A new locally owned/operated convenience store (B Town Convenience) will be opening soon at 710-18th street in Brandon. The space had previously been occupied by Uniglobe Clark Travel. In conversation with bdnmb.ca earlier today, Viral Shah said they are targeting a June 19th opening. Viral along with his partners (Pranay Patel, Arpan Patel and Jaimin Patel) also own/operate the East End Convenience Store in Brandon. The 960 sq ft store will stock a range of everyday items for people on the go such as snack foods, confectionery, lottery tickets, soft drinks, tobacco products, and more. Hours of Operation 7am-9pm Monday to Friday 9am-9pm Saturday & Sunday Follow B Town Convenience on Facebook for their latest store updates.

The Brandon Chamber of Commerce held their 2020/2021 President Changeover Ceremony yesterday. Spencer Day (Progressive Westman) takes over the role of President from Cathy Snelgrove. Barry Cooper (Heritage Co-Op) is the new Vice-President, while Tanya LaBuick (LaBuick & Co) is the Secretary/Treasurer. Rounding out the 2020/2021 Brandon Chamber Board of Directors are: Aida Tahhan - Aida's Catering Cathy Snelgrove - Siere Andrea Epp - Patersons LLP Jamie Pugh-Clemmensen - MNP LLP Lois MacDonald - Westman Immigrant Services Chris Finlay - Mazergroup Mark Bailey - R&M Homes Ltd Meredyth Leech - Leech Printing Ltd Scott Norosky - Southend Lumber (1978) Ltd. Laurie Brugger - Century 21 Westman Ryan Jacobson - Forbidden Flavours

Alexandra Trotter is the Marketing and Communications Manager with the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. She has previously worked for Sysco Food Services - Marketing Associate, Browns Socialhouse -GM, and Sand Hills Casino - Marketing Manager. Alexandra is also a WSET level 3 certified wine instructor. Favourite radio station:  Hip Hop Nation Sirius XM – but mostly I listen to murder/true crime podcasts like “Wine and Crime” or “Casefile” Guilty pleasure TV program: If the question was favourite TV show it would hands down be Law & Order SVU. Butttt guilty pleasures right now are Rupaul’s Drag Race and Family Guy. Least favourite part about quarantine: Online shopping deliveries take longer. Best part about quarantine: Staying at home and drinking wine with our pups! Zeppelin and Led ???? Biggest regret in life: Not starting to learn about wine sooner! How has Trudeau handled the COVID 19 Virus: Sorry, who? Are you a foodie: Big time! Weirdest thing you have eaten: Fancy restaurants serve some weird Pâtés. I usually don’t even ask what’s in them or I wouldn’t be able to try them. Cat or dog person and why: Dog! But I love all animals ???? How/where did you meet your husband Jordan: Brandon is a pretty small city so we had met in passing a few times. But it was on Nov. 10th 2015 that sparks started to fly! We were out with a group of people and he and I got talking and really hit it off and have been inseparable ever since! Would you go to a Metallica concert: Yes, I am very hardcore. *See dog names as evidence of hardcoreness. Led, he’s a little Black Dog and Zeppelin, she’s a shepherd x. Greatest reward with your current job: Learning all the things about Ag! I don’t have an Ag background so I’ve learnt soooo much working with the Provincial Ex! A fun fact for you is that my husbands Great Great Grandfather was a shareholder with the Provincial Ex! I have his share from 1907 framed in my office. His name was Alexander Trotter! So we have an “Alex Trotter” share from 113 years ago and then an “Alex Trotter” share from 2020. Seinfeld or Prison Break, which would you watch: I watched Prison Break years ago... so I guess Seinfeld! Would you consider Brandon a liberal or conservative city: A little of one and a lot of the other. Business you would like to see open in Brandon: Chamois car wash! I was thinking about this yesterday. How many slurpees do you consume a year: 0-1 probably. Maybe 2 on a crazy year. Who would be Brandon’s top 3 most recognizable or known people: In no particular order: Darryl Wolski, James Ehnes, and probably someone in sports. Favourite local pizza: Dominos! It’s been a staple in my husband and I’s relationship since day 1! It was even the meal we had the night he proposed! I was almost too busy stuffing my face with boneless chicken bites to notice he was down on one knee!

Four of the region’s most respected and longest serving insurance brokers are coming together as one, effective June 1, 2020. Parkway Insurance (Erickson), Vanguard Financial (Rossburn), Asselstine Agencies (Birtle) and NorthStar Insurance (Roblin) will together be known as North Star Insurance and Real Estate Inc. “All four brokers are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Fusion Credit Union, and have been for a number of years now,” explained Darwin Johns, Fusion’s Chief Executive Officer. “Bringing them all together under a single umbrella will make their affiliation with each other much clearer in our market and, in the longer term, will provide some opportunities for growth as well.” Ryan Keown, who will continue to manage the NorthStar offices in Roblin and Birtle, is enthusiastic about the new entity. “Operating under the same name, we’ll be able to consolidate and enhance our online presence,” he said. “We’ll also be able to raise our profile in the real estate market over a much broader area — in fact, we’ll be opening an office in Brandon, possibly as soon as this summer.” Brian Currie, manager of NorthStar’s Rossburn and Erickson locations, shares Keown’s excitement. “We have a terrific staff, who really know the business and are laser-focused on making sure every client is taken care of,” he said. “Being part of a larger network gives us even more capacity, and a real opportunity to build on our reputation as the first choice for professional expertise and personal service in the communities we serve.” Management and staff will remain the same at all four locations, with no changes to office hours, telephone numbers or other details related to day-to-day operations. (submitted)

Pita Pit opened their second location in Brandon earlier today. The new restaurant is located at 1890-18th Street North. Pita Pit offers a wide range of healthy pita options (rolled or bowled) including gluten-free pitas, all-day breakfast and smoothies. The first Pita Pit in Brandon opened in May of 2013.