for politics? No. I respect those that do serve in public office. I get really frustrated with excuses and why things can’t happen. I am better suited for private enterprise where we can find ways to make things happen.   18. You come home on a Friday night after work and everyone you hung out with in high school is on your front step, respond with three words. Let’s catch up!   19. What is the most interesting place you have ever been to? New York, it is different than any other place I have been.  It is a bit overwhelming when you get there, you enjoy the city and when you leave you can’t wait to go back   20. Outside of hockey, what sport have you spent the most hours playing? I am trying to get back into golf, I played a lot as a kid, didn’t play during university and the start of my career.  I like the sport and am slowly improving. 

Rhonda Pardy is the Owner-Operator at Tim Hortons Westman & Area. She is a former winner of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year award. Tim Hortons Westman & Area will open their 10th location on Tuesday, June 1 on the corner of Richmond and First street. The first Timmies location opened in Brandon (18th Street) in November of 2001. 1. What do you consider the ultimate comfort food: Spaghetti and the sauce has to be my Mom’s recipe 2. What is your favourite movie soundtrack of all time: Saturday Night Live. It’s impossible to stay sitting when those tunes start playing. 3. For your next vacation you can only visit a place that starts with the first letter of your first name. Where are you going: ROME!!  Yes PLEASE!4. Least favourite household chore: It would be a tie between shovelling snow and hauling out the garbage bins in the winter.  5. What's the tallest building you have ever been to the top of: Empire State Building. I LOVE New York City! 6. What songs take you back to your teen years: I was a teen in the 80’s so all the best music takes me back!  Bryan Adams, Journey, Whitney Houston, Foreigner, Michael Jackson.  The list is endless and I still listen to 80’s music a lot. 7. An object/item you still own from your childhood:  I have my childhood bible gifted to me by my grandparents. 8. First job: I became a cashier at Canadian Tire at 13 years old.  My ‘Mom and Dad’ bosses were the best role models and life teachers I could ever ask for but the pay was terrible. 9. Three most commonly used apps on your phone: Spotify, Facebook and the weather network10. What piece of advice would you give to young entrepreneurs: Work hard, take risks, save money, go the extra mile and make sure to have some fun!  11. Early riser or night owl: Very early riser 12. Heels, flats or sneakers: cannot wait for a reason to be in heels again but I’m usually wearing flats. 13. What are three words you would use to describe living in Brandon: Community Support, Safe, Home14. Dolphins or koalas: Dolphins - preferably watching from a sandy beach15. What does your work station/desk look like right now:  My home office desk has several piles of papers, an adding machine, a candle, a calendar with friends pictures on it, a protein shake and a pen.  Underneath that mess though is my Mom’s previous desk from Canadian Tire, refinished by my son so I have a full heart every time I sit down. 16. What food were you forced to eat as a child and still refuse to eat today: Pork and Beans.  Yuck!  I’m sure I had to sit at the table until dark trying to get them down.  For the record, my brother loved them and would ask if we could have them often.  I’m still planning my revenge on him.  17. What is the best activity when home on a rainy day: Ummm....I’ll take the fifth on that one.  Lol. (My Mom will probably read this!) 18.  If you could raid one celebrity's closet who would it be: One of the actress’s from the tv series Suits. 19. Favourite actor or actress: Julia Roberts, Ryan Gosling, 20. What's your favorite condiment: Ranch Dressing

Brandon Riverbank Inc. is now welcoming visitors outside the Discovery/Brandon & Region Tourism Centre forthe next few months! A visitor information booth has been installed outside the Discovery Centre/Brandon & Region Tourism Centre front doors (during office hours and when staffing allows). While the facility remains open, Brandon Riverbank Inc.wanted toensure the public can access cityand region information, while feeling safe outdoors. “During these challenging times, wefelt we wanted to better engage with the public and thought we could better utilize our summer staff with this new information booth outside,” said James Montgomery, GM of Brandon Riverbank Inc. “Our grounds have been very busy and it’s understandable if some people feel hesitant about going inside our facility. This joint initiative allows Riverbank and Brandon Tourism staff the ability to provide people with a safe option to access information about the grounds, the city and the region. ”Make sure you stop by and pick up your 2021 Brandon visitor guide today! A friendly reminder that the Riverbank grounds are a great way to spend time outdoors during this challenging time. Enjoy the walking trails, children’s playground, outdoor art installments and so much morewhile at the Riverbank! (submitted)

