In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
Anton van Druten
What do you always find yourself saying?
Adventure is out there.
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
The new Prime Minister seems like the kind of man I'd like to meet.
If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Can we start with the Small Business BC award and work our way up?
If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
One more day with my father would be awesome.
Who inspires you?
Anyone who triumphs over significant obstacles and those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
What are three things on your bucket list?
Learn to fly a float plane.
Beat my wife at backgammon.
Get published.
If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
I had the good fortune of working on quite a few big yachts around the world, it’s highly overrated. 'For Sale' would be a good place to start!
If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
Any day where my daughters have found real happiness and are living the lives they dreamed they would.
What are you passionate about?
Family comes first in everything I do.
What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The day my daughter Milla was born was a roller-coaster ride and will be hard to beat. Standing on the Grand Parade and listening to Nelson Mandela speak on 11th of Feb 1990 (the day he was released from prison) is a close second. The jubilation of that day was felt all around the world.
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Relocating my family from Cape Town to Kelowna in October 2013. Immigration to Canada is not for the fainthearted. We have a ways to go yet but Kelowna is beginning to feel like home and I am tremendously proud of how my girls have risen to the challenges of giving up everything they knew and pioneering a new life for themselves here in BC.
Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
Kelowna has some fantastic restaurants but none can match the wizardry of my lady’s home cooking.
What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
Exploring the city and the surrounding areas with my girls. Even after two years there is still so much to discover, experience and enjoy.
What is the name of your business/organization?
Swift Tents
What does your business/organization do?
We provide unique and creative cover solutions for events of all kinds.
Where can people find you or your business online?
www.swifttents.com
Where can people find your business on Facebook?
Swift Tents
What is your Twitter account?
@swifttents
How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
Search my name: Anton van Druten
What is your mission?
Revolutionize outdoor eventing with stretch tent technology.
If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
Firmly establish Swift Tents as a respected and innovative alternative to traditional event tents across North America.
Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
Our vision is to make stretch tents available in every city across Canada. Is it doable in five years? Absolutely.
Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Graydon Ilderton of Nomadik Tents.
What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Pragmatic, creative cover solutions at an affordable price are our hallmark. We go to extreme lengths to provide flawless customer service and endeavor to deliver a product that exceeds expectations every time.
What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
My dad was fond of 'do what you fear most' it's a great way of making tough decisions.
How does your business/organization impact the community?
Stretch tents are remarkably versatile and can transform just about any event space elegantly and cost effectively.
If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
No staking in city parks! We have a phenomenal product that can only enhance events around the city. The moratorium on staking should be re-evaluated so that event rental companies can provide more cost effective and secure installations in city parks.
What do you think makes Kelowna great?
You can live in the most beautiful city in the world, and I have been lucky to have sampled quite a few, but it is always its people that make a city truly great. Kelowna has remarkable natural beauty and it makes living here a blessing but it is the kindness, courtesy and generosity of the people we have met since moving here that has made our relocation here possible.
My nomination for the In Focus spotlight is:
The work my lady Deidre Kostek does as a care worker here in Kelowna amazes and inspires me. She and the many like her are the true unsung heroes of Kelowna.
Some general comments I would like to share are:
Stretch tents are radically different from traditional event tents and are entirely new in BC. Here's why… www.ow.ly/VM5fw
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!
