City of Brandon’s Development Services is introducing a Temporary Sidewalk / On-Street Patio program, which allows food and beverage establishments to set up patios on City property, with no fee payable to the City of Brandon. In addition, the City is prepared to offer the required safety signs for on-street patios at no cost to the applicant.  To apply, business owners must produce a site plan, proof of insurance, and a signed declaration, which is included in the application. Compliance with health, liquor and fire regulations will also be required. If alcohol is being served, a barrier / fence surrounding the patio is required. Patios are already permitted on private property, with no fees to the City.  This newly introduced program is not just to assist businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is also part of the Downtown Brandon Secondary Plan*, which is to support and promote new public and private investment that furthers the vision of a vibrant and dynamic place for people to visit, live, work, and play.   “The patio program is one way the City can work to provide greater flexibility to eating and drinking establishments during this challenging time,” notes Ryan Nickel, Director of Planning & Buildings. “We are hoping that many local businesses take us up on the program and bring life to the street during the pandemic and into the future.”   For more information, please visit City of Brandon - Temporary Patios On City Property, email planning@brandon.ca, or call 204-729-2110.  *It should be noted that even though this program is part of the Downtown Brandon Secondary Plan, it is not limited to only downtown businesses. For more info on the requirements, please review the Temporary Patio Permit Application form. 

The legal marijuana business is growing by over 100 percent per year. This means huge tax revenues that the Federal and Provincial governments have never seen in the past. In order to better understand the business of weed at the local level we reached out to Grump Weed, a Canadian Licensed Micro Cannabis Producer in Minnedosa, for additional information. Roughly two years ago, Dave Hargreaves and his partners started the process of opening this business.  As Dave tells bdnmb.ca "We are just a few guys who love to grow weed and love technology." Building the facility to Health Canada’s standards was difficult as they had to interpret the new cannabis laws and rules.  There was really no guide telling you exactly what they want so the license process and approval is not a sure thing and therefore very stressful. Now what is Grump Weed?  They are fully automated aeroponics cannabis facility growing their own cannabis in a sealed, indoor, clean room facility. In addition, using the most advanced technology in the world, Grump Weed uses no soil, no growing mediums, they hang the roots in the air and spray them with exactly what they want and nothing more. Their goal is to produce consistent AAAA quality, pesticide-free cannabis, sold at fair prices. Hargreaves told BDNMB.CA that they are a Craft Cannabis company and they believe that creating a craft product is more than just growing the plant. It’s about having a team of people who are passionate about growing and doing everything possible to maximize the quality of the product.   The support for Grump Weed has been overwhelming.  Amazing reviews to date and the customers love the staff and quality of the product. They currently have product in most stores in Manitoba and have product being sold in BC and Saskatchewan and working on getting into Alberta. The name Grump came from his father (Bruce Hargreaves) who passed away. His nickname was Grump and they wanted to honor him by naming the company after him. 2020 Canadian sales were 2.6 billion dollars and in 2019 sales were 1.2 billion, a 120 percent increase. 2020 USA sales were 17.5 billion dollars, a 46% increase from 2019.

Kelleher Ford is among an elite group of Ford dealershipsacross Canada to be recognized with the 2020 President’s Award Diamond Club by Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. The President’s Award, Ford of Canada’s highest dealership honour, is presented annually to those dealerships who demonstrate outstanding achievement in sales and customer satisfaction. “We really put a lot of time and attention into the culture of our store. We work to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction we can,” said John Kelleher, dealer principal at Kelleher Ford. “Driven by our dedicated team, we are committed to providing an outstanding automotive experience. We want to be admired as a progressive, innovative, and leading automobile retailer.” Ford of Canada is recognizing dealers across the country for providing their customers with an outstanding experience in sales, service and overall dealership experience. It isn’t one activity or event that earned the Brandon dealer another award, according to Kelleher, citing his team’s relentless pursuit of excellence instead. The team’s core values are integrity, customer focus, respect, teamwork, continuous improvement, and environmental responsibility. “We exemplify our core values on a day-to-day basis, and this award proves it because it’s all based on customer feedback and surveys. It means a lot,” said Kelleher. “We want to thank the community for its years of support, as we are driven to provide the same customer satisfaction into the future.” Dealers become eligible for the President’s Award through excellence in dealership operations and exceptional customer feedback through survey responses related to their sales and service satisfaction and overall dealership experience. Kelleher Ford is a three-time recipient of thePresident’s Diamond Club Award.(Submitted)

Growers N' Smokers recently moved to their new address. The company, which also recently celebrated its 4th anniversary in business, is now located at 1150-19th Street. Owner Rick Macl said that there was a number of reasons for the relocation including an expiring lease, the need for additional space to display all products, improved parking, concerns over the upcoming bridge construction, and additional foot traffic. The new location in nearly three times the size of his original location which also leaves room for further expansion. Growers N' Smokers originally started in a location with approximately 1,300 square feet of space and quickly expanded to 2,100 as demand grew. Rick said they have an extensive product offering of over 15,000 sku items including products for growing supplies, Apothecary & education, and headshop supplies. While his store is often first thought of for cannabis growing, Rick was quick to point out that a majority of his business comes from specialty growing. They carry a number of indoor gardening products (greenhouses, grow rooms, aquaponics and hydroponics, soil, lighting) for specialty growing products for everything from hot peppers to tropical plants.

BDNMB.CA tries to keep our ear to the ground, so to speak, in searching for new and unique local business stories. Enter Alexa Dubois, a 27 year old from Brandon who has quietly developed a custom sign business called Soul Creations. As Alexa describes it, she is a self-taught woman with no experience or schooling that had a passion for home decor.  While being on maternity leave with her second child, she thought to herself I need a hobby why not woodworking.  Alexa purchased a scroll saw and 18 months later she has completed 400 signs that range in price from $50.00 to $400.00.  She says the average turnaround time is 4 weeks and average costs are in the $100.00 price range.