After many long months of the Building Re-Fit Store being closed for a much-needed store clean-up and beautification, the store is opening its doors to the community by appointment only starting June 3. “After almost 30 years of the store being open, we realized the store needed an upgrade. We closed the store during the winter months to revamp the store to make it more pleasurable for customers to shop in”, says Erin Coleman, Building Re-Fit Program Manager. The Building Re-Fit Store originally planned to open its doors on June 3 to the community. However, with the current COVID restrictions, the store will now be open by appointment only for the time being. “We know the store has been missed while we were closed, our staff haven been working hard to create a welcoming and creative shopping environment. We are excited to announce that the Building Re-Fit Store will be opening by appointment. To book your appointment call 204-728-2227.” Shopping by appointment is not the only thing that has changed in the Building Re-Fit Store. For more than 20 years, local artists have been show-casing their artwork on the Building Re-Fit Store legal graffiti wall. Inspired by the graffiti wall, over 15 artists, including graffiti artists and art students from Crocus Plains, were given an art space throughout the store to showcase their art. “Each wall, each mural is different. What this artwork adds to the store, we never could have imagined, the talent in Brandon and surrounding area is amazing!” The Building Re-Fit Store is an employment and work training project of the Community Health and Housing Association (CHHA). 100% of all donations and sales help us to assist families and individuals in need throughout our community. To book your shopping appointment or to donate your building materials or good used furniture, call the Building Re-Fit Store at 204-728-2227 today. (submitted)

nCino, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCNO), a pioneer in cloud banking and digital transformation solutions for the global financial services industry, today announced that Manitoba’s Sunrise Credit Union is live on the nCino Bank Operating System®. Sunrise will now be able to offer a user-friendly, digital on-line and in-branch Deposit Account Opening experience members today expect through the nCino platform. The nCino platform will be able to significantly reduce the time required to open new memberships and new accounts, allowing Sunrise employees the ability to spend an increased amount of personal time with their members to understand their financial needs and provide a first-class customer experience. In addition to utilizing nCino’s Deposit Account Opening solution, Sunrise has also purchased nCino’s Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Residential Mortgage solutions which it plans to roll-out in phases to help further automate tasks to drive organizational efficiency, scalability and speed. “We conducted an extensive review of potential partners and selected nCino because they not only offered a solution that could provide our members the very best experience, but their corporate values align closely to those of Sunrise,” said Tim Klassen, President & CEO at Sunrise Credit Union. “The pandemic has required us to find new ways to meet our members’ needs including moving many business activities online. The introduction of nCino will enable us to provide more self-service and electronic communication options to our members, which was the most pressing issue for us to solve.” With approximately 34,000 members, Sunrise Credit Union’s goal is to provide personalized financial services to benefit its members and communities. Sunrise recognized the need to continue to innovate and improve in order to meet the changing needs of its members and nCino is a key component to achieving these goals. The nCino Bank Operating System digitizes, automates and streamlines complex processes and workflow through a single-digital platform that can be accessed anytime, anywhere and from any internet-enabled device. Through the nCino platform, Sunrise has been able to substantially reduce the time it takes to open deposit accounts and member onboarding time has been reduced by about half. “Digital transformation should be done with a focus on meeting the needs of each and every member while also enhancing operational efficiency,” said Cam Sterrett, nCino's General Manager, Canada. “Sunrise understood the need to enhance their processes to enable them to streamline their current offerings, freeing up employee time to focus on meeting the needs of their members. We’re thrilled to be able to continue carving our footprint throughout Canada and partner with institutions as innovative as Sunrise.” (submitted)